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“a theater that cares [about] its surrounding community…producing vitally relevant and topical work." - OC Weekly
BREATH OF FIRE LATINA THEATER ENSEMBLE (BOFLTE), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the award-winning and only Latina theater company in Orange County. Based in downtown Santa Ana—the corazón of the county—BOFLTE was created to support the work and enrich the lives of Latinas in the performing arts by providing representation, opportunities, and leadership roles within traditional arts communities.
Conceived in the early 2000s and officially incorporated as a nonprofit in 2007, BOFLTE has made an indelible mark on the Orange County arts scene, the greater Los Angeles area, and beyond. It was honored by OC Human Relations as a Community Leader for “extraordinary contributions to the county in the area of human and/or civil rights.”
To date, BOFLTE has produced more than 20 world premieres. Awarded Best Play for its book “The COVID Monologues" by the International Latino Book Awards (ILBA), Artists-in-Residency of California State University Fullerton’s (CSUF) Grand Central Arts Center (GCAC), One of 52 recipients of The National Latinx Theater Initiative (a three year grant), a two-year grant recipient of The City of Santa Ana Artist Grant and awardee of The TYA/USA ReImagine grant. In 2024 Breath of Fire began a partnership with California State University Fullerton’s
Its production of Cherríe Moraga’s Digging Up the Dirt—co-produced with Moraga’s See-What Productions and supported by a 2010 National Association of Latino Arts and Culture Master Artist Grant—was named to the “Best of 2010” lists by OC Weekly and Examiner.com. In 2011, after operating a downtown Santa Ana office transformed into a 900-square-foot black box theater, BOFLTE closed its physical space. Its final two productions in that venue were Angel of the Desert by Janine Salinas Schomberg, presented at South Coast Repertory, and When Songleaders Go Bad and Calzones Cagados, solo pieces by founding members Elizabeth Isela Szekeresh and Sara Guerrero, presented by Slip of the Tongue.
Since BOFLTE 2015 re-emergence, its remained committed to its mission and, for the past decade, has served as an incubator for voices historically excluded from theater. BOFLTE offers programming that nurtures storytelling, playwriting, producing, and acting. As artists-in-residence at GCAC, BOFLTE brings seasoned theater professionals to facilitate high-quality workshops—both in person and online. No one is ever turned away for lack of experience, and all community programming is free.
To honor this milestone and celebrate ten years of radical storytelling, community building, and cultural resilience, BOFLTE is creating a 10-Year Anthology, showcasing the diverse voices, talents, and lived experiences that have shaped our ensemble and broader community.
Some of the new works that BOFLTE has supported, developed, or helped produce include:
Olvidados: A Mexican American Corrido (UMass Amherst),
Sometimes, I Wish… (José Casas / TYA USA / CSUF),
Joy in Uncertainty: A Glory Chicken Adventure (Sigrid Gilmer / BIPOC Superhero Project),
Canto de Anaheim and Feast for the Dead (Pacific Symphony),
and Cantos Cuentos y Corridos de Santa Ana (Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble)
BOFLTE is sustained by dedicated leadership, community artists, volunteers, and donors like you. Every contribution—large or small—helps us continue offering free in-person and online programming to our community. We are grateful for your support.
Please consider making a donation Donation today!
Mission:
To Support and Enrich the Lives of Latinas in the Performing Arts
Vision:
⁃ Serves as an incubator for voices that have been historically excluded in theater
⁃ To incubate, support, develop and / or produce work that reflects, impacts, and / or empowers the diverse Latine/x community
⁃ Believes in the transformative power of theater
⁃ To raise awareness of critical issues in the community
⁃ To entertain and challenge
⁃ Foster cross-cultural understanding
⁃ Be a catalyst for personal healing and social justice
Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble are
Resident Artist of Grand Central Arts Center of Cal State University of Fullerton
Members of Network of Ensemble Theaters,
Arts Orange County,
Cohort of The BIPOC Artistic Directors of Greater Los Angeles,
Latinx Theatre Alliance (Los Angeles)
Partners of UC Irvine's Brown Bag Theatre Co, Black Student Union of GGHS, Santa Ana HS Theatre Conservatory,
Los Amigos HS Theatre , #ProtectPuvungna, Cal State University of Fullerton's Theatre Dept.
Challenging times REQUIRE Challenging art
by Adriana Alba
July 2017
--Art that questions, probes, and confronts.
-- Art that pries open spaces and dialogue.
--Art that reveals both interconnectedness and fragile seams in our society.
These are indeed challenging times, but the challenges making headlines are not new to members of Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble or its community. The xenophobia, transphobia, discrimination, and mean-spiritedness that carried in from the 2016 campaign season and current political climate -has been a fact of life for the writers or actors that make up our group. While many artistic communities throughout the country recoiled in horror at the 2016 election results, we nod in recognition--by now we expect them as inevitable themes for each campaign cycle.
We are in Orange County, after all: once headquarters of national xenophobic and anti-immigrant groups and organizations. This is the county that birthed Richard Nixon, John Birch Societies, and the Minuteman Project. A recent, LA Times article by Chapman University Political Scientist, Fred Smoller, recalls that, “as recently as 1988, the Republican party illegally hired private uniformed guards — some holding signs saying "Non-Citizens Can't Vote" in English and Spanish — to ‘monitor’ polling places in Santa Ana.”
Gustavo Arellano, (former editor of OC Weekly), once named Orange County the “Mexican-bashing capital of the United States.” He wrote, “Our racist sneezes become national hurricanes,” in his review of The Mexican O.C. the play that originally brought Breath of Fire Latina Ensemble to fruition. The production of The Mexican O.C. highlighted long history of Mexican American struggle and resistance in Orange County and framed years of productions that continuously provided a platform to stories often marginalized from mainstream theater. It was accompanied important shift in demographic and culture for the entire county—
The county has become a minority majority, and its politics has begun to reflect that…
Despite these demographic changes, Breath of Fire remains the only Latina theater company in Orange County. While we began as a group focused on theater production, the organization when it reemerged (summer 2015) shifted its efforts to become an incubator for voices who hold untold/under-told stories through theater and playwriting workshops.
“The community of Breath of Fire Writers and the ensemble members, who are luminaries and so dear to me, all help create this extraordinary space that ignites so much creativity and connection.” Angela Apodaca of Breath of Fire
“Through 2016 retreats and workshops, I have been able to connect with leaders in education and have produced two ten minute plays. I have built great professional relationships and a safe community for sharing my writing. I am cultivating an aesthetic for my work and a path as a writer. Most importantly, I have made amazing friends.” Yasmin Madadi of Breath of Fire.
“The leadership of the group… are so dedicated to your writing and the facilitation of us writers – {it] is a beautiful symphony of love, dedication, and passion.” Yolanda Mendiveles of Breath of Fire.
The voices and stories are here, but unfortunately the spaces facilitate the craft produce the arts that come with it are scarce.
Funding from the California Arts Council Grant has provided a valuable space for the community to go beyond catharsis and inspire action. “The workshop series came about from a desire to create a supportive space for individuals looking to explore writing and give voice to their experiences and imagination,” states Breath of Fire founding artistic director, Sara Guerrero.
Joel Beers recently praised the Breath of Fire as an example to follow during these times. “More theaters need to follow that lead and create a sense that the local playhouse is not only an escape from the daily grind, but also a sanctuary for expression, community, catharsis and, above all else, the real, hard work that is desperately needed in times of turmoil,” he wrote in “OC Theater People: Get Off Facebook and Into the Trenches Against Trump.”
Since our launch of our free workshops covered Playwriting Fundamentals to Revision and Feedback and provided participants with guidance from prestigious and experienced playwrights that included José Cruz González, Kristina Leach, Estela Garcia, Diana Burbano, Armando Molina, Kimberly Colburn, Bernardo Solano, Jose Casas, Karen Anzoategui, Paul S. Flores, Monica Palacios, Cathy Arellano, Lorna Silva, Richard Soto, Anatalia Vallez, Elizabeth Isela Szekeresh, Sara Guerrero, Ser Anzoategui, Gabriel Llamas, Frank Muñoz and the list continues. Over 1000+ community members have participated. Many new works of plays and stories have been crafted. We can’t wait to see how many more will emerge as staged productions!
