STAGED STORIES: The Live Streamed Series Ep#3-Pleasure, Truths and Conflicts

Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble presents

STAGED STORIES: The Live Streamed Series

Saturday, August 1 @ 6pm PST

Ep 3: PLEASURE TRUTHS CONFLICTS

(Warning: episodes may contain strong language and mature content)

LUCHA AND ALICE by Angela Estela Moore

While Lucha’s son is away on a school trip, she allows herself the rare indulgence of hooking up with Alice. The morning after, they discover they have a lot in common, but is it too good to be true? Directed by Minerva García. Starring: Gabriella Rafiele and Jacqueline Guido

MAKING TORTILLAS by Yolanda Mendiveles

Love, devotion and the art in tortilla making.

Directed by Elizabeth Jimenez. Starring Melba Novoa.

With poets

Jacqueline Castañeda reading MAPS;  RADIANT;  LUZ

Adriana Alba reading BREATHE IT OUT: A Meditation

Hosted by Lorna Silva

Q & A to follow each episode with artists moderated by Diana Burbano, ensemble’s literary director.

Produced by: Victoria Yvette Zepeda, Santi Sámano

Graphic by: Ruth Veronica Madrid and  Santi Sámano

Original music by Moises Vázquez

Advisor/ Founding Artistic Director: Sara Guerrero

In solidarity with Black Lives Matter, Breath of Fire is partnering with the Black Student Union (BSU) of Garden Grove High School of Orange County, to raise funds and awareness of BSU on online and onsite. An inspiring group of young and powerful individuals. They give us all hope for our future to make and practice change.

We are also working with their advisor and teachers, who take part in our ensemble and writing workshops.

Staged Stories is presented by Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble a 501c3 non-profit organization supported by artists of our community, volunteers, and donors like you. We make every little bit count and happy and appreciative to accept your generous donation, when you can spare it. Donations for this production will go to:

The Black Student Union of Garden Grove High School, Ca.  #WeAreBSU #BSUBGM

Donate here: https://www.paypal.me/breathoffiretheater

Or make checks payable to: Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble

Mail to: Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble,

c/o Yolanda Mendiveles, Treasurer,

320 Colleen Place

Costa Mesa CA 92627

BIOS

ÁNGELA ESTELA MOORE* (Writer/Lucha & Alice)  is a theater-maker working primarily in the Southern California counties of Los Angeles and Orange. A proud member of Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble, her work has also been presented at Casa 0101 Theater, Teatro Frida Kahlo Theater, Chicanas Cholas y Chisme Theater Festival, Brown & Out Theater Festival, Ruth B Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, Jack Tygett Performing Arts Center, and Casa de la Cultura de Tijuana. Ángela gives thanks to the mujeres of BOFLTE for creating sacred space in which to hone the crafts of writing, directing, acting, teching, and producing, and to Chris, Jaron, Trevor, y her mamá Lulú for their undying love and support.

MINERVA GARCÍA (Director/Lucha & Alice) is a professional actor and has worked with many theatre companies in the country: Seattle Repertory, Kansas City Repertory, Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum, San Jose's Teatro Vision, Williamstown Theater Festival in Massachusetts, Borderlands Theater in Tucson; and San Francisco's Magic Theater. She has appeared in many movies, TV shows and commercials. For information about Minerva, go to imdb.com/minervagarcia. Thanks for supporting Frida Kahlo Theater.

JACQUELINE GUIDO (Actor/Lucha & Alice)  is an award winning international artist. She keeps busy working in film, television, theater, and voice over. She is thrilled for the opportunity and enormous blessing of bringing Lucha to life, and to collaborate with Angela Moore and Minerva Garcia, two chingona artists she truly admires. She is extremely grateful to both. We last saw Jacquie on the Foro Diego Rivera stage in Rayuela hacia el más Allá under the direction of Emanuel Loarca. With humbleness and respect she wishes to dedicate her performance to all mothers, and the unconditional love we have for our children. To learn more about Jacqueline’s current projects, follow her on IG @principessajax twitter @stage9as and FB @guidojacqueline

GABRIELLA RAFIELE (Actor/Lucha & Alice) is a Salvadorean/American transplant from Dallas, Texas. She has appeared in various films, series and commercials as well as play festivals such as Brown and Out 2019 and Hollywood Short and Sweet 2019.

YOLANDA MENDIVELES* (Playwright/Making Tortillas) is a native of California. She attended the Academy for New Musical Theatre as a Bookwriter, and with collaboration had her fifteen minute musical “Ahead or Behind” performed at the Colony Theatre. Yolanda has participated in Chicanas, Cholas, y Chisme’s Theater Festivals at Casa 0101 Theater as a playwright, director, assistant stage manager, and assistant filmmaker. She is now a Breath of Fire Latina Theatre Ensemble member and has participated with them in Chance Theatre’s 2017 24-Hour Chance-a-thon with her play “The Twelfth of Never”, in BOFLTE’s 2018  New Works Festival with her play “Consulting Spirit”, in producing the staged reading of her full-length play “Blanca Nieves’ Christmas”, and this year in co-directing and narrating the podcast episode of “Home for Mom” by Eloise Coopersmith at The Frida Cinema. 

ELIZABETH JIMENEZ (Director/Making Tortillas) is a theatre arts educator with Masters in Education and BA in Theatre. Recent credits include her directorial debut and subsequent U.S Premier of Juan Mayorga's Nocturnal Animals,  La Posada Magica: A Magical Journey (Hispanic Arts Theatre); The Living Altar Plays Festival, Plays By Young Writers (Old Globe); Beachtown, and Native Gardens stage readings (San Diego Rep); Seven Spots On The Sun (InnerMission Productions); Lamb's Valentines Day Cabaret(Lamb's Players); Last Day's of Judas Iscariot and A My Name is Alice (SDSU).

JACQUELINE CASTAÑEDA (Poet) Born and raised in East LA, Jacqueline Castañeda is a music-obsessed actress, singer, and writer. Along with being involved with Towne Street Theatre and Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble, Jacqueline has produced projects with other young theater and film artists in the LA/OC area as well. She is a firm believer that art is essential to promote a sense of growth, community, and activism. Jacqueline is grateful for this opportunity and is honored to be able to support our community's artistic creativity.

ADRIANA ALBA* (Poet) is a writer and educator who believes in all efforts to unlock the power of language and expression for ALL.  Since 2015, she has served as a board member for Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble and more recently as Editor for FUEGO!  Breath of Fire's Literary Zine. She has been recognized for her contributions to equitable school environments by OC Department of Education, the California League of High Schools. She was Garden Grove Unified School District’s Teacher of the Year for 7-12 in 2015 and will be recognized as a 2020 Diverse Community by OC Human Relations.

SARA GUERRERO* (Founding Artistic Director, Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble) is a Southern California native, is a professional, versatile theatre artist whose mission is to model, share and create theatre-making opportunities for and with her community. A CalArts alum, she has been recognized as one of the “People to Watch” by American Theatre Magazine, and “Best [Artistic] Director” and “Person of Interest” by OC WEEKLY. As the founding artistic director of Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble, an award-winning, Santa Ana-based group, she and the ensemble are part of the artist-in-residence program of Grand Central Arts Center of Cal State Fullerton, California. Under Guerrero’s leadership, the organization serves as an incubator for underrepresented voices in theater by providing programming and guidance in the art of storytelling. FOR FULL BIO and INFO visit www.teatroguerrero.com

VICTORIA YVETTE ZEPEDA* (Producer/BOFStaged Stories Live Stream Edition 2020; Director/Departure) is a Mexican director, producer, and actor from South San Diego, CA. They are a UC Irvine Alum (Honors in Drama, 2019) whose career has driven them to decolonize Western theater by pushing forward narratives of the Latinx community. As they continue to navigate their professional career and question the erasure of QTBIPOC artists, they would agree with Victory Garden’s former Artistic Director Chay Yew when he states, “...you need to break that [...] table down and build your own.” Their most recent credits include: Assistant Director of American Mariachi (José Cruz Gonzalez, South Coast Rep), Director of Culture Clash in AmeriCCa (Culture Clash, UC Irvine), Mitra’s Suitcase (Yasaman Madadi, Frida Kahlo Theater 10-Minute Play Festival 2020), Bad Hombres, Good Wives (Herbert Siguenza, UC Irvine), and Xicanas in Xicanalandia (Shanelle Darlene, Frida Kahlo Theater 10-Minute Play Festival 2019). 

SANTI SÁMANO (Producer/BOF Staged Stories Live Stream Edition 2020, Stage Manager) is a singer and actor from San Diego, California that takes a holistic approach to art and life. While their passion lies in singing and music, Santi is led by their curiosity to expand, learn and integrate as much as possible throughout their life. Santi’s greatest goal is to use their privilege to create a radically inclusive theatre company that entertains, heals, and empowers people of color at their varying intersections, emphasizing accessibility to queer and low-income communities. They are currently a fifth year at UC Riverside, studying Theatre and French and Assistant Director for UCR’s Latinx Play Project.

DIANA BURBANO* (Literary Director, Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble)  a Colombian immigrant, is an Equity actor, a playwright and a teaching artist at South Coast Repertory and Breath of Fire Latina Theatre Ensemble. Written work includes:  Policarpa, Oregon Shakespeare Festival Brown Swan lab 2017, Drama League Rough Draft series May 2017, Honorable Mention, Jane Chambers Award 2017, Parsnip Ship 2017 Fabulous Monsters, Latinx Play Festival, San Diego Rep 2017, Festival51 2016 winner, about women in Punk Rock,Picture me Rollin’ (featured at the 35th annual William Inge Festival and Inkfest at 2cents.), Silueta, (about the Cuban artist Ana Mendieta), with Tom and Chris Shelton, and the TYA Shakespeare mash-up, Caliban’s Island winner 2017 Headwaters New Play Festival at Creede Repertory. (Published by YouthPLAYS). Libertadoras, Vamping and Linda were written for the 365 Women a Year project and have been performed around the world, with Linda featured in more that 20 festivals over the last year, including Center Theatre Group’s community library series. Her short play Rounds Per Second is in Smith and Kraus’s 5-minute play anthology. She is currently writing material for Center Theatre Group’s Chisme y Queso series, for Rogue Artists Plummer Park project and for Kaiser Permanente’s Educational touring show. She has also been a working actor since leaving the Professional Actors Conservatory in 1991. She originated the roles of Ama de Casa in the Spanish version of Menopause the Musical, Thumb in Imagine, and Holo-1 in the Labors of Hercules. She recently played Ana Guerrero in Jose Cruz Gonzales' Long Road Today/El Largo Camino de Hoy Dialogue/Dialogos project at South Coast Repertory.  TV includes The People vs OJ Simpson, Cold Case, Betas.  She played punk Praetorian guard Viv in the cult movie musical, The Isle of Lesbos She manages Sleep Till Noon Productions and The Gourmet Detective. Diana is one of the original members of the writers circle for Latino Theatre Association/ Los Angeles. She is also a member of The Dramatists Guild and The Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights. 

MOISES VÁZQUEZ* (Composer/Musician) is a musician and composer, proud Santanero, and community activist. He has composed and performed original music for South Coast Repertory, San Diego Repertory, Pacific Symphony, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Brown Bag Theater of UC Irvine, Costa Mesa Playhouse, Orange County New Play Festival, The Musco Center, SanArts, Arts Orange County’s Dia de Niño Festival, El Centro Cultural de Mexico, Latino Health Access, and the list goes on. Additionally, Moises composed and performed original music for El Largo Camino de Hoy / The Long Road Today by José Cruz González, inspired by stories of the Santa Ana community.

* Breath of Fire Ensemble Member/Artist/Teaching Artist