Reflections on Latina/o Theater
“Theatre,” modified by the adjective “Latina/o”, like any other genre of human expression, is extraordinarily rich. It includes the legacy, and continuing vitality of varied and often conflicting aesthetic projects. This article discusses the vexed definitional problem of what is theater by, about, and for Latinas and Latinos, both in terms of production of plays and the academic study of theater. It provides a historical timeline that focuses on the 1960s to the present, a commentary on play production, an overview of academic discussions, and conclusions drawn from a survey of course syllabi. It uses the examples of Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton and works by the Coatlicue Theater Company to challenge simplistic understandings of what Latina/o theater is and does.