Shattering the Myth: Plays by Hispanic Women

Rating:
Summary: Words from Diana Saenz, playwright
Review: Since the publication of Shattering the Myth, the plays in this anthology have enjoyed greater awareness and subsequently been produced throughout the United States. It is read throughout American universities and is the book that directors and actors look towards when they are looking for subject matter on the Latino Experience. I give it five stars because it addresses the needs of theaters in search of material that will represent women, and in particular, Latina women. Of the authors included in this anthology, I have personally known Ms. Lopez and Ms. Moraga. Their depiction of the characters in their plays, Shaddow of a Man, and Simply Maria, is told with love, sincerity and the truth in translating their personal experience into art. My play, Dream of Canaries, has been produced in A&M Texas University, University of Amherst, MA, Portland University in Maine, as well as other theaters. The individuality and complexity of this play has been revealed in each production in the interpretaion of each director according to his or her vision. These visions, give testament to the life of the theater. Published works such as these need to be made available to all so that we may be allowed to portray all facets of American Culture.

Rating:
Summary: Words from Diana Saenz, playwright
Review: Since the publication of Shattering the Myth, the plays in this anthology have enjoyed greater awareness and subsequently been produced throughout the United States. It is read throughout American universities and is the book that directors and actors look towards when they are looking for subject matter on the Latino Experience. I give it five stars because it addresses the needs of theaters in search of material that will represent women, and in particular, Latina women. Of the authors included in this anthology, I have personally known Ms. Lopez and Ms. Moraga. Their depiction of the characters in their plays, Shaddow of a Man, and Simply Maria, is told with love, sincerity and the truth in translating their personal experience into art. My play, Dream of Canaries, has been produced in A&M Texas University, University of Amherst, MA, Portland University in Maine, as well as other theaters. The individuality and complexity of this play has been revealed in each production in the interpretaion of each director according to his or her vision. These visions, give testament to the life of the theater. Published works such as these need to be made available to all so that we may be allowed to portray all facets of American Culture.

Rating:
Summary: It's an important book for Chicano/Latino theater students.
Review: This is an anthology of plays by six Latina playwrights: Cherrie Moraga, Migdalia Cruz, Caridad Svich, Josefina Lopez, Edit Villarreal, and Diana Saenz. It is a must-have reference book, especially for anyone studying Chicano theater specifically. Moraga is a high-profile academic who is not only a prominent voice for Chicanas but for lesbians of color. Here you will find her script for "Shadow of a Man." Lopez is the most widely produced of Chicano and Chicana playwrights. Her first play "Simply Maria, or The American Dream," which is in this anthology, was produced when she was eighteen. And an earlier draft of Villarreal's semi-autobiographical memory play "My Visits with MGM (My Grandmother Marta)"--the third most produced Chicano play in the United States today--is included, too.