The PlayFinder™

THE CUBAN SWIMMER, deals with another instance in which Hispanic-Americans use athletic skills to propel themselves into the mainstream of middle-class life. Here the action involves a young woman endurance swimmer who races from San Pedro to Catalina Island while her family follows her in a leaky boat. As they bicker and exhort her, she begins to weary and stray off course—until a spiritual and magical intervention reinvigorates her and she resolves to "dive into the Milky Way... Read more

In DOG LADY, the setting is a barrio street in Los Angeles, where a young Hispanic woman is in training for a marathon sponsored by a local church. Egged on by a dogged suitor, she is unable to achieve her best until the local curandera, or faith healer, a loony old woman who lives amid a horde of dogs, endows her with magic powers—which enable her to run swiftly on all fours and easily out distance her fellow competitors.... Read more

In Dog Lady, the setting is a barrio street in Los Angeles, where a young Hispanic woman is in training for a marathon sponsored by a local church. Egged on by a dogged suitor, she is unable to achieve her best until the local curandera, or faith healer, a loony old woman who lives amid a horde of dogs, endows her with magic powers—which enable her to run swiftly on all fours and easily out distance... Read more

Working on a project for his high-school science class, Junior Rodrigues scans the night sky with his telescope, searching for comets and shooting stars while his shy teenage neighbor, Olivia Pena, stands dutifully by, hoping that he will take notice of her. Meanwhile Junior's sister, Lilly, Olivia's classmate, wrestling with the sudden, sobering realization that she is pregnant, wonders how she will tell their harassed, overworked mother. Shielded from the harsh reality of the... Read more

The setting is a simple wood-frame house in the American Southwest. Hector, a young campesino, is apprehensively awaiting the return of his father, Gallo, who has been serving a jail term for manslaughter. Gallo, who is obsessed with cock fighting, is a philandering, high-living macho type, who finds it difficult to communicate with, much less understand, his contemplative, questioning son. The crux of the play is the battle for supremacy between the father, who wants to exploi... Read more