Overview
Synopsis
Los Angeles, 1942. The United States has entered World War II, and the patriotic spirit is running high. At the same time, racial tension in L.A. are boiling over, aggravated by the biased racism of the news media that has branded young Mexican-American men, dressed in zoot suits and the pachuco style, as criminals, thugs, and an infestation. Within this turmoil, Henry Reyna, the leader of the 38th Street Gang, is accused of murder. He and his co-defendants are set up to lose the trial, and while volunteers ardently work to overturn his conviction, Henry begins to lose hope. At the same time, the historic Zoot Suit Riots explode, where U.S. servicemen stripped young Mexican-Americans and burned their clothes in the street. If Henry is ever released, what kind of world will this young pachuco live in?
Inspired by both the Sleepy Lagoon Murder Trial of Henry Leyvas in 1942 and the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943, Luis Valdez weaves a heartbreaking dramatization of history and social commentary. The message of 1942 was still relevant when Zoot Suit premiered in 1978, and its anti-racist message is still as vital as ever today.
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Context
By the 1960s, playwright Luis Valdez had established himself and El Teatro Campesino as one of the strongest artistic voices for Mexican-American people throughout the United States. He had already composed several plays and El Teatro Campesino (The Farm Workers’ Theatre) won an Obie Award by the time he wrote Zoot Suit, a play inspired by the racial tensions of 1940s Los Angeles.
Zoot Suit chronicles two distinct, but intertwined, events. The first is the Sleepy Lagoon Murders. In August
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Act One
Prologue A giant newspaper front page drapes across the proscenium. Suddenly, a switchblade tears through the print, and El Pachuco slips through. He reaches for his long coat and his pork pie hat; after putting them on and completing the outfit, he strikes a pachuco pose for the audience. He begins to speak, first in Spanish, then in perfect English, introducing them to the Pachuco Style, both in zoot suit clothing and a way of life. The story they are about to see is a
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Character Portrayals
See StageAgent members who have performed roles in Zoot Suit.
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Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
Political theatre intended to agitate and promote a cause, often associated with socialist and revolutionary movements.
A genre that dramatizes real-life events using interviews, transcripts, and factual materials.
A dramatic genre that dramatizes historical events, especially English history, as seen in Shakespeare’s plays.
A gender-neutral term for people of Latin American heritage, represented in modern theatre to promote inclusion and diversity.
The use of performance or storytelling to promote political or ideological messages, especially in epic theatre.
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Guide Written By:
Cindi Calhoun
Theatre teacher, director, writer, and seamstress