Interview: Luis Alfaro On Working His Magic With Center Theater Group's L.A. Writers' Workshop Festival

Center Theatre Group's co-artistic director playwright Luis Alfaro curates and leads CTG's L.A. Writers' Workshop Festival taking place over the course of two weekends, September 9-11 and September 16-18, 2022 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. I had the chance to obtain a few answers from this very busy, multi-tasking man.

Thank you for the time for this interview, Luis!

You started your position as associate artistic director July of last year. Was overseeing the L.A. Writers' Workshop your main focus? Or one of many?

I knew that if I were to return after seventeen years of being away, CTG's Writer's Workshop was the first program I wanted to assume responsibility for. I believe that artists are the spiritual center of any theatre, and our legacy is a writer's theatre. I wanted to meet this company again through its artists.

What criteria factored into choosing the ten lucky ladies?

My goal this year was to curate a cohort that spoke in multiple ways. One was to focus on a community of women, and women of color, a large majority population that has traditionally been overlooked in the American theatre. The other was to offer playwrights a decent honorarium for their time in joining me every two weeks for a year, in writing a play of their choice. Subsequently, the writers have written stories that in almost all the plays feature a women protagonist and a story that is centered in Los Angeles. We built these pieces in community and our dramaturgy was a shared process. Some of the writers are veterans, most are mid-career and a couple are emerging. This is very exciting in that we can share our best practices and create a supportive environment for an artist's possibility and excellence. I believe that writing a play is not only a spiritual offering, but an act of provocation. We make art to make change. This group has proven that to me.

Would you describe the process of being chosen for this Workshop?

I knew I did not want to make it a contest. I think there are too many opportunities out there to disappoint writers more than to empower them. I also wanted to do what I was brought up here to do, lead. And one way of doing that is to have a point of view. I simply started by saying to myself 'Who in L.A. do I want to spend a year in a room with making art?' I read a ton of plays. I had different thoughts about bringing together people who were at different points in their careers. I love actors who write, so I made sure I invited folks I know understand that these two disciplines are not so far apart. I also wanted to symbolically try to bring some balance back to our field by inviting all women. I wanted to reflect the richness and diversity of Los Angeles. In fact, at our first meeting, I asked everyone to look around, and even though we are an incredibly diverse group, I asked 'Who is missing from this room?' I was thinking a lot about Middle Eastern writers, Central American writers and even the great possibility of inviting an unhoused writer, who would represent one of the 70,000 people living in this city without homes.

How many aspiring writers applied for the ten slots?

None. I curated this group. I passed the list by my colleagues and asked for their thoughts. Surprisingly, everyone I asked, agreed to be in the group!

Is there a common narrative thread running through the ten plays?

I think there are a lot of questions about a 'lost' Los Angeles. Stories about the migration of Black Angelenos out of the city. A piece about teachers in LAUSD losing their way. Losing one's creative genius in the form of Nina Simone. Having a child in L.A. and the perils of being a parent in Los Feliz. So, a lot of pieces that are leaning into our future and examining what we were, both generationally, but also as citizens. I'm surprised by the stories of missing family. I am not surprised that as we try to crawl our way out of a pandemic, we are reaching back in wonder and looking ahead with such tremendous anticipation.

L.A. Writers' Workshop was established in 2005. Were you in any Workshops yourself? Or were you already too produced to be in the Workshops?

I was part of the first version of the Writers Workshop when it was called the Taper Writers Group in the early 1990's. It is where I met my mentor, Maria Irene Fornes, and studied with my dear friend, Paula Vogel, and Mac Wellman, Eduardo Machado, John Steppling and others. It was a life changing experience for me. I came from the worlds of poetry and performance art, so even though I loved the theatre, I did not know I could work in it.

In your early career, were there any opportunities like the Writers' Workshop for you to avail yourself? Or was becoming a residence artist at the Mark Taper Forum from 1995 - 2005 your first big career step forward?

Poetry was my way of seeing the United States, and performance art was my way of seeing the world. Theatre is a way of expressing culture, community, and innovation, so for me, running the Latino Theatre Initiative during my first tour of duty at CTG was about making the community I wanted to be in. I am only known in The National Theatre scene because I went to every theatre that invited me!

What are you most proud of accomplishing in your first year as associate artistic director?

I am interested in changing systems and structures. Coming out of a pandemic and a moment of racial reckoning has been intense. I am very proud to have produced, with Kelley Kirkpatrick, the first play back at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in three years, in a building that I helped make. Curating the season at both the Taper and Kirk Douglas Theatres was a way of encouraging our audiences to return, through humor, and great work, but still the question remains - "How do we transform this theatre company to address more Angelenos to join us as new and returning members?" We simply have not done enough to diversify both our stages and our staff. This is the only process that will move us forward into the future.

What gives you the most gratification - Writing in the solitude of your home? Being offstage watching your cast get their deserved adulation? Witnessing a USC student of yours get their lightbulb moment?

I love teaching and I know that I have a gift for it, but I do it to honor my mentors, to keep the ancient tradition alive, to always help make the next generation of artists, but writing is my passion. It is what I do best. It is the best way of making community.

Of all the awards and fellowships you've received does any particular one hold the most significance to you?

Well, that MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant was no small change, but in truth, I gave away most of the money. I didn't need the money at the time, I know how to be poor and make work while being poor. I needed access, and that is what that award gave me. Being the Mellon Foundation Writer in Residence at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for six seasons changed my life. The same with being a resident writer at Victory Gardens in Chicago for seven years was life-changing as well. A recent award from the University of Illinois at Chicago allowed me to interview doctors, nurses, medical students, and administrators about mental health in the health care system was an honor and most moving experience. Our healers are sick and need healing.

You ushered at the Mark Taper and the Ahmanson in the early 1980s. What shows do you remember blew you away?

Oh, my goodness, well, I am an old queen, so when I was a kid my first three experiences at the Music Center were Mako in Pacific Overtures, the world premiere of Zoot Suit and the national tour of For Colored Girls... Then I saw Chicago with Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera and the first national tour of The Wiz and I was hooked. As an usher I saw Sweeny Todd with Angela Lansbury like 30 times. Evita with Patti LuPone a bunch of times. I never missed a show. So, I saw everything at all three theatres for years.

Do your associate artistic director responsibilities still give you time to write your 17th (?) play?

Having two full time jobs does not give me time, I must make the time. I get to USC sometimes like six or seven in the morning and sit in one of the science buildings for three hours before class. I basically work, sleep, and write. But nothing lasts forever. Soon there will be change. That's what so great about the theater, it's the only constant, Change!

What's in the near future for Luis Alfaro?

I have a production at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco with a new play, The Travelers. I am writing plays for the Geffen, Denver Center Theatre and LATC. And I just finished a very ugly draft of a new Greek adaptation for the Getty Villa in Malibu. Let's see where these things go.

Thank you again, Luis! I look forward to checking out this year's L.A. Writers Workshop Festival.

For tickets to the live performances the two weekends of September 9-11 and September 16-18, 2022 click on the button below: