THE STORYTELLER OF EAST LA to be Presented at Latino Theater Company

Dedicated to her mother, the newest work by Latino Theater Company resident playwright Evelina Fernández will celebrate the sustaining power of love, compassion, storytelling, and the resilience of family. Jose Luis Valenzuela directs the world premiere of The Storyteller of East LA at The Los Angeles Theatre Center in downtown Los Angeles from April 18 through May 17, preceded by six low-priced beginning April 9.

Developed in the company’s Circle of Imaginistas playwriting group and set in East L.A., where Fernández grew up, the play blends intimate family drama with elements of magical realism to explore themes of memory loss, family dynamics and the complexities of caring for aging loved ones.

Lucy Rodriguez and Sal López (founding members of the Latino Theater Company alongside Fernández and Valenzuela) star as Mercedes, a 90-year-old woman with dementia, and Serafina, the guardian angel with whom Mercy interacts in “The Other Place,” a liminal space existing somewhere between memory and reality. As Mercy’s health declines, her daughters Grace and Mary (Zilah Mendoza and Brenda Banda) and granddaughter Lulu (Blanca Isabella) are forced to confront unresolved tensions and make difficult choices about her care. Their fragile caregiving arrangement is further strained when Mercy’s nighttime caregiver stops coming, afraid to leave home during ICE immigration raids. Daytime caregiver Josefa (Ruth Livier) faces similar fears, even as she tries to ensure that Mercy’s care continues.

The creative team includes scenic designer Prairie T. Trivuth; lighting designer Martha Carter sound designer John Zalewski; projections designer Yee Eun Nam; Costume Designer Naila Aladdin-Sanders; and choreographer Urbanie Lucero. The production stage manager is Alexa Wolfe, assisted by Martha Espinoza.

Born and raised in East LA., Fernández writes about the Mexican diaspora in the United States for both stage and screen. She is the recipient of two Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards, for her plays A Mexican Trilogy and The Mother of Henry. Her plays Solitude, Dementia, Hope (Part II of A Mexican Trilogy) and The Mother of Henry were all “Critic’s Picks” in the Los Angeles Times, and her holiday pageant play, La Virgen de Guadalupe, Dios Inantzin was featured in both the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times. She is the recipient of a GLAAD Media Award and multiple Ovation nominations. Her most recent play, Blow Away the Clouds, will be part of South Coast Repertory’s Pacific Playwrights Festival in May 2026. In film and television, she is the winner of the Nosostros Golden Eagle Award for her produced screenplay, Luminarias and was nominated for the Humanitas Prize for an episode of PBS’s Maya and Miguel. She was a writer for Emmy nominated East Los High seasons 2 & 3. She adapted her play A Mexican Trilogy for television with Imagine Entertainment and worked on Amazon’s recent hit series, Cross.