Luis Valdez News

Nancy Hereford passed away Tuesday, August 14, 2018, in Torrance, California from complications of cancer. Widely considered the most accomplished theatrical press agent on the West Coast, Nancy spent her career drawing attention and audiences to the arts and artists that she loved.

San Jose Stage Artistic Director Randall King announced the company's 36th Season line up. 'Looking toward our 36th Season we will continue our mission of producing powerful, provocative, and profound work that illuminates the human condition. We are excited to bring you an explosively charged  season with award-winning works by theatre's most masterful playwrights - Martin McDonagh, Stephen Adly Guirgis, and Tennessee Williams - including two Pulitzer Prize-winning dramas, an Obie Award-winning satirical comedy and a newly commissioned world premiere by Luis Valdez.'  

The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center and CineFestival are excited to announce the 2018 Premios Mesquite winners, the Third Annual Ya'Ke Smith Filmmaker Award, master classes for directors, a free punk rock show featuring Fantástico and the official list of CineFestival after parties and receptions.  The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) will also present the inaugural NALAC Fund for the Arts Adán Medrano Legacy Award in Film.

Center Theatre Group Artistic Director Michael Ritchie has set the 2018 - 2019 seasons at both the Mark Taper Forum and Kirk Douglas Theatre. Together, the seasons feature new plays, classic works and the continuation of Block Party, which celebrates the rich array of theatre produced every year in Los Angeles.

Ragged Wing Ensemble, known throughout the Bay Area for its original, ensemble-driven productions, presents A Different Long Stretch of Earth, an original play written by Addie Ulrey for Ragged Wing's core company (and directed by Amy Sass). Inspired by her work at the intersection of arts nonprofits and social justice as well as her fickle and persistent love of the Old West, Ulrey takes us into the contemporary American West where a group of characters wrestle with the mindsets and mythologies of our collective past and explore how they shape our ability to envision the future.

Watch Miguel and Gael Garcia perform REMEMBER ME from the Oscar Nominated Film COCO at the 90th Annual Academy Awards. 

One of the most important, yet least known activists of our time, Dolores Huerta was an equal partner in founding the first farm workers union with César Chávez. Tirelessly leading the fight for racial and labor justice, Huerta evolved into one of the most defiant feminists of the twentieth century — and she continues the fight to this day, at 87. Directed by Peter Bratt, and produced by Bratt and Brian Benson, Dolores premieres on Independent Lens Tuesday, March 27, 2018, 9:00-10:30 PM (check local listings) on PBS.

From Friday, March 16 through Thursday, March 22 BAMcinématek explores the work of Chicano and Chicana filmmakers. The Chicano Movement of the 1960s was a time of Mexican-American political activism and a cultural renaissance in which Chicano filmmakers were emboldened to tell their own stories. The filmmakers who emerged in the 1970s and 80s represented a community that had been ignored in mainstream cinema. The series begins with trailblazing writer-director Luis Valdez, who marched on the picket lines with Caesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, debut film Zoot Suit (1981—Mar 16), the film adaptation of the stage musical about the 1940s Los Angeles Zoot Suit Riots, was also the first Mexican-American film to be produced by a major studio. The series also includes Valdez's musical biopic of rock 'n' roll legend Ritchie Valens La Bamba (1987—Mar 17). The series also includes three films directed by Gregory Nava: El Norte (1983—Mar 18), the first independent film to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, about a brother and sister who escape political violence in Guatemala to make a new life for themselves in America; Mi Familia (1995—Mar 22), which follows three generations of a Mexican-American family in Los Angeles and starring Jimmy Smits; and Selena (1997—Mar 17), the biopic of Selena Quintanilla that made Jennifer Lopez a star.    

Disney's COCO Reaches $500 Million At Worldwide Box Office

Tony Award nominee Norm Lewis rings in the holiday season at Feinstein's at the Nikko with Norm Lewis Wishes You a Swingin' Christmas tonight, December 8 (8 p.m.), tomorrow, December 9 (8 p.m.) and Sunday, December 10 (5 p.m.).

Directed by Lee Unkrich ('Toy Story 3'), co-directed by Adrian Molina (story artist 'Monsters University') and produced by Darla K. Anderson ('Toy Story 3'), Disney Pixar's 'Coco' opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 22, 2017. Before it hits theaters tomorrow, check out what the critics have to say about the animated film!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and with the turkey and stuffing comes Disney Pixar's COCO, opening in U.S. theaters on Nov. 22, 2017. Check out the all-new trailer below!

Miami Beach welcomes renowned director/producer Richard Jay-Alexander for a no-holds-barred evening, launching the new series called 'A conversation with . . .' The inaugural event features Richard alongside his friend of 30 years, Lee Brian Schrager, at the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU today, October 26, from 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) and Project1VOICE (P1V) in association with The Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (Rose Library) at Emory University and Theater Emory are proud to announce a screening for the #LegacyLeaders video of Douglas Turner Ward in Atlanta.

The Ensemble Theatre joins the Theatre Communications Group (TCG) Legacy Leaders of Color Video Project with a screening, Monday, October 23, 2017, 6:00 p.m. 3535 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002.

Miami Beach welcomes renowned director/producer Richard Jay-Alexander for a no-holds-barred evening, launching the new series called 'A conversation with . . .' The inaugural event features Richard alongside his friend of 30 years, Lee Brian Schrager, at the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU on Thursday, October 26, from 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Executive Director, Connor Deane announced today that the third annual BROADWAY SINGS gala would be held on Monday, November 27 at the historic Westport Country Playhouse. Broadway Method Academy is a non-profit musical theater-training program where young artists are linked with working Broadway professionals, both in the classroom and on-stage. The academy serves at resident conservatory to Westport Country Playhouse.

Being out there, in nature, learning what many consider classic or ancient forms of performance, was almost a step back in time. It was a place to strip down theatre to its purest form, the actor/poet in space. It taught me to never take theatre for granted and to understand that it is a sacred practice and should be treated as such.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) and Project1VOICE (P1V) have announced a screening series tour for the #LegacyLeaders video of Douglas Turner Ward coming to three cities this fall.

Walt Disney Studios has shared a brand-new trailer for Disney Pixar's COCO. Directed by Lee Unkrich ('Toy Story 3'), co-directed by Adrian Molina (story artist 'Monsters University') and produced by Darla K. Anderson ('Toy Story 3'), Disney Pixar's 'Coco' opens in U.S. theaters on Nov. 22, 2017.