ABOUT
Mission:
Brown Bag Theater Company is an ensemble of artists & scholars who aim to produce equally engaging & captivating artistic work that reflects & empowers the Latinx communities. We create various opportunities for young Latinx individuals, and our allies, within the performing arts. At BBTC, we believe that the discipline of theatre is a cultural force capable of transforming our community and we bolster this belief whilst celebrating the richness & pride of Latinx culture.
History:
Brown Bag Theater Company was founded in 2012 by Lonnie Alcaraz, Maria Patrice Amon, and Letty Garcia with the goal of creating and expanding Latino Theatre at UCI. In its first year, membership grew from 3 to 12 interested & dedicated students. In 2013, Brown Bag Theater Company hosted a Poetry Slam to recruit new members & generate excitement for Latino based work. 2013 culminated with a production of Loa to the Divine Narcissus in the New Swan Shakespeare Festival Theatre. The following year, Brown Bag mounted a production of Yerma in the Little Theater. Over the course of two years, Brown Bag created, researched, and produced a new play titled Contra la Corriente in the Robert Cohen Theater. This production was created out of the stories gathered through the Service Workers Project. In 2016, the group produced Lydia in the Little Theatre. 2018 brought a new production, written by our own ensemble members: Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá, although not a true story, is based on the many stories and fears of undocumented students and parents who we know and see everyday. Our biggest project of 2019, among many other events, was Culture Clash in America.
The Summer of 2019 saw half of our ensemble graduate UCI. In response to this large transitional period, we have decided to change things up a little. For the first time, Brown Bag has chosen a year long season "El Renacimiento", full of community engagement events open to the public as well as 4 productions: 1 devised movement piece, 2 original works, and 1 outdoor performance. We hope to see you all this year for our 9th season "Floreciendo Bajo la Tormenta" 2020-2021 (Blooming Beneath the Storm)!!!
* Latinx is the gender-neutral alternative to Latino and Latina. By identifying as a Latinx ensemble, Brown Bag Theatre Company aims to create an inclusive environment for people who are trans, queer, agender, non-binary, gender non-conforming or gender fluid. By moving beyond gender binaries (male and female), the term Latinx is inclusive of intersecting identities of Latin American descendants.