Art Theatre Long Beach to celebrate Luis Valdez, the father of Chicano theater

"Forget the war overseas, carnál. Your war is on the homefront... The barrio needs you, carnál. Fight back!" 

For many Chicanos y Latinos those words represented the Mexican American experience and defined the career of the widely recognized father of Chicano theater, Luis Valdez. 

On Sunday, July 26, beginning at 6:00 p.m., Chicanos, Latinos y todos from the barrio are invited to a screening of “American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez” in Long Beach, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A at the Art Theatre Long Beach to celebrate the legacy and cultural impact of Luis Valdez. 

Panelists paying their respetos to Valdez include David Alvarado, the Director of “American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez;” Lalo Alcaraz the nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist, creator of La Cucaracha, award-winning illustrator, author and one of the nation's leading Chicano cultural commentators; José Luis Valenzuela and/or his wife, Artistic Director of the Latino Theater Company and the Los Angeles Theatre Center, Distinguished Professor at UCLA, internationally acclaimed theater director and one of the foremost champions of Chicanx/Latinx theater; and Michele Siqueiros, the CEO of the L.A. Local News Initiative and nationally recognized leader in education policy, civic engagement, and coalition building.

Luis Valdez is the founder of El Teatro Campesino in California, the longest-running Chicano theater in the United States, where he has continued to amplify Chicano stories. 

Some of his most iconic works include 1978’s “Zoot Suit” and 1987’s “La Bamba.”

For more information on the July 26 event, visit arttheatrelongbeach.org.