Blackwell Reference Online

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What language communicates to people who have already been put down is how society regards them; in their case, often with little respect. But a play provides a distance from which to view these sinister acts of language. Miguel Algarin (in Algarin and Griffith 1997 ) In the early 1980s when Maria Irene Fornes founded the Hispanic Playwrights Lab at INTAR (International Arts Relations) in New York City, her goal was to enrich the American theatre by fostering a new generation of writers. Historically, Latina/o dramatists have struggled to have their work recognized beyond festivals, development labs, second stages, and other potentially segregated spaces. Latina/o drama is now beginning to appear in the spotlight of a richly illuminated American stage, as evidenced by such distinctions as the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Drama to Nilo Cruz ( Anna in the Tropics ), the numerous Tony Award nominations for John Leguizamo ( Sexaholix and Freak ), and the Signature Theatre Company's prestigious devotion of an entire season to Fornes's body of work, including the world premiere of Letters from Cuba , which garnered Obie Awards for both her writing and directing (1999–2000, see chapter 27 ). There have also been other signs of embrace from some of the most influential American stages: the Kennedy Center's attention to dynamic collaborative work by Sandra Munoz, Alma Cervantes, Marisela ... log in or subscribe to read full text