"Everyone please go see this show! You hear people say “Art is Resistance” . . . well this definitely fits that bill. You are taken on a journey with Irma from childhood, adolescence to adulthood. Her experiences navigating through sexism and racism pull you in because they are so relatable. Your memory is provoked regarding your own personal story about power dynamics and how they relate to your name, identity, culture, gender, ethnicity, immigration status and/or profession

It has been such an honor and joy to present my one-woman show, Why Would I Mispronounce My Own Name? in the San Francisco Bay Area these past four months. I am now entering the homestretch with two performances weekly: Saturday at 5 pm and Sunday at 2 pm at The Berkeley Marsh Theater. Although the show previously had two extensions, I have other commitments including travel plans, so it is definitely closing on Sunday, March 24th. The Marsh Theater describes my show this way

My one-woman show, Why Would I Mispronounce My Own Name? has been on stage at The Marsh Theater in San Francisco almost a month. Thank YOU to all who have been at one of the performances. A special welcome to those of you who signed up for my newsletter, or are now linked with me on social media. Please tell your friends and colleagues about my show; we built audiences through word of mouth. I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of inviting Talkback Speakers who join me on stag

My one-woman show gets an extended run at The Marsh Theater in San Francisco starting two months from today. I am very honored to have a chance to present my play to Bay Area audiences. Following each show, I will be joined by various talkback guests (listed below). These thought leaders -- activists, lawyers, professors, writers -- will be discussing various subjects related to social justice, and answering questions. Grateful to live in a community where folks from all raci

Please come see my new show (in development) as part of The Marsh Theater’s Times Unseen Initiative. This Wednesday, July 11, 2018 at 7:30 pm at The San Francisco Marsh Theater. Tickets $15 at the door or $17 online ($2 service charge). More info and tickets at: https://themarsh.org/times_unseen/times-unseen-initiative-prepared-pieces/ There are two performers that night presenting for a combined 90 minutes (no intermission). Here are the descriptions of our stories from the

When we were young lawyers, a Chicana friend working as a public defender shared this story with me. She needed to interview a psychiatrist -- a potential expert witness on a case. His name was Dr. Fuchs. And unsure of the name’s pronunciation she asked around and was told it was “fee-youks (pronounced as ONE syllable).” Nervous about getting it right and wanting to make a good impression she practiced, but when she introduced herself she called him Dr. F-word. He took it in

My one-woman show, Why Would I Mispronounce My Own Name? will have a 7-week run at The San Francisco Marsh Theatre, the Bay Area’s premier showcase for solo performances. Two shows per week: Thursday 8 pm and Saturday 5 pm from October 25 to December 8. I am so excited, and am already giving lots of thought to the guests I want to invite for post-show talkbacks on a variety of social justice issues, so topical in these challenging times. Many of you may have seen the obnoxiou

“You have a moral obligation, a mission and a mandate, to speak up, speak out, and get in good trouble. — Congressman John Lewis Last month, one Saturday afternoon, we celebrated the life of an amazingly talented civil rights lawyer and all around good human being, Joaquin Avila. This was in Watsonville, California, at a community center located in a Mexican-American neighborhood, The next morning I boarded a flight to San Antonio, Texas and that evening I was at a funeral ho

“Your play reminded me of two stories that have stayed with me throughout my life. Both happened when I was 14." This is from an email I got earlier this month from Rose, after she and a friend saw my mini-show at Marsh Madness weekend in San Francisco: "My Mexican cousin Blanca came to stay with us to spend a year learning English. She was enrolled in school and the first thing her teacher did was scoff at calling her Blanca and announced she would now be Blanche. I rememb

I was searching for an airbnb in Southern California. I read and re-read the words on the host’s page: “I am an American and speak only English.” What did this mean? The thumbnail picture: an attractive middle-aged woman with dark eyes and dark brown hair. She is of indeterminate ethnic/racial origin. Latina? Middle Eastern? Italian? South Asian? She is leaning slightly toward a similarly-aged man, their hands touching, the hint of a smile on both their faces. Lisa (not her r