We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Studio Luna. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Studio below.
Studio , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
In 2018 our ensemble had been moving around between rehearsal spaces, hosting meetings at cafes and ensemble members apartments and pretty content with being an itinerant company again for the first time in a long time, but when artistic director, Alexandra Meda was attending the Latinx Theatre Commons: Maria Irene Fornes Institute Gathering at Princeton she bumped into legendary playwright, director and founding artistic director of Casa 0101, Josefina Lopez, their short but sweet exchange changed the future trajectory of the ensemble in powerful ways. Josefina asked Alex if she was looking for a theater space, to which she replied, “I never ever want to operate a space again, I’m over cleaning toilets all the time… But, I know my ensemble is interested- what do you have in mind?” With reluctance and with an already upset stomach at the math in her head, Alex proposed to the ensemble the idea of moving into the space that was known as Little Casa in Boyle Heights. The ensemble was enthusiastic and after touring the space we were honored to move into the space and the neighborhood with the blessing of our friends and now neighbors at Casa 0101.
At the time we were in the process of re-developing a previously produced show. And as we settled into our new home during the late summer and fall of 2018, the political climate was active as ever. The mainstream media started addressing that the United States cages immigrant children and at the same time there was the response to the public dialogue that took place online and on television during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings.
As a collective of Latinx and WOC artists experiencing these events (and others) we started to find a repeating pattern in their general ensemble meetings, staff meetings, and meetings with organizational partners- Latinas and Women of Color were feeling more suffocated than ever, with each new announcement from the current administration there was less and less oxygen to go around. We had one response: we need to start writing about all of this, right now. We quickly realized that what we actually needed was to explore the healing transformative power of breathing before we set pen to paper for this project. So we brought in our choreographer and ensemble member, Ysaye McKeever to take us through several week-long intensives just focusing on movement and breath. Through these intensives and writing reflections we found new material emerging and soon realized we were activated to develop a whole new show, THE TIMES.
THE TIMES was created based on responses from women around the country to the United States’ decaying relationship to truth- from the lead up to the 2016 election to the 2018 Kavanaugh hearings to the repealing of our reproductive rights, the caging of children, and the violence of displacement and poverty. We knew then, and still believe that we will not survive without exploring and acknowledging the chaos of this current American moment and its impact on our collective mental health and our bodies.
THE TIMES was a deeply meaningful project, not only because it was the first piece we premiered through a workshop at our new Studio in Boyle Heights, but because it ignited the ensemble to create an immersive devised experience that harnesses original film, poetry, movement, dance, monologues and theatrical moments.
Intersectional at its core, this work deals with the experiences that tear us apart and turn us inside out: stereotypes and double standards we thought we had collectively overcome as a country, fear of the other- whether immigrant or exiled, mental health– the lack of resources to treat it, its stigma in our communities, and the myriad of obstacles that are still very misunderstood and that continue to plague us as a nation, like gentrification. This performance fluidly navigates this cultural moment of American history and asks audiences to undergo a public encounter with our collective breath.
The ensemble had plans to World Premiere this special project in 2020, buuuuuuut- we all know what happened that shook the entire arts industry (and global experience)– Covid-19. With the industry shut down, the world premiere had to also pause. We remain attached as ever to the project. But in our new world, we now believe this story will have more impact and a broader audience if conveyed to our community in our first feature film.
Even before the recent election the plans were laid to film and release THE TIMES: A Fractal Video Project, which adapts 12 moments from our 2018 workshop production, into bite-sized cinematic experiences that demand the viewer to join us on a deep look at our relationship to our humanity as a national community, expressed through the body and image. This video project is set to premiere in early 2026.
Studio , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
If we only had an elevator ride to tell you about who we are, we would probably share that in our view, the most important thing about us isn’t what we produce, it is the culture and processes we devise. It is through a shared-leadership philosophy that we hold sacred a brave space for risk-taking, radical transformation, and healing internally as an ensemble. We help our audiences lead through a social justice lens, values forward methods and through bold creativity. We help them unlearn perfectionist tendencies brought on by our society and remind them that failure is not to be avoided but to be sought out in the process of taking risks and trying something new.
At our core, the collective offers vibrant original performances, workshops, and classes through our Story Institute that will expand your imagination, activate your inner storytelling prowess, and harness your unique superpowers so you can consistently thrive at the intersection of creative growth and courageous curiosity.
Every season we host live storytelling events at our studio in Boyle Heights through our flagship program, Talking While Fckd: Live Storytelling Sessions (fka Talking While Female), which features original stories by women of color live and via our podcast. Each episode includes 3-4 story performances a night with audience participation, crafty activities that reconnect our bodies and minds, and surprises throughout the evening.
TWF highlights performances from writers to community leaders, students, creatives, and everyone in between. The storytelling platform has allowed audiences to better understand and empathize with issues that touch us from a hyper-local level to a global scale. The stories have also allowed for some much-needed laughs as tellers share, at times, embarrassing and funny moments that we all still can relate to. Each episode is centered on a theme of the night, which inspires and connects all stories.
In addition to the Audible Original, Talking While Female & Other Dangerous Acts: 25 Stories of Risk & Resilience, Studio Luna partnered with the Mexican production company La Corriente del Golfo (founded by Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal) in recording the Audible Original, Women of Fire (the English version of Mujeres Del Fuego), and self-produced, Not So Merry and Bright: A Christmas Mixtape featuring 12 richly entertaining and moving stories on solitude, financial pressure, erasure, absence, loss of loved ones, and more.
While our studio hosts our events we also share our space with community organizations and emerging and established creatives, teachers, and others who want to rent and partner. And for those who aren’t able to interact with us in-person our collective has a vast number of digital offerings including virtual workshops.
Through Studio Luna’s online resources, discover a new way to process your feelings, invigorate your imagination, and activate your healing by using Studio Luna’s original writing prompts. For over twenty years, the ensemble has used writing prompts as a way to build original performances, teach, and heal collectively. They have designed a “30-Day” ritual for you to explore the power of writing to think, the power of writing to focus, and the power of writing to release, reflect, & heal called Words, Paper, Warmth.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Ooooh, we will never skip an opportunity to celebrate the books that have significantly impacted our thinking, philosophy, processes, and original creative and healing methodologies. While we encourage you to check out our season book recommendations on our blog, here are 10 indispensable recommendations from us to you.
1. Pleasure Activism by Adrienne Maree Brown
2. My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem
3. Conflict Is Not Abuse, Sarah Schulman
4. The Starfish & The Spider, The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations by Ori Brafman & Rod A. Beckstrom
5. What It Takes To Heal by Prentis Hemphill
6. Healing Resistance by Kazu Haga
7. Inventing Latinos by Laura E. Gomez
8. Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
9. The Collaborative Habit: Life Lessons For Working Together by Twyla Tharp
10. The Four Pivots by Shawn A. Ginwright
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Any organization that has been around for 25 years can unequivocally tell you, in order to survive and thrive, pivots in business are necessary and we at Luna have had some major pivots, indeed. The largest pivots can be marked with title changes, as well as new values and visions for who and what the ensemble is.
Studio Luna’s history goes back to Chicago in June 2000, when an ensemble of women from diverse Latina/Hispana backgrounds gathered, forming Teatro Luna. In their words:
“We came together because we realized that the stories and experiences of Latina/Hispana women were undervalued and underrepresented not only on the Chicago stage but beyond. We were also concerned that the few parts written for Latina women often went to non-Latina actresses. We felt that we had to do something. Our answer was Teatro Luna, Chicago’s first and only all-Latina theater.”
At that time, the ensemble was focused on building shows as a collective, incubating single-author plays, and developing solo performances. This work always started by a simple act: “talking to each other about our lives, about our own experiences with the themes of the play or workshop and using our varied experiences as the starting point to create performances that speak to diverse Latina lives.”
After several local ensembles came and went, through leadership transitions, and managing two physical cultural spaces came a moment that changed the trajectory of the organization forever. Four Lunas went where the company and its members had never gone before, self-producing a three-month International tour directed and produced by Alexandra Meda with the ensemble of Amanda de la Guardia, Maya Malan-Gonzalez, and Abigail Vega with the devised production of “Luna Unlaced” and single author piece, “Your Problem With Men” by Emilio Williams.
The tour visited twenty-three cities in the U.S., and the production was featured at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, jumping headfirst into the thrilling adventure of festival life.
The bug that was performing and viewing new work at Theatre festivals changed the people and their collective direction drastically as the idea of #LunaOnTheRoad grew to envision a future where Luna could have satellites in multiple cities with multiple regional ensembles.
This period also marks the transition from a singularly Latina Ensemble to a Latina and Women of Color Ensemble. Festival-thirsty as ever, being selected as one of the 2014 National Encuentro Festival’s lineup with the West-Coast World Premiere of “Your Problem With Men” by Emilio Williams became a risky but delicious opportunity to bring several Lunas to Los Angeles for a year-long residency with The Latino Theatre Company at the Los Angeles Theatre Center that would end with the world-premiere of Generation Sex in 2015, planting the seed for Teatro Luna West.
By the fall of 2018, Teatro Luna West put down roots at our new home in Boyle Heights, which launched with our signature program, TWF: Live Storytelling Sessions. The success from this monthly storytelling event that showcased women of color telling original stories around a theme launched a partnership with Audible, resulting in the Audible Original and Audible Latino, Talking While Female & Other Dangerous Acts: 25 Stories of Risk & Resilience by Teatro Luna West, co-produced by Christina Igaraividez and Alexandra Meda.
Operating in both Los Angeles and Chicago proved too much for the very under-resourced yet super-mighty and sometimes scrappy team of women, particularly when more and more opportunities continued to bring members of the Chicago Ensemble out West. By 2019 it was apparent that the Luna name would be carried on solely by Teatro Luna West.
The pandemic brought about the largest pivot in our ensemble’s now 20 year history. Businesses were forced to change or at least rethink their offerings if they had any chance to survive. Our ensemble was no different. Like so many, we were thrust into the uncertainty of the changing world. We knew immediately we needed to pivot our plans as it was likely going to be years before we could gather audiences in our intimate Studio again.
We had been pioneering building plays on zoom in a collaborative setting since 2014/2015. But when it became THE ONLY VEHICLE– when the world was exploding around us, when we were hurting and scared, we had to hit pause. We had to adjust to the restrictions, we had to adjust to care for our individual and collective mental health as we navigated the unknown territory of this global pandemic. We took time off. We cried. We questioned whether we were artists even if we weren’t making and performing.
Our flagship monthly show TWF: Live Storytelling Sessions was so important to us and our audiences that we were determined to find a way to keep it going. We created video experiences showcasing the emotions and feelings alongside the storyteller’s words. In one event we collaborated with a visual artist who created pieces in real time inspired by the shared stories. But that wasn’t enough. Eventually, we created more online events, content, weekly write with us activities and even a virtual convening for Latinx Theatres to explore the anti-blackness in our communities and the way we perpetuate harm without knowing it. We developed a whole slate of workshops, presentations and digital downloads to help our audience keep their inner artist alive and well through these difficult times.
We even adjusted to a new location in Boyle Heights, literally two doors down in the same building, and boy, does this new space bring in the sunlight. Transformation was afoot.
At the end of 2021, the ensemble reviewed our commitment to storytelling and being a space for learning and healing, and once again we found ourselves pivoting- and this time we re-emerged as Studio Luna, the third generation of the Luna ethos focused on cultural healing, storytelling, and eradicating oppression.
Studio Luna advances beyond its legacy of Teatro Luna, a Latina Theatre Ensemble. Studio Luna embraces a makeover reflecting this new iteration of the ensemble. With a newly modified vision and values, the ensemble continues to grow and lead the field of collectively created, ensemble-generated work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.holastudioluna.org
- Instagram: @holastudioluna
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Holastudioluna/
Image Credits
Photos taken by Alexandra Meda