Performance & Workshop Descriptions

Written & Performed by Luis xago Juárez

Directed by Rubén González

Inspired by the Lewis Carroll classic, “Alice In Wonderland” but now with a Chicano protagonist, who after years of substance abuse, falls deep into a rabbit hole, Aliso in Workerland presents the struggle every individual has to tap into their own unseen.  Through high-paced musical word play, spoken-word poetry, bi-lingual code-switching (English/Spanish) and physicality to match, Aliso ducks and weaves through personified aspects of Workerland, bursting with historical and political implications until confronted by an entity descended from his spiritual past, Ometochtli ("Two Rabbit" in Nahuatl, an indigenous Mexican language), leader of the Centzon Totochtin, the four hundred rabbit gods of drunkenness.  It is Ometochtli who helps him to understand the weight of five centuries worth of abuse to then release him from the nightmare that is “Workerland.” 

To Premiere at La Peña's Hecho en Califas festival, Fall 2009

Directed by Lakin Valdez

Starring Lauis xago Juárez, Mona Webb, Rosa González, & Tommy Shepherd

Inspired by the true story of a mainstream radio DJ who suddenly broke with the status quo and was removed from corporate airwaves, “Raw-Dios: Behind the Pigpen in the Morning,” is a contemporary historical fiction performance piece, set during March of 2003 when the US, fueled by a post-911 thirst for vengeance, declared war on Iraq.  Told through the intertwining narratives of four working class listeners battling their own complex issues of personal vengeance, Raw-Dios brings writer-actors together with an experimental performance composer/sound installation artsist, and a gesture-based choreographer to tell a story of struggle over control of the airwaves and their power to affect human consciousness.

Inspired by the work of Paolo Freire and developed by Agosto Boal among others, Theater of the Oppressed techniques are designed to deconstruct existing power dynamics and give both actors and audience opportunities to explore the infinite possibilities available to them within each moment.  The members of headRush draw upon these life-changing techniques to design workshops for schools, universities and organizations.  Each workshop begins with a series of games that help participants become physically present and mentally reflective, as well as promote guidelines for positive group interaction.  Participants are then guided through a process of critically examining particular social conditions through movement, frozen images, and a variety of strategies for physical and verbal dialogue.  Depending on the scope of the workshop, it can culminate with anything from a newfound sense of self and community to an actual performance.  All Theatre of the Oppressed events are designed to invite dialogue and significant audience participation.

With extensive experience in Chicano Theatre, headRush leads workshops in developing actos.  Highly-stylized with minimal production costs, these short one acts, popularized by El Teatro Campesino during the Chicano/farmers movement, address community issues using comedy, satire, and exaggerated action.  headRush guides participants in the process of creating an acto, from brainstorming an issue pertinent to the group to mask-making and staging.

headRush has developed an innovative spoken word workshop that incorporates movement through image theatre.  The workshop is designed for participants to collectively explore complex issues through a series of creative tableau like exercises as part of a group writing process culminating with performances of group poems with physical storytelling.  

 The performance arts are powerful tools for social change. In this fun and fast paced workshop the members of headRush guide the participants through a variety of games and activities that explore relevant social and personal issues.  Participants are asked to come prepared to move their body, speak their truth, and act from the heart.  Workshop can be tailored to whatever theme(s) hold(s) urgency for participants.

A one-hour, multi-media, psycho-political satire on DVD with interactive social justice curriculum - $25

'The Throwdown' takes the audience into the imagination of a young man struggling for a 'true' democracy. Through spoken word comedy and urreal musical numbers, headRush takes us on a psycho-political trip through a homeboy’s subconscious where elements of the corporo-tocracy take superhuman form in a world where powerful fiends use hyper-surveillance to maintain their grip on inner city youth, manipulate Homeland (In)Security over the US/Mexico border, and flood consumers with endless glittering golden distractions. This teatro performance invites audiences to participate in a collective vision of our potential for change!