Chicanos Meet Greeks! Must Be a ‘Culture Clash’

EGP talks to writing/acting trio about ‘Peace’ debuting this week at the Getty Villa, and their 25 years as performers.

By Elizabeth Hsing-Huei Chou, Gloria Angelina Castillo, EGP Staff Writers

Theater troupe Culture Clash first trained its sharp, satirical eye on Latino-American pop culture and icons in a one-time performance on Cinco de Mayo, 1984. They skewered everyone from Linda Ronstadt to Frida Kahlo and Che Guevara well before many of them became household names.

Their first gig then stretched into a 25-year career of bringing a uniquely Chicano sensibility to stages across the country in not only comedies, but also dramas that tell rich stories from Latino culture and history in America.

So what better way for Culture Clash writer-actors Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas, and Herbert Siguenza to kick-off a year-long celebration of their 25th anniversary than with an adaptation of “Peace,” an obscure, circa 421 B.C. comedy by Greek playwright Aristophanes, right?

“Everybody thinks the Greek Classics are… boring or tame, but in fact the comedies are very outrageous, even more outrageous than our standards now,” said Siguenza, adding that while they have toned down the R-rated play, their adaptation in still not suitable for children. “There’s a lot of nudity. There was a lot of profanity, and a lot of jokes about bodily functions.”

The Aristophanes play is a “simple story” about a farmer in ancient Athens who sets off to rescue Peace, a Goddess, who is kidnapped and imprisoned in a cave on Mount Olympus by Ares, the God of War. Culture Clash’s adaptation, commissioned by The Getty Museum, makes Salvadorian farmers the heroes and includes Mariachi singers.

The trio had no doubt they wanted to do another Aristophanes play, said Salinas. Their first was “The Birds,” updated in 2007 with writer John Glore who is also back to lend his expertise and ensure the adaptation is still structurally true to the original.

“Aristophanes, he would be the playwright who spoke up against the government, against specific people in congress, against specific writers of his time,” said Salinas, adding that it is an anti-war play.

(L-R) Herbert Siguenza, Ric Salinas and Richard Montoya will spend their 25th anniversary like true Latinos—working. (EGP Photo by Gloria Angelina Castillo)

The trio has also enlisted Oregon Festival’s Bill Rauch to direct the play and called on actors John Fleck and Amy Hill to appear alongside them on-stage. Longtime colleagues Christopher Acebo (set design), Shigeru Yaji (costumes), Geoff Korf (lighting) and Lynn Jeffries (puppets) are also vital to the staging of the production.

Besides the raunchiness of the original, Ric Salinas says Peace is rarely performed because it is structurally difficult. They’ve added a third act to make the play work better for them.

“Everything that happened there, we’re doing it right now. It’s like this play could be done right now and we’re seeing a lot of parallels, and of course we’re going to modernize it and add a Culture Clash spin to it,” said Salinas.

“Yeah, the moral of the story is that humankind has never seen Peace,” added Siguenza. “In other words we have never worshipped Peace. We’ve always worshipped war. I mean if you look at the history of mankind, there’s never been ten years of Peace for example. There’s always been a war somewhere. So it kind of opens your eyes to see how ridiculous this is.”

The adaptation is based on “today’s realities” and headlines, like the Iraq War and the Obama Administration, said Siguenza.

The original protagonist was a farmer, who accompanied by slaves, set out to restore Peace to Greece and became a hero in the process.

Staying true to their critical, but comedic aesthetic, Culture Clash is adding a base of modern truth while respecting the foundation of the story. The adaptation replaces the slaves in the original with Salvadorian immigrants, speaking “like you were in MacArthur Park,” said Salinas, who is excited about the musical group Mariachi Divas, led by Suzanne Garcia, taking over as the “Greek chorus” that narrates the story.

“They’re going to be three mariachi women,” he said. “And the mariachi women are going to be playing and singing mariachi songs and other songs in a mariachi feel, and I don’t think that it’s ever been done. So I think that’s going to be a first, and so that is definitely a Culture Clash kind of trademark to it. Trying to make it Latino in a very unique way.”

“[Peace] is a throwback to our old style, which is more satire, multi-character, more irreverent,” said Siguenza. “So yeah, you’re going to hear, even though it’s a Greek play, you’ll hear modern references for sure, pop references.”

The troupe, known for works such as “Chavez Ravine” and “Water and Power,” told EGP that the element of truth, stories of real people, real situations, as well as issues of racism, homophobia, crooked politicians, etc. made those plays popular, but they were also an educational experience for their diverse audience.

The members of Culture Clash say that with the Internet and the website www.youtube.com, there are more opportunities now for individual cultural-satirists to get exposure, but unfortunately they don’t see many out there making it to the big screen or on television.

Salinas said there is one “Asian American group we love,” The 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors. “They are totally our children,” he said.

Siguenza, who is a drama instructor at UC Irvine, says he tells his students they have to be “twice as good” and “better than the guy next door.”

“In order to succeed anywhere you have to be educated… it’s rare those people that dropped out of high school and became sensations,” advises Siguenza. “If you want a career, to sustain yourself, you need to know how to write, you need to know your history…be well rounded… write your own stuff. If we were actors, we would have starved by now. We had to create our own work. That’s the only way we’ve survived.”

“If Culture Clash was not a small business we would not have existed,” added Salinas. “We became a small business at some point…in other words we had to work to eat.”

“Hopefully a new wave will come, it goes in waves,” said Siguenza, about mainstream media’s interest in Latino and ethnic entertainment.

Salinas and Siguenza say they know many Latino writers and performers who are out of work and they blame the “Anglo-dominated” world of theater, and Hollywood shot-callers for their “limited view of the world.” They point out that today, nearly 25 years after they started, American television networks still think Chicano comedy should be on Spanish-language television—although it’s uniquely American.

“We come from the school of Luis Valdez and Zoot Suit,” said Salinas, noting that their culture and work is not imported from Latin America, it is home grown, and in English. Their work speaks to the “sons and daughters” of immigrants, Siguenza said.

The Getty may seem like a strange venue for their brand of Chicano comedy, with its pillars and ancient Greek and Roman artifacts, and seemingly more conservative art patrons. But the trio says The Getty has not interfered in the production, but is allowing them to do what they do best.

Siguenza and Salinas told EGP that they hope that their long-time fans from the city’s eastside will make the trek to Malibu to see the show, and take the time to tour The Getty’s impressive museums and gardens.

The trio that is Culture Clash has already published two books, and is coming out with a third book of plays, says Salinas, who is also a commissioner for LA’s El Pueblo Historical Monument Commission. Montoya is a commissioner for LA’s Cultural Affairs Commission.

Culture Clash will be celebrating their quarter century anniversary like most Latinos in LA do, by working; they’ve got the year mapped out:

On October 30, Culture Clash will have their 25th Gala event as part of the UCLA Live program at Royce Hall. The trio will be accompanied at the event by Zack de la Rocha from ‘Rage Against the Machine,’ and comedians Carlos Mencia, Michelle Shock’d, and Jose Montoya.

In late December/January, they will be back for the fifth time at the Mark Taper Forum for the world premier of Richard Montoya’s play “Palestine, New Mexico.”

And in February they will be at the San Diego Repertory Theatre and in the summer of 2010 they’ll be at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival with a new play called “American Night.”

“Peace” will be at the Getty Villa for only four-weeks, starting September 10. Tickets for the outdoor performance are on sale now for $42; $36 for students and seniors. A limited number of special preview tickets are available at a discounted price of $20. For tickets, call (310) 440-7300 or visit www.getty.edu

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Chicanos Meet Greeks! Must Be a ‘Culture Clash’

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