Crystal City 1969
by University of Texas Theatre & Dance
Mar. 05, 2022
Saturday
Please join us for celebration of 50 years of Latino Studies at The University of Texas at Austin with a live reading of the powerful play, Crystal City 1969.
Written by playwrights David Lozano and Raul Treviño, Crystal City 1969 is based on the true story of a group of Mexican-American teens in South Texas who walked out of their high school to protest discriminatory treatment. They were not allowed to speak Spanish at school or eat Mexican food during lunch in the cafeteria, and faced myriad barriers to the everyday high school experience simply by virtue of being Mexican-American.
Their walkout inspired not only institutional changes to the educational system, it also motivated their parents to run for political office and effect change at the government level. It also inspired other school walkouts in other Texas towns.
The reading will be partly staged atop a flatbed truck, a nod to the original Teatro Campesino in California, which performed skits atop trucks near agricultural fields as a way to educate workers about their rights.
Crystal City 1969
by David Lozano and Raul Treviño
University of Texas Theatre & Dance
March 05, 2022
WHO: The Center for Mexican American Studies and the Department of Theatre and Dance at UT Austin
WHAT: Crystal City 1969
WHY: in celebration of Latino Studies at UT’s 50th anniversary
WHERE: Emma S. Barrientos Mexican-American Cultural Center
WHEN: Saturday, March 5. Program begins at 5 pm
Attendees to this free event can enjoy light refreshments and access to the outdoor art exhibits on display at the MACC.
