The Panza Monologues
by Teatro Audaz
Sep. 22, 2016
Thursday
Panzas! Women – even wise Latinas – are obsessed about it. Some make their peace with it, while others just suck it in. While nutritionists and politicians alike weigh in on the imperious, impossible, belly or panza, as it is tenderly known in Spanish, Chicana playwrights and cultural workers Virginia Grise and Irma Mayorga have something to say about its power for emotional and political liberation.
The Panza Monologues is an original performance piece based on women’s stories about their panzas. Tu sabes – that roll of belly we all try to hide. Conceived from kitchen table conversations and chisme and compiled from interviews of Chicanas of all ages, places, and spaces, these stories create a quilt of poignancy, humor, and revelation. Performed in monologue format and riffing on Eve Ensler’s play The Vagina Monologues, The Panza Monologues boldly places the panza front and center as a symbol that reveals the lurking truths about women’s thoughts, lives, loves, abuses, and lived conditions. It boldly interconnects women’s health, their body image, and social justice issues. The production has received critical acclaim in front of standing-room audiences who laugh, cry, and scream in panza-truth-telling solidarity.
Recommended for ages 13 yrs and older. Parental discretion advised.
The Panza Monologues
by Virginia Grise and Irma Mayorga
Teatro Audaz
September 22, 2016
7 p.m. at McCreless Auditiorium, San Antonio College
