Our Lady of the Tortilla

By Luis Santeiro

Moderator: Monica Sanchez

The Cruz family is volatile even in the best of times. On this particular day, Nelson, the youngest son, enters the house in a panic to hide the more obvious religious relics from the sight of his “gringo” girlfriend, who is visiting for the weekend. Nelson’s mother, Dahlia, is obsessed with retrieving her husband from his new girlfriend; Eddie, her elder son, shows up in a van with his failed life and pregnant girlfriend. But the “real” pandemonium is caused by sweet, long-suffering Dolores, Dahlia’s old-maid sister, when she sees the face of the Holy Virgin in a tortilla. This miracle brings hordes of believers and reporters to camp out on the Cruz’s lawn to await further miracles. As the family struggles with beliefs and conflicts, old and new, the endurance of family love is revealed to be the real miracle.

About the Playwright

Luis Santeiro is recognized for his work as a playwright. Among his most notable plays are Our Lady of the Tortilla (1987), The Lady from Havana (1990), and The Rooster and the Egg (1994). For his musical Barrio Babies, Santeiro received the Edward Kleban and Richard Rodgers Award, and in 1995 was honored with the National Hispanic Academy of Media Arts and Sciences Award for his play A Royal Affair. Santeiro has also been recognized for his contributions to Latino arts and culture with honors such as the Hispanic Achievement Award (1991) and the Hispanic Heritage Award Wikipedia

About the Moderator

Monica Sanchez – Born and raised in Mexico City, Monica has always loved acting. In 1989, she studied theater at INBAC in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. She moved to Memphis, TN, in 1995, she participated in the first Spanish version of The Vagina Monologues in 2010. That same year, Giovana Lopez, Sandra Figueroa & herself revived the theater group called Cazateatro, now known as Cazateatro Bilingual Theater Group, where she has been the Artistic Director for the past 14 years. With more than 35 productions on her list, she firmly believes that performing arts are the instrument we can use to connect the community.