Más Cara

by Krysta Gonzales

Más Cara is a visceral text and movement conjuring of Mexicana archetypes and the women who embody them – past, present, and future. As we follow the life of Alma, a Chicana who loves big and is trying to make a place in the world for herself and her daughter, the piece asks: What if Mexicana archetypal pillars like Coatlicue, Tonantzin, and La Llorona are just as human as we are – and we, on earth, are all of...

Más Cara is a visceral text and movement conjuring of Mexicana archetypes and the women who embody them – past, present, and future. As we follow the life of Alma, a Chicana who loves big and is trying to make a place in the world for herself and her daughter, the piece asks: What if Mexicana archetypal pillars like Coatlicue, Tonantzin, and La Llorona are just as human as we are – and we, on earth, are all of them and none of them and everything in between?

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Más Cara

Recommended by

  • Jelisa Jay Robinson: Más Cara by Krysta Gonzales
    “

    This is piece is pure poetry. It sings on the page, and on stage. The language is real, and witty. The each one of the characters is distinct and defined. It asks questions about what it means to make a place in the world, what it means to be woman, to be Latina, and to be human. I also love the addition of the Afrolatinx character (much needed in the theatre). This woman-centered work needs to live on the stages across the country.

    This is piece is pure poetry. It sings on the page, and on stage. The language is real, and witty. The each one of the characters is distinct and defined. It asks questions about what it means to make a place in the world, what it means to be woman, to be Latina, and to be human. I also love the addition of the Afrolatinx character (much needed in the theatre). This woman-centered work needs to live on the stages across the country.

    ”

Character Information

  • Luz
    Alma’s daughter - an old soul, but respects her mother's need to be in charge
    15
    Hispanic/Latina
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Beto
    Alma’s husband, despite his temper, he's irresistible because of a certain je ne sais quoi; he’s likable, but just enough to keep you hungry for more

    Can be doubled with El Jefe and/or Dios
    17-30's
    Latino/Hispanic
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male,
      Non-binary
  • El Jefe
    The white-passing guy who runs the factory, loves applying the rules to brown people

    Can be doubled with Beto and/or Dios
    20s-30s
    Latino/Hispanic
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male,
      Non-binary
  • Leti
    Can't resist cracking a joke (much like Coatlicue); spits the truth - mostly on purpose, but sometimes not; loves to play

    Can be doubled with Coatlicue
    Teens-50's
    Hispanic/Latina
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Dolores
    Proper, demure, tries to stay on the straight and narrow (much like Tonantzin), the straight-person to Leti's comedian

    Can be doubled with Tonantzin
    Teens-50's
    Hispanic/Latina
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Coatlicue
    Wise-cracking, real-talking headless Aztec goddess who gave birth to the moon, stars, and Huitzilopochtli, the god of the sun and war; she wears a skirt full of snakes and takes no shit unless it’s from her comadre Tonantzin

    Can be doubled with Leti
    Hispanic/Latina
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Tonantzin
    Another Aztec mother goddess who is also equated to La Virgen de Guadalupe; strong-willed, patient, loving, more demure than her closest friend, Coatlicue

    Can be doubled with Dolores
    Hispanic/Latina
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • La Llorona
    The legend: permanently sad with one granule of hope; always searching for something more
    Afro Latina
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • La Sucia
    Deeply rooted in her sensuality; tactless; vain

    Played by Coatlicue and Llorona
    Hispanic/Latina
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Alma
    A little bit naïve and very playful, hopeless romantic, we see her at different stages in her life
    17-50's
    Hispanic/Latina
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Dios
    THE God, yes - Zaddy, Son, and Holy Ghost; loves being the boss, but is a Mama’s Boy and works that relationship to the best of His ability

    Can be doubled with El Jefe and/or Beto
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Esperanza
    Alma’s daughter - an old soul, but respects her mother's need to be in charge
    15 & 35
    Hispanic/Latina
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female

Development History

  • Reading, Teatro Vivo, 2016

Production History

Awards

  • 10 Best Latinx Plays for Colleges & Universities
    50 Playwrights Project
    2019
  • 50 Best Unproduced Latinx Plays
    50 Playwrights Projects
    2016