Solo Performer
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Ruby Nelda Perez is considered one of the most talented and acclaimed Chicana theatre performance artists in the nation. She is recognized for her solo performances, where she enchants, captivates, and delights audiences with her insightful portrayals of unforgettable characters. For over 30 years her performances have taken her from labor camps and prisons, to such prestigious venues as Lincoln Center, and the Whitney Museum in New York. In 1999, the San Antonio Theatre Coalition awarded her with the Living Legend Award and in 2008 she was designated an NEA American Masterpieces touring artist. Ruby Nelda tours with two one-woman shows entitled "Dona Rosita’s Jalapeno Kitchen" and "Rosita’s Day of the Dead." These two bilingual comedies have been called "irresistible and irreverent." Surrounded by her piles of chilies, Ruby Nelda Perez dishes out plenty of laughs with some philosophical advice on the side. Rollicking laughter, heartfelt stories, and cultural pride ensue as Rosita cooks up flavorful food and stories.
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I smell like Tamales... Therefore I am.” Dona Rosita |
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Performance Repertoire
Doña Rosita’s Jalapeño Kitchen Written by Rodrigo Duarte-Clark (Artistic Director/Playwright of El Teatro de la Esperanza, San Francisco, Ca.) this one-woman show is deliciously comic and peppered with the poignancy of cultural pride. Doña Rosita invites the audience to sit and enjoy the “Last Supper” in her barrio of Salsipuedes (get out if you can) while she contemplates selling her restaurant/home of 23 years. A development project has targeted these Hispanic owned businesses to make way for a tourist shopping mall. Generous servings of one flavorful character after another will leave your spirit nourished yet hungry for more of Ruby Nelda Perez. (80 minutes) Rosita’s Day of the Dead The story opens in the kitchen of Doña Rosita, who is preparing food for El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Solo-performer Ruby Nelda Perez depicts a wide range of characters, many of whom cajole and entreat Rosita to reconcile with her dying father. She cooks late into the night, dishing out juicy stories about the living, the dead and those who fall in between. Apparitions put Rosita’s personal past to the test, thus incorporating the audience in a journey of unresolved relations. Free recipes, eccentric souls and serious comedy, are offered at very affordable prices. Dona Rosita Day Of the Dead is written by Rodrigo Duarte-Clark. (90 minutes) |
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Notable Venues
Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC Whitney Museum, New York, NY Mexican Fine Arts Museum, Chicago, IL Invisible Theatre, Tucson, AZ Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque, NM Jump-Start Performance Company, San Antonio, TX Guadalupe Theater, San Antonio, TX Out North, Anchorage, Alaska Teatro Pregones Bronx, NY Su Teatro Cultural & Performing Arts Center, Denver, CO |
