CASA 0101 Community Dinner: A flair for drama and authentic Mexican cuisine
// By Jacqueline Brennan
While acting immediately comes to mind when one thinks of Los Angeles, few theaters in and around LA feature an all-Latino stage. CASA 0101 is one of a few venues that does. You’ll learn about this unique theater, enjoy delicious Mexican fare, and see a theatrical production – all during the Community Dinner at CASA 0101.
CASA 0101 sprang from the mind of Josefina López, an award-winning Chicana playwright and author of Real Women Have Curves, a stage play about gender politics and the Latina immigrant experience that premiered in 1990, and was later adapted into a film starring America Ferrara. López founded CASA 0101 in 2000 in Boyle Heights, bringing to life her dream to share art, live theater, and dance in her home community, located east of downtown LA. Originally set in a converted bridal shop, CASA 0101 relocated across the street and is now a 99-seat venue with a classroom and art gallery that features exhibitions by local artists.
You’ll hear more about the theater’s artistic triumphs during the first tour stop – CASA FINA, a Mexican restaurant and cantina opened by López in 2017 to help keep her neighborhood’s Latin culture alive. After enjoying authentic and fresh Mexican food at this social enterprise, you’ll take a quick, 7-minute stroll to CASA 0101, where you’ll experience and be entertained by a production about the theater and its importance to Boyle Heights residents and the LA arts scene. You may even learn the origin of the theater’s unique name!
Upswell’s Community Dinners offer changemakers a chance to get out of the hotel, sit down over a meal with first-time acquaintances, leave with brand-new friends, and experience firsthand how bonding over food and mission might lead to an innovative solution.
To sign up for this Community Dinner, check the box beside Casa 0101 when you register for Upswell.