ABSTRACT
This article follows the “first recognized Chicana with a doctorate degree in theatre” as she creates a path where none existed in her pursuit of a career in higher education. In her fifty-year venture, she became a university professor, a published scholar, a professional dramaturg, and a valuable voice in her journey of bringing the Latina and Latino voice to the annals of American and world theatre. Along the way, identifying as a Chicana came to life when she was a graduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles, bringing a deep sense of responsibility for discovering, nurturing, and supporting Latinas and Latinos and other students of color to become theatre makers. Her experience as the director of ethnic studies at the University of Oregon led to a continuing drive to encourage, teach, and advocate for Asian American, Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) to pursue their own contributions to theatre. The author provides a valuable blueprint for anyone who wishes to pursue cultural studies and the practice of theatre and broaden the scope of inquiry in theatre history and criticism.
