Down the Side of the Mountain
is featured in Teatro Luna’s 2019 Audible Original Audiobook
Talking While Female and Other Dangerous Acts:
25 Stories by Latinas on Themes of Risk and Resilience
Down The Side of The Mountain tells the story of a broke millennial taking a break from college to backpack across Europe in search of adventure, while imparting lessons on independence and trust in strangers along the way.
Talking While Female & Other Dangerous Acts is a fresh collection of original short stories on themes of risk and resilience, written and performed by Latina womxn across the USA. Curated by Teatro Luna West: America's All Latinx and All Women of Color Theatre Ensemble, these stunning stories are combined with original music by Maria Chavez and poetry by Gabriela Ortega in order to fully transport the listener to each individual life and journey.
Although rooted in the incredibly diverse spectrum that is the US Latina experience, this collection of stories is crafted for anyone who has ever felt invisible, powerless, or alone. This compilation provides a platform and much needed space for the many generations of women who have been tucked away into the corners of our history, erased, and ignored and shines a light on vibrant voices of today celebrating our power to heal, transform, and rise again. From interviewing public figures as problematic as Fidel Castro, to experiencing a leaky brain and the miraculous feats of modern medicine or losing a loved one to the brutalities of Alzheimer's, these storytellers share it all. Modeling vulnerability for the listener, we are given access to somber reflections on the current administration's impact on the marginalized - from those in violent cycles of poverty to those experiencing the gentrification crisis firsthand, to a passionate call to remember the children still in cages. This collection wouldn't be complete without vital stories of incredibly heartwarming coming-out experiences and journeys abroad that uplift us and remind us of our ability to overcome anything that comes our way.
Original stories by: Liza Ann Acosta, Maria Alexandria Beech, Sarah Bogdanski, Gabriela Bonet, Franceli Chapman, Antonieta Carpio, Marissa Chibas, Gina Cornejo, Ginna Diaz, Mari DeOleo, Melissa DuPrey, Georgina Escobar, Cristina Frias, Virginia Grise, Christina Igaraividez, Isabel Jimenez, Maya Malan-Gonzalez, Alexandra Meda, Jasminne Mendez, Elisa Noemi, Elizabeth Nungaray, Karari Olvera, Jessica Perez, Lorna Silva, Gabriela Ortega.
Created by Teatro Luna & Teatro Luna West - an ensemble creating original theatrical productions, digital media, and direct-action events toward a social justice purpose.
Directed by Alexandra Meda. Co-produced by Christina Igaraividez and Alexandra Meda. Original music by Maria Chavez & Mark VanHare. Sound design by Fan Zhang