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Luis Alfaro

From the Ancient to the Streets of L.A.: Imagining the Greek Classics for Communities Today

Thursday, January 3, 8:15-9:30PM

San Diego Marriott Marquis at the Marina

Marriott Grand Ballroom 9

Hosted by the SCS and co-organized by Classics and Social Justice and the Onassis Foundation USA


In his lecture, playwright Luis Alfaro, author of Mojada and Oedipus El Rey, guides us on a journey from Athens to East L.A. as we connect the ancient myths and bring them alive for contemporary audiences today. Socrates reminds us that storytelling changes and grows, but do stories ever lose their meaning and power? Come discover the journey that makes these classics still essential today.

Luis Alfaro works in theater, performance, poetry and is an associate professor at the University of Southern California. A Chicano born and raised in the Pico-Union district of downtown Los Angeles, Alfaro is the recipient of a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation fellowship, popularly known as a “genius grant”, awarded to people who have demonstrated expertise and exceptional creativity in their respective fields. He is the first Playwright-in-Residence in the 84-year history of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the largest repertory theatre company in the United States, serving for six seasons (2013-2019).

This event is free and open to the public.

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