www.montereycountynow.com JUNE 25-JULY 1, 2026 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 35 ONSTAGE History class is in session at Hartnell College, even during the summer. The Western Stage presents Latin History For Morons, a comedy and lecture about a father on a search through 3,000 years of Indigenous, Latin American and Latino history to help his son, who is being bullied at school, find a Latino hero for a school assignment. The performance is staged as a classroom, where the narrator/professor (played by Andrés Ortiz) takes on more than 40 characters, rapidly switching voices, accents and physical mannerisms. The show uncovers the overlooked contributions of Latinos while addressing their absence from American history books. Colombian-American actor and writer John Leguizamo created and starred in the one-man Broadway show, which debuted in 2017. In his script, Leguizamo intentionally uses comedy to make historical material accessible rather than presenting a scholarly lecture, as the tone shifts constantly between humor and reflections on racism, identity and belonging. Western Stage’s production is directed by Watsonville native Cristal González Ávila. “I think [the play] is urgent right now, because it reminds us of all the work we still need to do as a community, as a nation, as our own individual work to get to know who we are,” González Ávila says. “The beautiful or the unique thing about our production is that it’s set in a rural town, and to see this type of work that was created for more of a city life still be so relatable to local folks—[that speaks] to the local impact it has.” At its core, the show is about a father seeking to have the father he never had and allowing himself to be the father to his son that he’d always wanted, while teaching his son—and the audience—about how Latinos helped build the United States yet are frequently portrayed as outsiders, Ávila says. “It’s not like you’re sitting there getting spoonfuls of just historical facts,” she observes. “It’s comical, it’s painful to hear at times and more than anything, it’s a wake-up call to remind us again that Latino history is American history, and we have to elevate that, and we have to be proud of that.” Latin History for Morons 7:30pm Fridays-Saturdays; 2pm Sundays June 26-July 19; bonus performance 7:30pm Thursday, July 9. The Western Stage Studio Theater, 411 Central Ave., Salinas. $28. (831) 755-6816, westernstage.com. COURTESY WESTERN STAGE Fact Check More than a lesson, Latin History For Morons highlights Latino stories with humor and with fact. By Royvi Hernandez Actor Andrés Ortiz, far right, and director Cristal González Ávila (second from right), with the crew working on Latin History For Morons. THE ALEX LUCERO BAND on the rise TUESDAY JUNE 30 Folktale On the Rise is a new live music series celebrating great music, community, and emerging artists. Ticket sales support the featured artists. www.folktalewinery.com
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