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| Miranda Gonzalez |
By Darlene Donloe
A dynamic historical drama infused with sci-fi elements is causing a stir at the Los Angeles Theatre Center – and for good cause.
"Mascogos," by playwright Miranda Gonzalez, and directed by Jose Luis Valenzuela, who helms the world premiere, is a powerful historical sci-fi drama that shines a light on a little-known chapter in American history.
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| Rama Orleans-Lindsay, Rogelio Douglas III, Monte Escalante and Lakin Valdez |
The story follows the descendants of Black Seminoles who bravely escaped slavery in the southern United States to forge new lives in northern Mexico.
These freedom-seekers, known as Mascogos, settled primarily in Coahuila, Mexico, where they built vibrant communities and fought tirelessly for their freedom.
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| Rama Orleans-Lindsay |
The play's narrative, which shines a light on the untold stories of Mexico’s Underground Railroad, weaves together said Underground Railroad, the barrios of Mexico, and the streets of Chicago, highlighting the ongoing liberation struggle that spanned generations.
Gonzalez, a Chicago native who is proud of her Mexican and African American heritage, brings this untold story to life with "Mascogos," a production that is part of the Latino Theater Company's 2025 season
Through a blend of history and science fiction, "Mascogos" explores themes of identity, resilience, and the power of community.
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| Rogelio Douglas III |
Gonzalez’s work, which sheds light on overlooked chapters in history, empowering marginalized communities and fostering a deeper understanding of their experiences, often explores themes of identity, freedom, and resilience, particularly in the context of the African American and Latinx experiences.
A circle of Imaginistas playwright, the award-winning (International Centre for Women Playwrights 50/50 Award), Gonzalez has held various leadership roles, including Producing Artistic Director at UrbanTheater Company and founding member of Teatro Luna, a groundbreaking all-Latina ensemble.
The play, produced by The Latino Theater Company, stars Rogelio Douglas III, Monte Johnson, Rama Orleans-Lindsay, Lakin Valdez.
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| Rogelio Douglas III and Lakin Valdez |
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| Rogelio Douglas III and Monte Escalante |
‘Mascogos’ is playing at the Los Angeles Theatre Center through November 9.
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| Miranda Gonzalez |
DD: You went to DePaul in Chicago and received a BA in marketing. Now you’re a playwright.
MG: I always wanted to be in the arts. I was always performing since the age of 14. When I was 18-19, I saw friends struggling to make money. I wasn't going to major in theater because no one has money.
DD: What happened that made you want to be in the arts?
MG: I was a singer and dancer. I started taking voice lessons. My teacher said I should audition for The Happiness Club as a dancer and as a singer. We went around singing and sending out positive messages. The kids in the group were actors. I told my mom, I think I want to try it. I got an agent. I did TV and film. I was in SAG and AFTRA by 15. My first theater audition was at 18. I fell in love with the stage. I got involved in Teatro Luna, now Studio Luna, as a founding ensemble member. It became a 501 (c) (3) in 2000. I became the director of artistic development at Teatro Luna. In 2016, I came into the Urban Theater Company.
DD: Talk about becoming a playwright.
MG: Writing what you know is authenticity. When you write from familiarity, it gives you more creativity. It resonates a lot more with audiences. You give nuances that people can connect to. I’m not saying I wouldn't write something I don’t know about. There is something different about writing from your own identity and your own lived experience.
DD: Tell me about how you came up with Mascogos?
MG: When I was doing this research and found out there was a town…and I realized my grandmother was born there, it was a sign—the Mascogos people. I had to write about it. How fascinating it would be to speak Gullah Creole, have that English base, and go to Mexico to learn Spanish. I’m bilingual. I’ve always been fascinated by dialects and phrasing, and when verbs come together. I wouldn't want to see a play that is just about history. I chose historical science fiction.
DD: Talk about the show.
MG: Jamari is getting spells, attacks. Every time he gets them, it pushes him into the future. Once he’s in the future, it pushes him back in the past. It’s a historical sci-fi that plays in time. Are we really free? Are we free? – We are living something right now. I’ve always been a fan of quantum physics and Octavia Butler.
DD: Why do you think this story is lost in history?
MG: The script is about love and remembrance. There are so many reasons why governments across the world don't feel it’s important to archive subcultures. They have purposely erased specific histories. It’s that easy to forget and not have access to heroes who look like you. Somebody had to write about the Underground Railroad. I remember thinking that running north would mean the likelihood of dying. It makes sense that people would go to Mexico.
DD: Can you describe the central theme of the play and how you wove historical and sci-fi elements together?
MG: It’s wild, but it’s fun. The central theme is different for me than my director. It’s about love and remembrance. What have we sacrificed to exist? And yet, it’s worth it. It’s worth fighting for. Our blood is meant to survive.
DD: Talk about the research you did for this show.
MG: All of it. I have researched so much. What was difficult for me was writing the play to where it is now. Luis (the director) would say to me, ‘That’s something you know, but we don’t know. You have to say it.’ I read South To Freedom: Runaway Slaves to Mexico and the Road to the Civil War. The author and I will have a talk back about it. The book had all the history in one book. Research was extensive. I learned that some people will help you. Everybody has a little Congo in them. I did a lot of research and understanding. With the play, I give the idea that we are not a monolith. Blackness is not one thing.
DD: How do you think the experiences of the Mascogos people resonate with contemporary issues of freedom and identity?
MG: They were just looked at as indigenous folks. Their towns still don't have infrastructure. They founded the town El Nacimiento de los Negros (“Birth of the Blacks”) in Coahuila, Mexico. A lot of them left Mexico and went back north because of opportunity. We are all seeing where the best place for us to be is. We all want to make it.
DD: How did you balance historical accuracy with creative liberties?
MG: That was the hardest thing I had to do. I had a lot of support from the other playwrights. You have to be true to the relationships you’re building. I did a lot of crying. I felt like when Rapunzel finally touches the grass. I was drunk with emotions. I don’t know if I balanced it well.
DD: What inspired your use of time-travel and sci-fi elements in the play?
MG: I don't want to regurgitate history to you. I want you to ask yourself, should I learn more about this?
DD: How did your own background and identity influence your approach to telling this story?
MG: It came through for me in many of the characters because of my own lived experience. I’m a Black girl who speaks Spanish. Mexicans and African Americans – the dialogue we have with each other. My whole life, it’s been about – who is more oppressed. We’re so stuck on that, nothing changes. Your activism isn’t as good as my activism. We all want to just live our lives. We want to remember our history. I’m trying to plant seeds in the audience indirectly. I want my audience to ask questions about themselves.
MG: What was the collaboration like with director Jose Luis Valenzuela, and how did he contribute to shaping the play's vision?
MG: So much. I was excited that the play I wrote made him imagine. His understanding of storytelling. He’s an artist. He was able to create what he calls transformations on how the world moves from the past to the present. The way he weaves it together supports the text. He was also able to lean over and tell me we’re missing a line about X, Y, Z. We collaborated well together. He’s a historical storyteller. He’s been doing it for 50 years. He’s brilliant.
DD: What is your writing process?
MG: I have to be in a stationary place for a minimum of three days. I have to focus. I can’t leave the computer unless it’s to have a mental break. I have to get the whole story out. In an ideal place,
I wrote the bones of it in three days somewhere by water to get the first draft, somewhere like Lake Katherine in Illinois. I need to be by water.
DD: Where would you like this play to go?
MG: I want it to travel in every Black and Latin-founded theater in the country. We deserve to know our history and find our own histories.
DD: Why should people see this show?
MG: Because I think it is something they have never seen or heard. It's a fantastical ride.
The creative team for Mascogos includes scenic designer François-Pierre Couture; lighting designer Xinyuan Li (Lee); composer and sound designer Robert Revell; projections designer Yee Eun Nam; and costume designer Maria Catarina Copelli. Choreography is by Urbanie Lucero and assistant choreographer Cydney Watson. The production stage manager is Alexa Wolfe, and Martha Espinoza assists. All photos, except those of Miranda Gonzalez, by Grettel Cortes Photography.
“Mascogos,” The Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 4 p.m., through Nov. 9, $10-$48, latinotheaterco.org, (213) 489-0994.
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