Pueblo Revolt by Dillon Chitto

February 2, 2023

Pueblo Revolt by Dillon Chitto
World Premiere of Rella Lossy Award Winning Play

Feb 2nd – 12th, 2023

Production by AlterTheater

at Arts Research Center
Hearst Field Annex D23, UC Berkeley

Directed by Reed Flores
Featuring Steven Flores & Eduardo Soria

$15 students/$25 general/sliding scale

ARC provided 100 comped tickets to Berkeley students

Pueblo Revolt explores the Pueblo Uprising through the eyes of a gay Pueblo teen, Feem, and his older brother, Ba’homa. Equally hilarious and poignant, the play weaves together history and Indigifuturism to examine queerness, family, religion, and survival.

“Initially, I was really connected to the character of Feem,” says Reed Flores, who will direct the project. “I’m also a Queer younger brother. But, as I kept rereading this play, I was really drawn to the language. A majority of the dialogue of this play is created in a sort of modern realism, how we talk today — but then there are parts that lean into magic, into poetry, and those are the parts that really transport me to a different place.”

ARC is delighted with the community partnership we’ve formed with AlterTheater, and thrilled to bring Dillon Chitto’s terrific Pueblo Revolt to the Berkeley campus. This funny and emotionally moving play animates a significant episode in Indigenous history, told through the experiences of two brothers as they struggle to survive with bodies and hearts intact. The play is perfect for a campus audience–the two brothers are young men, one with a serious crush–as well as a broader audience interested in the gifts that Indigenous playwrights are bringing to the theater.

AlterTheater’s unique model of collaboration to create accessible, community-driven theater aligns with ARC’s mission as a think tank for the arts. We are proud to host playwright Dillon Chitto as an Artist-In-Residence Feb 6 – 9, and he will be visiting classes in the Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies department as well as giving a public talk on ‘Theater as a Site of Public History,’ with Gonzaga University professor Laurie Arnold on Monday, Feb 6. We hope audiences will come back to ARC for this free public event.”

Please note: outside door locks 30 minutes after curtain

Per Berkeley covid guidelines, masks are strongly recommended.
We ask that the public wear masks to protect the actors, who will be unmasked.

On Monday Feb 6th, Dillon Chitto gave a free public lecture
Theater as a Site of Public History, on site in the stage set of Pueblo Revolt.

(Video embedded below)

Previews: Thurs Feb 2 & Fri Feb 3, at 7pm
Media preview/opening: Saturday, Feb 4th, 2023, at 7pm
Matinee: Sun, Feb 5th at 2pm
Run: Feb 9, 10, 11 at 7pm, and Feb 12th matinee at 2pm

Production co-sponsors

Arts Research Center at UC Berkeley
Art Works Downtown

Special thanks to production supporters:
Horizons
The Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation
California Arts Council
Zellerbach Family Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts
UC Berkeley Department of Theater, Dance, & Performance Studies

Review in SF CHRONICLE!

READ BLOG POST ABOUT THE EVENT

Dillon Chitto, Playwright

Dillon Chitto, (he/him) is an Indigenous playwright of Mississippi Choctaw, and Isleta and Laguna Pueblo descent. Originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico he grew up learning the importance of art, culture, and traditions. In his playwriting, he explores these ideas through the lens of comedy. He is presently based in Chicago, Illinois and is a company member of BoHo Theatre where he serves as literary manager. His first play Bingo Hall, developed by Native Voices at The Autry and presented during their 2017 Festival of New Plays, was given a world premiere at Native Voices in March 2018 in Los Angeles. He was selected as Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program’s 2017 winning playwright. Bingo Hall had a reading presented by the Global Voices theatre project as part of 2019 Origins Festival of First Nations at the British Library in London. He was also featured in the 2019 Adaptation Festival at Theater Above the Law in Chicago, Illinois.

Reed Flores, Director

Reed Flores (he/him) is a Queer CHamoru guy who directs and writes. Reed is currently the Artistic Assistant at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, and has worked around the area with: The Pear Theatre, New Conservatory Theater Center, Bindlestiff Studio, and Theatre Rhino. Nationally, Reed has worked with some awesome folks including: Seattle Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Breaking Wave Theatre Company. He also started, with Chris Henrriquez, Wayward Voices, an initiative to produce work by and for BIPOC artists. Favorite directing credits include: Lizard Boy (Asst. Director to Brandon Ivie), The Twentieth Century Way (Long Beach Playhouse), The Piano Teacher (The Pear). Upcoming: Brackish (Wayward Voices), Pueblo Revolt (AlterTheater), The Little Shop of Horrors (Asst. Director to Jeffrey Lo). www.reedflores.com(link is external)

Steven Flores, Ba’homa

Steven Flores is a bi-coastal actor originally from Northern California, he is a descendant of the Numunuu (Comanche) & Mexican Indigenous peoples. He originated the role of Seketemaqua/Luke in Manahatta for its world premiere at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Yale Repertory Theater. He has performed as Menelaus in Helen and Master Puppeteer for Puppets & Poe at Theatre of Yugen. Other credits: Last of the Caucasians (The Barrow Group Theater Company, NY) Delusion: The Blood Rite (Haunted Play, Los Angeles), Jakubei in A Noh Christmas Carol (T. of Y. San Francisco) TV/Film: The Monster Project, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Upcoming: collaborator and actor on BRAIDED: A Native Noh Story, world premiere in San Francisco 2021. Studied at the Herbert Berghof Studio, NY.

Eduardo Soria, Feem Whim

Eduardo Soria (Feem) is thrilled join AlterTheatre’s production of “Pueblo Revolt” by Dillon Chitto. Eduardo is currently a student at CCSF finishing his studies as well as pro-wrestling training in Oakland for the blend of theatre and athletics. He is the co-founder of CCSF’s very own Theatre Club to help other theatre majors refine their techniques from acting to tech and to expose other students on campus as well as the surrounding community to performance art. Recent performances include Pure Native (Art) at Alter Theatre, Velorio (Aldo) at Portrero Stage, Its a Wonderful Life: A Radio Play (George Bailey) at Tabard Theatre, Ghosts of Bogota (Bruno) at Alter Theatre, El Rio (Fernando) at the Brava Theatre, Memoria del Silencio en el Pias de la Eterna Primavera (Fernando, Esqueleto, Viejo, and Military Captain) at the Mission Cultural Center of Latino Arts, Buffalo Soldiers: The Untold Story (Wolf Sleeve) at the Oakstop, and Cradle Will Rock (Diego Rivera) Mission (Herbert) as well as writing & performing an original solo one act Dia De Mi Muerte at CCSF’s Diego Rivera Theatre. Eduardo has also written & directed a one act Perfect that was also performed at CCSF’s Diego Rivera Theatre. Infinite thank you’s to his father, two sisters, family, friends, and mentors for their ongoing love and support.