Teatro Luna was founded in June 2000 by Coya Paz and Tanya Saracho, with an original ensemble of ten women from diverse Latina/Hispana backgrounds. We came together because we realized that the stories and experiences of Latina/Hispana women were undervalued and underrepresented not only on the Chicago stage, but beyond. Many of us had similar experiences of being asked to perform stereotyped images of ourselves that were often one-dimensional and, at times, offensive: spicy sexpots, voiceless maids, pregnant gangbangers, timid "illegal" immigrants, etc. We were also concerned that the few parts written for Latina women often went to non-Latina actresses. We felt that we had to do something. Our answer was Teatro Luna, Chicago's first and only all-Latina theater.

We decided to approach our work as theater artists from the perspective that stories matter, that our histories matter, and that our stories represent experiences beyond our individual lives that are not often heard. To date, Teatro Luna has created three original ensemble works based on autobiographical experience and true life stories. Our first show, Generic Latina, explored the diversity of Latina lives, complicating the notion of a "Generic Latina". Generic Latina was created over a nine-month workshop period that included two separate "probaditas" (little tastes) of the work-in-progress, presented at Victory Gardens Theater. Generic Latina premiered in March 2001 at Phoenix Ascending Theater, where it played to sold out houses. Based on the success of Generic Latina, Teatro Luna was invited to create a new ensemble work at INTAR in New York City. The result was Dejame Contarte (Let Me Tell You), a show that explored the 2000 Census and the particularities of being both Latina/Hispana and women, focusing on the kinds of life experiences that cannot be tabulated by checking a box. Dejame Contarte premiered at INTAR in June 2001 and was remounted for a Chicago premiere at the Storefront Theater in February 2002. Our third ensemble built work, The María Chronicles, focused on the media and casting industry from a Latina point-of-view, taking the audition as a starting point from which to understand how Latina lives are shaped by the media. The María Chronicles premiered in July 2003 at the Goodman Latino Theater Festival, and went on to enjoy a successful eight week run at our Pilsen theater space. We were invited to remount The María Chronicles at Theater on the Lake, where we enjoyed a sold-out run in August 2004. We are currently touring The María Chronicles, and recently premiered our fourth ensemble built show, S-e-x-Oh!, in a workshop production at the 2005 PAC/Edge festival.

In addition to creating and presenting original ensemble work, Teatro Luna has nurtured new plays by emerging Latina/o writers. In March 2002, we premiered Kita y Fernanda, an original single author work by Mexican born playwright (and Teatro Luna cofounder) Tanya Saracho. Kita y Fernanda enjoyed a successful run with Teatro Luna, and subsequently was the runner-up for the METLife/Repertorio Espanol Playwriting Competition in New York City. More recently, Teatro Luna organized an intensive two-month development workshop for Tanya Saracho's newest play, Adnakiel. Adnakiel is a finalist for The Christopher Wolk Award at Abingdon Theatre in NYC, and has received readings at Chicago Dramatists and Teatro Vista.

We have also recently implemented a SÓLO Latinas Project, in which we nurture original solo works by local Latina artists. Ten women participated in our inaugural workshop, developing solo works in a series of writing and performance workshops. These workshops resulted in two public readings in which a panel of judges selected four winning plays that are presented in a full length, fully supported run. These judges were carefully selected for their range of professional experience (recent panelists included a professor of Latino studies, a well-known novelist, an artistic director, two community outreach directors, and a theater critic) and ability to offer detailed feedback to performers. Although we were not able to produce full-length runs of all of the plays produced in the SÓLO Latinas Project, it is our hope that participants are able to use the project to develop and nurture their craft. The first production of SÓLO Latinas, was presented at Chicago Dramatists January-February 2005, playing to enthusiastic reviews and sold out houses. Workshops for the second year of the SÓLO Latinas Project, currently titled SÓLO Tú, begin in April 2005.

Teatro Luna also presents a quarterly New Works Reading Series, where we have staged readings of plays by Diane Herrera, Adelita Lopez, Raul Castillo, Tanya Saracho and Elaine Romero.