UCR Performing Arts

10/13/2026

As the first Mexican American chancellor in the University of California system, Dr. Tomás Rivera turned his early life as a migrant worker into a lifelong crusade for higher education.

His visionary leadership and literary genius continue to inspire the UC Riverside community and beyond. 💙💛

Join us on Oct. 15 for the 2026 Tomás Rivera Conference at UC Riverside, with special guests and Rivera's fellow icons in the Chicano creative community, Luis Valdez and Severo Pérez.

FREE to attend and open to the public. Bring your friends!

tomasriveraconference.ucr.edu

10/10/2026

Honored with the 2025 Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film and selected for Sundance, the documentary "American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez" celebrates a trailblazer who transformed American culture.

Join us at the 38th annual Tomás Rivera Conference at UC Riverside on Oct. 15 to hear directly from the legend himself! 🎬⭐

tomasriveraconference.ucr.edu



Poster art from IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39150003/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

10/09/2026

Huge congratulations to Daphnie Sicre on her landmark new HowlRound piece, "The State of Latine and Caribbean Musical Theatre Today"! 🎭✨

From hybrid soundscapes to community-building fellowships, Daphnie maps out an undeniable truth: Latine & Caribbean musical theatre isn't just "emerging." It’s a deeply rooted, powerhouse field reshaping the entire theatrical landscape.

💡 Bonus: Her article includes a crowdsourced archive of over 400 Latine & Caribbean musicals created over the last two decades!

Stop what you're doing and read this essential piece on the future of American theatre 📖👇

🔗 https://howlround.com/state-latine-and-caribbean-musical-theatre-today

10/08/2026

Adapting a masterpiece takes a master storyteller. Severo Pérez wrote and directed "...And the Earth Did Not Swallow Him" (1994), bringing Tomás Rivera’s seminal novel about farmworker life vividly to light.

Don't miss the special screening at UCR’s University Theatre at 5 p.m. on Oct. 15! 📽️🌾

tomasriveraconference.ucr.edu



Poster artwork from IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108999/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

10/06/2026

Playwright, novelist, and Texas Institute of Letters inductee: Severo Pérez has spent decades centering Mexican American history on screen and stage. 🇲🇽

Join us at UC Riverside on Oct. 15 as he discusses his remarkable legacy in storytelling alongside fellow trailblazers at the Tomás Rivera Conference! ✨📚

tomasriveraconference.ucr.edu

10/03/2026

From a modest upbringing in Delano to directing a global box-office smash, Luis Valdez captured the heart of American rock 'n' roll history with "La Bamba" (1987). 🎶

Telling the incredible true story of Ritchie Valens, Valdez created a timeless blockbuster that redefined Latino representation in mainstream cinema 🎸

Hear from this iconic writer/director on Oct. 15 at this year's Tomás Rivera Conference!

🔗tomasriveraconference.ucr.edu



Poster art from IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093378/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

10/01/2026

Before it hit the big screen in 1981, "Zoot Suit" made history as the very first Chicano play produced on Broadway.

Written and directed by Luis Valdez, this revolutionary work brought the energy, style, and resilience of the 1940s Pachuco culture front and center.

Learn about the legacy of this groundbreaking writer and director at UCR on Oct. 15 at the 2026 Tomas Rivera Conference.

tomasriveraconference.ucr.edu



"Zoot Suit" poster from: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083365/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

09/28/2026

From his roots in Delano as a child of farmworkers to founding El Teatro Campesino and earning the National Medal of Arts, Luis Valdez redefined American theater and cinema.

Catch this icon of Chicano storytelling live on stage for the 38th annual Tomás Rivera Conference at UC Riverside on Oct. 15! 🎬🎭

Info: tomasriveraconference.ucr.edu

09/25/2026

UCR Music lecturer conducts musical diplomacy in China
Pianist, musicologist Gary Barnett gives concerts and master classes across the country
https://monkeylink.co/33ecce

Ahead of Thursday's U.S.-China summit in Washington, D.C., a UC Riverside lecturer undertook Sino-American diplomacy on a more modest scale. Gary Barnett toured China as a kind of musical ambassador for UCR from June 20 to July 16. Barnett, who teaches music composition and musicianship, gave concer...

09/24/2026

Giants of Chicano film, literature to headline this year's Tomás Rivera Conference

📅Oct. 15 at 5 p.m.
📍UC Riverside University Theatre

Luis Valdez wrote and directed “Zoot Suit” (1978), the first Chicano play produced on Broadway, as well as the 1981 film version of it. Severo Pérez directed and wrote the screenplay for “...And the Earth Did Not Swallow Him,” the 1994 film based on Tomás Rivera’s seminal novel from 1971.

🔗https://monkeylink.co/e8e0d6