LA Escena 2026
September 17-20
The LA Escena Festival of Hispanic classical theater will be back September 17- October 5, 2026. The fifth edition of Diversifying the Classics’ biennial festival will bring exciting new works by international artists and Los Angeles playwrights to UCLA’s Little/Studio Theater in Westwood, Los Angeles.
LA Escena is Los Angeles’ first Hispanic classical theater festival, organized by UCLA’s Diversifying the Classics, which is part of the Division of Humanities. Since the inaugural edition in 2018, LA Escena has brought the best of Southern California theater together with acclaimed performers from around the world to celebrate the comedia in performance and adaptation.
This year LA Escena will offer productions at UCLA’s Little/Studio Theater by internationally recognized Spanish theater company Jóvenes Clásicos, performing Canciones de Olmedo and Amar después de la muerte, three new adaptations from our popular Golden Tongues series, and new performances stemming from our Mex-Clásicos initiative. These include La casa de empeños by Christian Nájera and Historias amorosas by Paola Izquierdo, adapted from pioneering Baroque female dramatists Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and María de Zayas de Sotomayor. We will also feature theatre dybbuk’s “illuminated lecture” on La Celestina. To conclude the festival, streaming from New York City, Red Bull Theater will present a virtual reading of Diversifying the Classics’ latest translation, Luis Vélez de Guevara’s The King Born a Woman, as a part of our ongoing collaboration, Hispanic Golden Age Classics.
Festival Schedule:
Thursday, September 17
Historias amorosas no tan ejemplares o lo que pasa en el sarao se queda en el sarao by Paola Izquierdo
7:00 PM, UCLA MacGowan Hall, Little Theater
Cristina is in charge of cleaning up after a three-day, entertaining party. As she sweeps, she recounts some stories of love… and horror. A one-woman show based on two novels by María de Zayas. A play that was ahead of its time and remains terribly relevant today.
Friday, September 18
Casa de empenos by Christian Nájera Jiménez
7:00 PM, UCLA MacGowan Hall, Little Theater
On her first day on the job, Leonor comes across a copy of “Los empeños de una casa.” Intrigued, Leonor will try to unravel the mystery of that book without losing her freedom.
Amar después de la muerte by Jóvenes Clásicos
8:30 PM, UCLA MacGowan Hall, Little Theater
A heart-wrenching tragedy about a love cut short by war and the story of a people who deserve not to be forgotten.
Saturday, September 19
Donde comen dos, comen tres by abe zapata jr.
4:00 PM, UCLA MacGowan Hall, Little Theater
Danna has lived an idyllic life on her family’s farm. When her childhood best friend, Marcia, begins a relationship with farmhand Guillermo, Danna comes up with a plan to break them up.
La Celestina: An Illuminated Lecture by theatre dybbuk
7:00 PM, UCLA MacGowan Hall, Little Theater
What do we owe each other, especially across lines of class or gender? How do we make room for ourselves, when society has already decided on our place? How do we find meaning in the world?
Canciones de Olmedo by Jóvenes Clásicos
8:30 PM, UCLA MacGowan Hall, Little Theater
Canciones de Olmedo is a musical adaptation of Lope de Vega’s El caballero de Olmedo, featuring ten original songs and a production set in a music club.
Sunday, September 20
Beast Among Men by Nicholas Pilapil
2:00 PM, UCLA MacGowan Hall, Studio Theater
Adapted from Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s “Life Is a Dream,” the play explores how privilege, class, and sexuality determine who wields power—and who gets silenced.
The Liars: A Comedy on Tragic Realities of the Postmodern World by Roger Q. Mason
3:30 PM, UCLA MacGowan Hall, Studio Theater
In ever-hustling New York City, prestige-obsessed travel influencer Owen Raven rejects his father’s traditional career path. Facing financial ruin, Owen spins comedic deceptions that ultimately backfire.
Monday, October 5
The King Born a Woman by Red Bull Theater and Diversifying the Classics. Directed by Melissa Crespo.
4:00 PM PST, Streaming Live from New York City.
In 14th-century France, King Charles the Fair’s happy reign is suddenly threatened by a series of crises, both personal and political. The unlucky monarch must find a way to contend with internal rebellions, external invasions, and one big secret – he was born a woman!
LA Escena is free to attend, but tickets must be reserved in advance.
Little Theater:
Macgowan Hall
245 Charles E. Young Dr. East, Los Angeles, CA 90095
Studio Theater:
Macgowan Hall 1340
245 Charles E. Young Dr. East, Los Angeles, CA 90095
By car: From Hilgard Avenue enter the east side of campus at Wyton Drive. Make an immediate right turn onto Charles E. Young Dr. East, and signs will direct you to parking structure 3.
Walking from structure 3: From the ground level of structure 3, enter the underpass (or from the street level, cross Charles E. Young Dr. North and proceed down steps). Walk straight alongside Melnitz Hall and Macgowan Hall. Turn left at the plaza, and proceed to the courtyard of the theater.
By public transit: See Getting to UCLA for detailed public transportation information.
Payment kiosk in structure 3: Buy your parking permit at the payment kiosk located in structure 3. Have your license plate number and a credit card available.
Use the ParkMobile app: Install the ParkMobile app on your phone and purchase your parking on the day of the event from your smartphone. Enter zone number 2552 (this event code will be valid for parking three hours prior to the event). Go to DP parking zone 2500 if you have a disabled person placard.
Accessible parking: Accessible parking spaces in structure 3 are located on level 4.
Festival Credits:
Members of Diversifying the Classics: Marta Albalá Pelegrín, Diana Echeverria Palencia, Barbara Fuchs, Saraí Jaramillo, Laura Muñoz, Javier Patiño Loira, Cristian Reyes, Rhonda Sharrah, Rebecca Smith, Aina Soley i Mateu, Sofia Yazpik
Graphic Design: Todd Lynch
Supported by:
Hispanex
Pine Tree Foundation
Acción Cultural Española
Consulado General de México LA
UNAM-LA
UCLA Division of Humanities
UCLA Dept. of Spanish and Portuguese
UCLA Center for 17th- and 18th-Century Studies