The World Premiere of Corina: From Lap Dance to Sundance, directed by Emmanuel Deleage, is currently playing at CASA 0101 Theater in Boyle Heights through December 17, 2023. It is the story of Corina Calderon, a Latina actress who grew up in a household fraught with domestic abuse.
Her father, a musician, introduced her to various forms of Latin music. She dreamed of becoming an actress, but money was scarce. To afford acting classes, she worked as a stripper for 7 years in Texas. After doing extra work and a few bit parts, she landed a starring part in a film called “All She Can” which was presented at the Sundance Film Festival. She was nominated for an Imagen Award for the film alongside Eva Longoria, Eva Mendes, and Gina Rodriguez.
Corina Calderon also stars as the narrator of the play, which is the true story of her life. It is adult-themed and contains scenes of domestic violence.
The play is centered around Corina as a young girl, through her teens and twenties, and is played by three different actresses, including Corina herself. Sophia Arroyo plays Corina as a child and Leslie Montoya plays her as a teenager. All are effective and powerful in their roles although they do not necessarily match in appearance. However, each contributes to the life and heart of the play emotionally.
The play’s mature audience-only warning states that it is recommended for 17 and older because of its content. Other than a bit of skin from the strippers at the beginning, I didn’t find it to be shocking. It also deals with the domestic violence in a respectful manner.
You can tell how painful the story is for Corina Calderon as she talks about her family, which gives the play an even stronger impact. But it emphasizes how she overcame her difficult past and how her experience only made her a stronger person in the end.
Pursuing a career as an actress is difficult for anyone, particularly for attractive women who must undergo the perennial casting couch and exploitation by higher-ups. Corina managed to work through those obstacles while others, who also worked as strippers, were brought down by drugs and further violence against them.
Julieta Ortiz does an excellent job playing Grandma who Corina leans on for advice with both humor and pathos. She has a lengthy list of credits and is a joy to watch.
The rest of the cast does a formidable job, with many playing multiple roles.
I found the play to be entertaining as well as emotionally engaging.
CASA 0101 Theater 2102 1st Street, Los Angeles, California 90033 – 323.263.7684 info@casa0101.org – Find out what is currently playing here.
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