[NoHo Arts District, CA] – Los Angeles Mission College is thrilled to announce its spring 2026 Theatre Arts production, Zoot Suit, Luis Valdez’s groundbreaking musical, with original music by Lalo Guerrero, directed by Robert Cucuzza and Raúl Cardona and running May 15-31.
Zoot Suit, the ultimate Los Angeles theatrical experience, will light up the AMP Theater to celebrate 10 years of outstanding theatre arts at LA Mission College.
About Zoot Suit
In 1978, Zoot Suit packed the Mark Taper Forum for eleven months before becoming the first Chicano play on Broadway and a major motion picture. An equally popular revival rocked the Taper again in 2017. Now, LA Mission College Theatre has gathered a company of over 50 students, faculty, staff, and guest artists to bring Valdez’s essential and urgent American tale to life. New faculty member Raúl Cardona leads a cast of 25 as the mythological figure El Pachuco, a role he has played at the Taper and El Teatro Campesino under the direction of Luis Valdez, and at major theaters across the Southwest. Additional guest artists bring a wealth of Chicano theatre experience to our community including Cristina Frías (ELAC faculty), Laurie Muñiz (choreographer), and LA Mission and CSUN theatre alum Ana Trinity Medina (Chavez Ravine).
Luis Valdez’s Zoot Suit weaves together fact and fiction to portray the events surrounding the infamous 1942 Sleepy Lagoon murder trial and the ensuing Zoot Suit riots. With a musical score that features original songs by Lalo Guerrero, pachuco style and slang, explosive swing dance numbers, costumes from the 2017 Taper revival, and a design that fuses indigenous culture and the 1940s, LA Mission College’s Zoot Suit taps into the roots of the Northeast San Fernando Valley, bringing to life the urgent cultural and political clashes that continue to shape our city in 2026.
Zoot Suit is presented in association with El Teatro Campesino.
Zoot Suit Preshow Events
Friday, May 15, 7:00 pm
Pre-show event! Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural pop-up bookstore
Saturday, May 16, 7:00 pm
Pre-show event! Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural pop-up bookstore
Thursday, May 21, 7:00 pm
Free pre-show event! 6:00 pm—“Zoot Suit in Popular Culture” — Panel led by Prof. Gustavo Jimenez (Chicano Studies, LA Mission) with ‘Death to Pachuco’ graphic novel author, Henry Barajas / Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural pop-up bookstore
Friday, May 22, 7:00 pm
Pre-show event! 6:00-6:45 pm Birrieria La Mera taco truck
Saturday, May 23, 7:00 pm
Free pre-show event! 6:00 pm — Dance performance by Grupo Folklorico Huitzillin
Friday, May 29, 7:00 pm
Free pre-show event! 6:00 pm — Lowrider and classic car show from El Pachuco Car Club
Saturday, May 30, 1:00 pm
Free pre-show event! 12:00 pm — “The Music and Fashion of Zoot Suit “ — Panel led by Prof. Gustavo Jimenez (Chicano Studies, LA Mission) with Dr. Jorge Leal (History, UC Riverside)
Saturday, May 30, 7:00 pm
Zoot Suiter night! Fill the house with pachuco and pachuca style
About Raúl Cardona
Raúl Cardona (He/him/his) has been involved in the arts for over 30 years. He earned a BA in Theatre and Dance (UCSD) and a Masters of Education (NU). Theatrical credits include Quixote Nuevo as Papa Calaca at the Seattle Repertory Theatre, South Coast Repertory Theatre, Denver Center for the Performing Arts & Round House, Zoot Suit as El Pachuco at El Teatro Campesino and The San Diego Repertory Theatre, understudied El Pachuco and performed as Smiley Torres in Zoot Suit’s 40th Anniversary Revival at Center Theatre Group, Don Rayo in A Silvery Night at Frida Kahlo Theatre, Cancion Del Inmigrante; A Folk Opera with One Grain of Sand Puppet Theatre, August 29 with the Latino Theatre Company, Oscar Zeta Acosta in Brown Buffalo at Company of Angels, Corridos Remix, Mummified Deer, and Bandido, The American Melodrama of Tiburcio Vasquez at the San Diego Repertory. Mundo Mata, La Pastorela and La Virgen Del Tepeyac at El Teatro Campesino. Other credits include Fame, The Wiz and a Southern California tour with Lalo Guerrero Y Sus Ardillitas, as Panfilo. National tours include Veteranos, A Legacy of Valor and Selena Forever. TV/Film credits include Mayans MC, Enlightened, Outlaw, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, and Shadow Kingdom with Bob Dylan.
The Cast
Raúl Cardona** as El Pachuco
Giovanny Benavente as Rudy Reyna
Ana Borrego as dancer and others
Gabby Campos as Manchuka and others
Carlos Daniel Esquivel as Henry Reyna
Dreya Félix-González as Della Barrios
Cristina Frías** as Dolores Reyna
Edward Styles Gallego as Sgt. Smith and others
Joaquin Gamboa* as Hobo and others
Emmanuel Gonzalez as Lt. Edwards and others
Javier Guardado as Enrique Reyna
Kevin Hernandez Diaz as Rafas and others
Debby Hirschmann as Alice Bloomfield
Diana Carolina Jimenez as Bertha Villareal
Kevin Khussainov as Tommy Roberts
Damilola Makinde as George Sherer
Ana Trinidad Medina* as Dolores Reyna
Monique Millicent as Elena Torres and others
Allison Orantes-Gonzalez as Joey Castro
Natalie Patino as Lupe Reyna
Sel Prado as Cub Reporter and others
Hector Ruelas Sanchez* as Swabbie and others
Brent Shewfelt as Smiley Torres
Janelle Vargas Navarrete as The Press
Gerardo Vergara Sanchez as Judge and others
Ceelo Rodriguez as El Pachuco —May 28
Cristina Frías as Dolores — May 15, 16, 23, 29, 30, 31
Ana Trinidad Medina as Dolores — May 21, 22, 23, 24, 28
**faculty •guest artist
The Team
SCENIC AND PROPS DESIGNER Dorothy Hoover
LIGHTING DESIGNER Bri Pattillo
COSTUME DESIGNER Lena Sands
CHOREOGRAPHER Laurie Marie Muñiz-Jaimez*
PRODUCER Robert Cucuzza
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER Lauren Anderson-Llewellyn
FIGHT DIRECTOR Edgar Landa*
VOCAL DIRECTOR Ryan Espinosa
PRODUCTION MANAGER/TECHNICAL DIRECTOR K. Aaron Blokker
STAGE MANAGER Ali Barrera
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER Isaiah Garcia
ASSOCIATE COSTUME DESIGNER Diana Gomez
COSTUME SUPERVISOR Kitty Murphy-Youngs*
COSTUME TEAM Diana Martinez
SCENIC PAINTER JessieAnna Wilton*
PROPS ARTISAN Danielle Johnson
INTIMACY DIRECTOR Mary Zastrow*
DRAMATURGY Ana Borrego, David Carrera
BUILD TEAM Nikki Arcega, Alejandra Valenzuela, Juliana Garcia, Julian Casarez
SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Yazlin Juarez*
* Guest Artist
This production of Zoot Suit is made possible in part by Kroger, supporting arts and education at Los Angeles Mission College. Produced by special arrangements with El Teatro Campesino, San Juan Bautista, California. Originally commissioned and produced by Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum – Gordon Davidson, Artistic Director
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