Name: Carlos Morton

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois

Current Town: Santa Barbara, CA

Affiliation: University of California, Santa Barbara

Q: How do you self-identify?

A: “Latino” is more inclusive. My grandparents came to the United States from Mexico and Cuba

Q: Tell me about Brown Buffalo II.

A:  It’s a one act two person adaptation of a full length play I wrote about the life of Oscar Zeta Acosta. In this version Hunter Thompson plays foil to the rantings and ravings of the self-proclaimed “Brown Buffalo.” It has been translated into Hungarian and I’m going to see a staged reading of it in Hungary next September. Also, an Italian researcher, Elena Errico, is translating my play Johnny Tenorio into Italian and a reading is planned for September on the island of Sardinia.

Q: What else are you working on now? 

A: KAM BALAAM (Serpent/Jaguar) with Elvira Sanchez-Blake, it’s a one act about the contemporary Mayans that incorporates elements of the Popul Vuh.

Q: What have been the defining moments of your journey as a playwright?

A:  Encountering like-minded directors like Jorge Huerta who helped me define my role as a writer.

Q: Who have been your playwriting mentors and heroes?

A: Luis Valdez, Joan Holden, but also Euripides, Plautus, Shakespeare, and Moliere.

Q: What advice do you have for Latin@ playwrights at the beginning of their career?

A: Keep writing and read as much as you can, attend as much theater as you can, support local Latino theater companies.

Q: What else should we know about you?

A:  I am very happy at this time in my life teaching at a fabulous university and traveling around the world seeing my plays translated and performed in other languages.

***For more on Carlos Morton, see:

• Carlos Morton Biographical Information
• Carlos Morton Overview (Latino Lines)
• “Carlos Morton Resurrects Oscar Zeta Acosta in Brown Buffalo” – Abel Salas (Café Onda/HowlRound)
• “Crossing Borders: An Interview with Carlos Morton” – William R. Glass
• Curriculum for Chican@ Theatre and Morton’s El Jardin
• Carlos Morton’s essays on Café Onda/HowlRound