Breath of Fire has served as an incubator for voices that have been historically excluded in theater and on the stage, both in Orange County and beyond.
Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble, the only Latina-led theater company in Orange County, is entering its 2025 season the same way it has since it was founded – with love and friendship. It has been a hallmark of its productions for more than two decades, a mantra that has helped it weather the loss of a theater space, the COVID-19 pandemic and the ebbs and flows of grants and donations.
But in a year when arts organizations across the United States that focus on equity are worrying about the political and financial landscape, Breath of Fire co-founder and artistic director Sara Guerrero is doubling down on the idea of amor y amistad as a tool to survive.
“We’re really going to need it because there's so much hate being spewed,” she said during a recent phone call. “You can still be resilient, rebel and speak up, and it can come from a place of love. You can’t take away that power.”
Since forming in 2003, Breath of Fire has served as an incubator for voices that have been historically excluded in theater and on the stage, both in Orange County and beyond. Through productions like “The Mexican OC,” “Canto de Anaheim” and most recently, “Cantos, Cuentos and Corridos of Santa Ana: Stories of the Heart,” the company’s writers and performers have presented a different narrative of O.C. that has earned it national attention.
“Nobody is really doing what they are doing at this level – whether it's in vogue or not – Breath of Fire continues to be political,” says Jesus A. Reyes, director of learning and community partnerships at Center Theatre Group, who has directed for the Santa Ana-based ensemble. “To be Latina. To be brave in presenting and producing stories that need to be told. And they do it so well.”
This sentiment is best exemplified through Breath of Fire’s workshops.
Free creative writing, acting and physical storytelling classes – focused on everything from advanced dramatic narrative and theater exercises to youth poetry and development workshops, and available to everyone – are taught by industry professionals and homegrown artists.
Among the professional teaching ensemble this season is Fullerton Museum Center executive director and Breath of Fire resident artist Elvia Susana Rubalcava. She will lead “Rio de Mi Vida (River of My Life),” a virtual creative writing course where participants will journey through their ancestral histories as they research, draw, write, develop and share their progress.
“Teaching these classes is my way of paying it forward because I’ve had wonderful instructors like Cherríe Moraga and other mentors that helped me find my voice,” said Rubalcava, who is also a filmmaker. “That's what Breath of Fire does.”
Breath of Fire workshops, which expand access to writers of all levels of experience, will begin in March. Guerrero will also offer a professional development workshop, with insights from her decades of experience, for those wanting to learn new techniques to apply to their organizations. Then, currently in rehearsals and ready to premiere in March is “Sometimes, I Wish,” a Cal State Fullerton production written by José Casas and directed by Guerrero. Inspired by Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” it is about kids who live in Los Angeles’ skid row. Breath of Fire helped develop the production, which came to fruition from an awarded ReImagine theater for young audiences grant and will be performed at the Grand Central Art Center Theater.
Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble helps city locals to share the songs, stories and corridos of the community.
Photos courtesy of Breath of Fire
To ring in the ensemble’s 2025 season, Breath of Fire will hold a fundraiser, “A Toast to Amor y Amistad,” hosted by Alta Baja Market in downtown Santa Ana at 4 p.m. Feb. 22. The event will open with live boleros performed by Moises Vasquez, followed by a guided, creative arts experience, “Cuerpo, Voz y Relato,” with community artist Alicia Rojas. The collaborative exercise will center on the act of communal storytelling, mirroring the nature of theater, where participants will be asked to reflect on why theater matters.
There will also be a tasting of Baja California wines, a silent auction and speeches by emcees and performers Laura Bustamante and Shanelle Darlene. Those unable to make the event can donate here.
“It's so important that these spaces and that these nonprofits exist,” Rubalcava says. “We're doing all we can to keep spaces like Breath of Fire open and inclusive because these diverse voices matter and will only make us stronger.”
Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble’s ‘A Toast to Amor y Amistad’ fundraiser
THE PARTICIPANTS | Musician, Moises Vasquez; Emcees/performers, Laura Bustamante, Shanelle Darlene; Artist, Alicia Rojas; Wine, Alta Baja Market
When: 4-7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 22
Where: Alta Baja Market, 201 E. 4th St., Santa Ana
Cost: General Admission (single ticket): $65, Bestie Package (you and a guest): $100, reservations recommended
Information: breathoffire.org
