From the farm to the stage: How Luis Valdez caught America's attention

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published July 17, 2026 at 11:08 AM CDT

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Luis Valdez, who 20 years ago began a Chicano theater company that performed on a truck for farm workers, is emerging as an innovative playwright for a broad audience, and is picture in his office in Los Angeles, March 13, 1986. The author of "Zoot Suit" poses with a copy of his new screenplay "La Bamba!" based on the life of rock musician Ritchie Valens. (Mark Terrill/AP)

The new documentary “American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez” explores the life and legacy of the playwright and screenwriter whose work highlighted the triumphs and struggles of the Mexican American experience in the U.S.

Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd speaks with the director of the film, David Alvarado, and with Luis Valdez.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.