TIA TALK

Created and Performed by
Amelia Bethel & Karen Loewy Movilla

August 5th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, 27th at 7:00 PM
August 6th, 12th, 20th, 27th at 3:00 PM

In Tia Talk, two Latinas, Karen and Amelia, try to prove their Latinidad to themselves and the audience by embodying every stereotype they have been fed by the media, their peers, and even their families. By using the structure of a talk show, they invite the audience to participate in their exploration of identity by building interactive segments, offering advice, and posing unanswerable questions (e.g. how can we acknowledge the inherent racism and settler-colonial status quo of pan-Latinoism while also holding joy and pride in our heritage?). Additionally the performers unabashedly experience joy and pride of their own culture, delving into reggaeton, food and hoops. Drawing from their own unique experiences, as well as the influence of Latiné icons such as Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, Shakira, and Walter Mercado, Karen and Amelia explore issues of identity, including body image, fetishization, and assimilation, and attempt to make sense of their place in the world. While they do not find a concrete or simple answer (how could anyone?), they do find connection with each other, and acceptance of the fact that identity is a journey, not a destination.

AMELIA BETHEL

Co-Creator & Performer

Amelia Bethel is a theatre artist whose work confronts the performance of identity and the materiality of the body, with a focus on sexuality and a mixed-race experience. Her original work has been presented by Ars Nova, Atlas Obscura, The Tank, San Francisco Olympians Festival, Chicago Women’s Funny Fest, and elsewhere across the country. She can be heard as Marisol on the award-winning podcast Unwell: A Midwestern Gothic Mystery from HartLife Studios, and seen in The Infinite Wrench with the New York Neo-Futurists, where she is an ensemble member. Amelia is a former associate artist in residence with poet Tracie Morris and playwright Sibyl Kempson at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, and received her MFA in Theatre from Sarah Lawrence College.

KAREN LOEWY MOVILLA

Co-Creator & Performer

Karen Loewy Movilla is a Colombian artist based in New York City. She’s interested in the question of: How do we take up space, when it is not freely given? Combining digital media, embodiment, spoken word, and puppetry she confronts inherent biases, and oppressive systems. Her work has been presented at The Brick, Paper Kraine, The Tank and Ars Nova. Karen designs for film, commercials and theatre. Select credits: August at Twenty-Two (dir. Sophia Castuera), And Along Came Lily (dir. Danielle Hope Diamond), Our Bodies like Dams (dir.Sarah Finn ) and New England Summer Storms (dir. Catalina Beltran). She’s this year resident at Object Movement Puppetry Residency 23’, a 2021 MFA graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and a 2026 Scenic Design Candidate at Yale University. Find more about her at: https://www.karenloewymovilla.com/

CHRISTIN EVE CATO

Dramaturge

Christin Eve Cato is a playwright, dramaturg, and performing artist from the Bronx. She holds an MFA in Playwriting from Indiana University and completed her BA in Political Science and Philosophy at Fordham University. Cato is also a graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School for Music and Art and the Performing Arts. She is affiliated with NYC theater companies, Pregones/PRTT (ensemble member & former Resident Dramaturg), INTAR Theatre (UNIT 52 ensemble member), and the Latinx Playwrights Circle. She is also a playwright in the WP Theater 2022-2024 Pipeline Lab. Cato's artistic style is expressed through Caribbean culture and the Afro-Latinx diaspora, honoring her Puerto Rican and Jamaican roots. Recent dramaturgy credits include: Somewhere (Geva Theatre Center), Torched (PRTT), The Comedy of Errors (The Public), Hamlet (Classical Theatre of Harlem/ The Folger Theatre). Her recent play productions include the Off-Broadway sensation, Sancocho (co-produced by The Latinx Playwrights Circle, The Sol Project and WP Theatre), and The Diamond (The Peoples Theatre Project/Pregones Theatre).  Publication/Contributor credits include: We Are Not Neutral (Amazon Books) and, Latinx Actor Training (Routledge). She is repped by WME Agency and 3 Arts Entertainment. www.christinevecato.com

MCKENNA EBERT

Lighting Designer

McKenna Ebert (she/her) is a NYC based lighting designer with a BFA in Lighting Design and BA in English from Boston University. Recent design work includes Pride and Prejudice (Yale Dramat), LIZZIE and Laure (Boston University). Assistant Design credits include The Who’s Tommy (Goodman Theatre), The Wanderers (Roundabout Theatre Company), and Ride the Cyclone (McCarter Theatre Center). 

MIRANDA SOLEDAD TEJEDA

Stage Manager

Miranda Soledad Tejeda is a stage manager from Southern California. She holds a Bachelors of Arts at University of La Verne. Her love of stage management comes from her love of people, collaboration, and the ability to tell untold stories. She is continuing her education at Columbia University in NYC where she is currently pursuing her MFA in Stage Management.