The Ghosts of Lote Bravo By Hilary Bettis
In Cuidad Juarez, Mexico young girls often disappear. Many turn up murdered. Juanda Cantu's daughter, Raquel, is one of these girls. Through visions offered by La Santa Muerte, Juanda is shown Raquel's past only to discover that her daughter has hopes, dreams and courage Juanda knew nothing about. The Ghosts of Lote Bravo is a play about great hope and relentless violence, poverty and grief.
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Directed by Denise Blasor, the Associate Artistic Director at Billingual Foundation of the Arts and founding member of LAAFO, KOAN and East LA Classic Theater.
Audience Discovery
The Ghost of Lote Bravo is not just a story about a desperate mother hoping to find her missing daughter. There are a few big concepts that will inform the world of the play. Some are referenced directly in the playand others loo large in the background.
About the Story
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Hilary Bettis says...
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About Hilary Bettis
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The Story
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Character Breakdown
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About the Production
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Costume Renderings
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Interview with cast member, Natalia Carabello
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Set Design
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Interview with Scenic Designer, Natalie Morales
NAFTA and its impact on Mexico
North American Free Trade Agreement was meant to beneit and stimulate the economy in Mexico. Instead, it left millions jobless and consequently many murdered.
Femicides: How many and who?
Map of the number of women killed in Ciudad Juarez and other regions and other statistical information.
Maquiladoras
Havard International Review. Misery in the Maquiladoras.
La Santa Muerte
"She gives people what they want and when they finish their cycle of life here on earth she comes for their souls."
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For the Classroom
Questions and activities for instructors and students.
"Tell me a story, La Santa Muerte, the only story that matters."
-Raquel in The Ghosts of Lote Bravo
About the Story
Hilary Bettis says...
The Ghosts of Lote Bravo is about what people will do to survive and to protect their families.
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Dignity is everywhere. In the dirtiest, rawest of places, there is depth and beauty and humanity. there are lost souls desperate for and worthy of a voice. And they should e the ones on our stages and screens, not those who already have the microphone.
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I want to write the people who scare us the most in society, because I think that if we can really start to understand why they scare us and what they represent and see their humanity, then we can have a more nuanced understanding of ourselves and each other and the world that we live in.
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I wrote this play specifically for an american audience to root for an immigrant to cross the border illegally by the end of the play.
About Hilary Bettis
Hilary Bettis writes plays, TV and movies.
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She is a 2018 WGA Award nominated writer, two-time recipient of the Lecomte du Nouy Prize from Lincoln Center, and a 2015 graduate of the Lila Acheson Wallace Playwright Fellowship at The Juilliard School. Bettis has received fellowships and residencies from many theatres and competitions around the country. Her plays have been recognized by the Kilroys every year since its inception. (The Kilroys List recognizes un- or under-produced plays by female and trans playwrights.)
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Other plays include Mexico and Alligator . She is currently working on a commissioned bilingual play Queen of Basel (formally Magic City) with Michel Hausmann/Miami New Drama.
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The Ghosts of Lote Bravo received a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere at the Unicorn Theatre in Kansas City, MO, Borderlands Theater in Tucson, Arizona.Her play, Alligator, received an Off-Broadway production with New Georges and The Sol Project, and was nominated for a 2017 Drama Desk for Best Music in a Play.
As a screenwriter, Bettis has written and produced three short films. B’Hurst and The Iron Warehouse have screened at multiple film festivals across the globe. Amarillo By Morning, her directorial debut, is currently in post-production. Hilary has also been a Story Editor on FX’s show The Americans.
The Story
Juanda is a mother searching for her missing daughter Raquel, lost in the shady streets of Cuidad Juarez’s criminal underground. The police are no help. Juanda’s job at a local factory, or Maquiladora, does not allow her time off to search.The only one she can turn to is La Santa Muerte. Part ancient goddess, immortal and eternal, La Santa Muerte is the patron saint of gangsters, drug dealers, and smugglers. For the right offering she will grant wishes, even if it is not what her devotee wants. La Santa Muerte shows Juanda Raquel’s real story. Juanda learns that her daughter has reserves of determination, hope, and love that she knows nothing about.
Charter Breakdown
RAQUEL CANTU: 15. Works at a maquiladora.
JUANDA CANTU: 38. Raquel's mother. Also works at a maquiladora.
"EL RELOJ": 16. A sicario. (Drug cartel hitman)
CAMILLE: 53. Works at a maquiladora.
PEDRO LOPEZ: 40. Police officer.
ROBERTO CASTILLO: 26. Police officer.
MAN IN A BLACK HAT: An old man.
LA SANTA MUERTE: 25-45. Fierce. Street.
About the Production
Costume Renderings
Click the icon to read an interview with cast member Natalia Caraballo.
Set Designs
Maquilladora
Click the icon to read more about the set design and the Scenic Designer, Natalia Morales.
"Tell me a story, La Santa Muerte, the only story that matters."
-Raquel in The Ghosts of Lote Bravo
NAFTA and its impact on Mexico
Click the icon for more information on the impact on Mexico.
Click the icon for more information on the impact on Mexico.
The NY Times:
Under NAFTA, Mexico suffered, and the United States felt its pain.
Center for Economic Policy and Research: Did NAFTA help Mexico?
NAFTA Explained
The Future of NAFTA and Mexico under the Trump Administration
Femicide
Click the icon for brief statistical information
The London School of Economics Femicide in Ciudad Juarez is enabled by the regulation of gender, justice, and production in Mexico.
World Health Organization: Understanding and addressing violence against women
The Guardian:
Mexico: murders of women rise sharply as drug war intensifies
CSULB Raises Awareness of Femicides in Juarez
For the Classroom
Activities
​Trust Walks:
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Divide students into pairs. One person is the Leader, the other is the Follower.
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The follower closes their eyes while the leader takes them on a journey.
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The leader is responsible for the follower’s safety.
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The Follower rests their hand on the back of the Leader’s hand.
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How can the Leader communicate direction, level, speed?
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After a pre-determined time, the Leader and Follower switch roles.
​Colombian Hypnosis:
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A trust/focus game also played in pairs.
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The Leader holds an open hand, fingers upward, about 2-3 inches from her partner`s face.
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She then starts moving her hand about slowly, while her partner tries to keep his face at exactly the same distance from her hand, like her hand is pulling of pushing his face about.
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Switch sides and partners after a couple of minutes.
Debrief:
What is the Leader’s responsibility? What does it feel like to be the Follower? The Leader?
What choices can the follower make to stay safe?
Guiding Questions
Pre-show Questions:​
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Have you ever made a choice between what you want and what your family needs?
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What are you willing to sacrifice for love?
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What are you willing to risk for your family?
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What is one dream that you have for your life ten years from now?
Post-show Questions:
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What does Juanda sacrifice to LA Santa Muerte to find her daughter?
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Does this story have a hero?
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Who did you most want to succeed?
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Did anything surprise you? What/why or why not?