Herbert Siguenza has returned with his third alternative Christmas play for On Stage Playhouse in Chula Vista.
Star of Ocotillo, billed as “a dark Chicano comedy of manners with miraculous consequences” features a Hollywood producer and his TV star wife who have constructed a luxury home on the edge of the border.
When old friends come over for the weekend, things unravel after a young undocumented girl is found hiding. The girl, like another child of Christmas lore, carries the hope of a New World.
Siguenza wrote the play and is co-directing, along with James P. Darvas.
The production continues through Dec. 23 with the remaining performances on Sunday and Thursday through Saturday. Tickets are pay what you can, starting at $15.
It’s a busy season for Siguenza, who also wrote It’s a Wonderful Vida, another holiday play which concludes its run in San Antonio, Texas this weekend.
Siguenza, a long-time actor, writer and director, co-founded Culture Clash, a trio of performers who created a series of plays based on oral histories of residents from different communities.
His work has been featured locally at New Village Arts and San Diego Repertory Theatre and he recently served as Artist in Residence for the 2022-2023 academic year with San Diego State’s Arts Alive. He also has film credits, including Larry Crowne, directed by Tom Hanks, and Pixar’s Oscar-winning Coco.Â