1. Defining the Duende Play So, Duende began in 1998, producing tours of the three plays I had written for Sierra Repertory Theatre. We immediately started scouting for projects to expand our catalog. A list of desiderata quickly became clear: The project had to deal in some way with cultural conflict. California was our starting point but US history and the history of science, were also on the table. Each of our shows had to address the curriculum (as defined by the California State Dept. of Education) of one or more grade levels. At the same time we had an… [Continue reading]

In the fourth grade I learned that our California Missions were founded by the good friars who wanted to help the Indians live and save their souls when they died. The Indians’ views on this project were not discussed, nor were their descendants in evidence in Santa Cruz where I grew up. This was around 1948. America had won the war and made the world safe for democracy. The doctrines of American Exceptionalism seemed self-evident to my nine-year-old brain. Discovery of people for whom democracy itself was dangerous—that was not on my horizon. I was a little secular evangelist, convinced… [Continue reading]