Food For The Dead And La Pinta
by Josefina López

Food for the Dead. This is satirical comedy explores the Mexican “Day of the Dead” tradition of putting up an altar with food for the deceased.

The story centers around a Mexican-American family’s reunion on Halloween night.

Candela, 48, has been mourning her husband for nine years and is finally going to say goodbye to him and hello to her new life.

Her children, Jose, Rosario and Gloria, are very supportive of their new and improved mother.

Unexpectedly, Jesus, her youngest son, brings home his best friend, Fernando, an Anglo who doesn’t speak Spanish and keeps interrupting all their rituals.

As the dinner progresses, Jesus reveals to his family that he is gay and Fernando is his lover and all hell breaks loose—literally!

Candela’s dead and very virile husband, Ruben, escapes from hell to beat the gay out of his son.

Candela is so happy he has returned she regresses to being the submissive wife.

However, she insists on knowing how Ruben died and what he did to end up in hell.

Ruben finally confesses that he died of a heart attack while having sex with his cousin, Ramon.

Candela, devastated, takes control of her life by accepting Jesus and sending Ruben back to hell.

One int.

set.

Approximate running time: 30 minutes.

La Pinta.

A comedy about two Latina best friends.

Truvi is a sociology major at UCLA and Deedee is a striving cosmetology student who attends a grape boycott protest at a local grocery store.

Violence breaks out and Deedee tries to rescue Truvi from the clutches of a policeman, only to discover that Truvi wanted to get arrested to make the 6 o’clock news.

The two friends get arrested and Deedee has to decide if she is going to use her cosmetology tuition money to pay for bail.

In jail, Truvi puts down Deedee for wanting to be a cosmetologist.

Deedee ignores her and starts talking to Sad Eyes, a tough-looking girl with excessive loud makeup.

Deedee befriends her and redoes her makeup, revealing a beautiful person underneath the harsh mask.

Truvi becomes jealous and criticizes Sad Eyes for her “gangsterette” look, revealing her prejudice against her own people.

Deedee and Truvi realize they have drifted apart.

When Truvi’s rich boyfriend pays her bail, Deedee chooses to stay in jail with her new friend.

Area staging.

Approximate running time: 10 minutes.