Marian Miner Cook
Athenaeum

In 1995, Matt Garcia, now a professor of history, Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies, and human relations at Dartmouth College, first published about the founding of Claremont based Padua Hills Theatre–the longest-running Mexican-oriented theatre in United States’ history running from 1931 to 1974. With the benefit of time and an expanded archive, he now sees the theater in a wider context, from the international travel of the theater’s founder, Bess Garner, to the Hollywood careers of Padua’s brightest stars. At its best, Padua Hills constituted a sincere appreciation of California’s Mexican roots and a bulwark against anti-Mexican racism. In this presentation, Garcia reflects on the totality of the theatre’s history and what it can teach us about intercultural exchange and the place of Claremont in the study of Mexican culture on both sides of the border.