Marisela Barrera (BFA, MA, MFA) is a Tejana teatrista: writer, actor, stage director, and cultural activist. As a Chicana artist, Barrera embodies border goth personas like the Donkey Lady and Lechuza. She spent her childhood along the (956) Tex-Mex border, chasing Big Birds, Dancing Devils, and Alien Anarchists. Her writing has appeared in Brooklyn Rail, San Antonio Report, Latina Critical Feminism, Texas Matters, and San Antonio Current. Since the 90s, she has directed over 100 plays and cultural ondas. Barrera served as Artistic Director of Cara Mia Theater and Theater Director at the Guadalupe. Her favorite directing projects include Yemaya’s Belly with Cara Mia in Dallas, Crimes of the Heart with 100a Productions at the Tobin Center for Performing Arts, and Ay, Pedro (her original adaptation of Loving Pedro Infante by Denise Chazez) at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. Notable acting roles include Amalia in the musical short film SweetNess with Screenville Films, Slade in Fabulous Monsters at San Pedro Playhouse, and Michael Scott in The Office: A Parody at the Tobin. Her event production credits encompass boxing events at the Freeman Coliseum, live music festivals in downtown San Antonio, and large-scale fundraising events. Barrera's original one-woman shows include Lechuza Guide to the Lone Star State, Tejana Rasquacha, Ruby Reds, Big Birds y Burras, and Tejana Trilogy. As an advocate for the arts, she championed the return of individual artist grants from the City of San Antonio. Barrera is a company member with Jump-Start and serves as an Assistant Professor of English at Northwest Vista College. A two-time recipient of grants from the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture and the City of San Antonio, her short film, “The Donkey Lady Presents Ricardo Flores Magón,” screened at CineFestival and Cine Sol. Barrera was the Spring 2024 Artist in Residence with Democratizing Racial Justice at the University of Texas at San Antonio and has performed and trained with La Pocha Nostra in Mexico City and San Francisco. She is featured in the upcoming musical short film, SweetNess. Upcoming projects include acting in Tomorrow will be Sunday by Heather Raffo at the Carver Cultural Center and presentations at several academic conferences: the 14th International Conference on Chicano Literature and Latino Studies at the Universidad de Extremadura, Cáceres, MELUS in Austin, and NACCS in San Antonio.
LECHUZA GUIDE TO THE LONE STAR STATE is a theatrical performance inspired by the urban legend super-star de Las Americas, LA LECHUZA. Written and performed by Chicana actor Marisela Barrera, with live music by Joe Reyes and odie, Barrera embodies the owl-woman as Lechuza transitions from mystical shapeshifter to a forever owl/bruja, showcasing her talents as both a writer and a Tejana performer.
