Video Interview: @ThisFunktional talks with REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES’ Playwright talks about continued relevance of this play

Jesus Figueroa, @Thisfunktional of ThisFunktional.com, talks with Josefina Lopez about her role in REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES, returning to Casa 0101 in December 2026 after first six-week run ends on May 3, 2026. Josefina López is best known for authoring the 1988 play and co-authoring the 2002 Sundance Film Festival Audience and Jury Award-winning film Real Women Have Curves, which were the source materials for the 2025 Broadway production of Real Women Have Curves: The Musical, which garnered critical acclaim and 12 award nominations, including “Best Musical” nominations from the New York Drama League and Outer Critics Circle, as well as nominations for the New York Drama Critics Circle and two Tony Award nominations. López started her writing career at 17 and has had productions produced of her many plays throughout the country. López’s first short play, Simply Maria or the American Dream was filmed as a PBS special and won a Gold Award from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting and an Emmy Award. Other plays include: Confessions of Women from East L.A.; Boyle Heights; Remembering Boyle Heights I and II, Hungry Woman in Paris; Detained in the Desert (which was also made into a feature film); Trío Los Machos (now in development as a musical); A Cat Named Mercy; Piñata Dreams; Drunk Girl; Lola Goes To Roma; A Cat Named Mercy; Hpysteria; A Woman Named Gloria; An Enemy of the Pueblo, Queen of the Rumba, Eléctrico, Erótica Diabolica and the 2025 award-winning film, 20 Pounds To Happiness (Eat. Love. Joy.) which López executive produced and wrote. López has been working as a professional screenwriter for over 30 years, with many established producers like Norman Lear and Jaime Paglia to bring Latinos to television. She has been the recipient of dozens of awards and accolades, and has penned seven books as an author. López is the Founding Artistic Director of CASA 0101 Theater in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles, CA (founded on April 1, 2000). Upcoming Projects for Josefina López include: a newly commissioned play she is writing for Centre Theatre Group, the debut of Hollywood Chola at the 2026 Hollywood Fringe Festival, and her autobiography, Real Women Have Courage. Learn more at: Josefinalopez.biz and casa0101.org @JosfinaLopezRWHC @realwomenhavecurvesthemusical @20PoundsToHappiness On stage Araceli has been seen in more than 80 theatrical productions, including appearing as Carmen García in productions of Real Women Have Curves presented by the Dallas Theater Center, the Garry Marshall Theatre and at the Pasadena Playhouse. Since 1996 she has served as Director and Choreographer of Tierra Blanca Dance Company. In 2002 she founded Tierra Blanca Arts Center dedicated to preserving and celebrating Latino heritage through the performing arts. In 2024 she opened Blanca Araceli Acting Studio. REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES is set in a tiny sewing factory in East L.A. in 1987, this is the outrageously funny story of five full- figured Mexican-American women who are racing to meet nearly impossible production deadlines in order to keep their tiny factory from going under. And while they work, hiding from the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service), they talk… about their husbands and lovers, their children, their dreams for the future. The story is told from the point of view of Ana, the youngest among them. Just graduated from high school, Ana dreams of getting out of the barrio and going off to college and becoming a famous writer. Although she needs the money, Ana doesn’t like working at the factory and has little respect for the coworkers, who make fun of her ambitions and what they consider her idealistic feminist philosophies. However, Ana keeps coming to her job and chronicling her experiences in a journal. As the summer unfolds, she slowly gains an understanding and appreciation of the work and the women, eventually writing an essay that wins her a journalism fellowship, which will take her to New York City. This play, a microcosm of the Latina immigrant experience, celebrates real women’s bodies, the power of women, and the incredible bond that happens when women work together. Written by Josefina López Directed by Corky Dominguez Cast: Stefany Arroyo, Yasha Alaniz, Blanca Araceli, Amy Melendrez, Laura Vega Understudies: Mariana Montes Sandoval, Gabriela Machuca ——————————————————— Anchor podcasts: anchor.fm/ThisFunktional anchor.fm/while-we-were-gaming anchor.fm/LatinX-Talks Gaming channels: twitch.com/ThisFunktional facebook.com/gaming/thisfunktionalgaming Tipping Page: streamelements.com/thisfunktional/tip PayPal.me/ThisFunktionalBlog Like, Follow, Subscribe to ThisFunktional: Thisfunktional.com @thisfunktional instagram.com/thisfunktional facebook.com/thisfunktional YouTube.com/thisfunktional thisfunktional.tumblr.com