Video Interview: @ThisFunktional talks with REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES’ Actress talks about challenges of her role

Jesus Figueroa, @Thisfunktional of ThisFunktional.com, talks with actress Stefany Arroyo 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. Stefany Arroyo made her debut at CASA 0101 Theater in this production of Real Women Have Curves. Arroyo’s real mother was a garment factory worker and seamstress for 20 years, prior to retiring in 2023. Arroyo said she can really relate to López’s play, since Arroyo’s own mother gave her firsthand account of working in a garment factory: the heat, the steam and the camaraderie that comes with working with 40 other workers, most predominantly Hispanic. Arroyo mentions he mother taught her how to hem, mend and sew on buttons. Arroyo graduated in May 2025 with a B.A. degree in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in Acting from the University of California’s School of Dramatic Arts. As an undergraduate Arroyo trained at the British American Dramatic Academy in London, England. Her stage credits include: Chavez Ravine: An L.A. Ghost Story by Culture Clash (Sanctuary Theatre, USC), Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov (Teatro Technis in Camden, London UK) and Blue Stockings by Emily Swale (The McClintock Theatre, USC). 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