Touring Theater Announcement
Popular play about history-making walk-out stages limited San Antonio run
Crystal City 1969 is coming to San Antonio in January 2023.
A popular play based on an important event in Texas history is coming to San Antonio, from the Dallas theater company that originally created and produced it.
Called Crystal City 1969, the play is based on the true story of Chicano students in South Texas who walked out of class and into civil rights history.
On December 9, 1969, Crystal City High School students Severita Lara, Diana Serna, and Mario Treviño led a historic walkout that inspired local Mexican Americans to run for political office.
When those candidates won a majority on the school board in 1970, institutional changes were implemented to Crystals City’s educational system, including requiring all students K-12 to learn to read, write, and speak Spanish. The move inspired educators across the country to integrate bilingual education in their schools.
The play itself is bilingual — English and Spanish — and was written by Mario Treviño's relative, Raul Treviño, and Cara Mia Theatre executive artistic director David Lozano, who also directs the production.
Cara Mia Theatre premiered Crystal City 1969 in 2009 and has revived the popular show several times, including a recent run in November and December 2022.
Now it's coming to San Antonio, which only about two hours from where the show is set.
The play will run for one week at the historic Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, from January 19-22, 2023.
General admission tickets are $15, students are $10, and patrons 60-plus are free with the discount code GONZABA. Tickets can be purchased here.
