Irma Herrera’s
Why Would I Mispronounce My Own Name?
In Person at the Berkeley TheaterStage
Written and Performed by Irma Herrera
Click for Tickets
September 23 – October 21, 2022
Fridays at 7:30pm
Show Information
Tickets: $20 – $35 General Seating sliding scale | $50 & $100 Reserved Seating
60 minutes + Post-Show Talkback | Ages 12+
Please do not bring infants to the show
Please read our
Health, Safety and COVID-19 Information
Our commitment to our patrons
Proof of vaccination along with valid ID
Face Coverings are required
About the Show
What’s in a name? A minefield of misplaced notions – comical, sad, demeaning. Irma’s observations from the front-lines, notes from American history, and laugh out-loud humor allow us to consider what it will take for all of us to get along.
Talkback Speakers
Reproductive Rights and Justice in a Post-Dobbs World
Friday, September 23
Beth Parker has spent the past several decades on the front lines of the reproductive rights legal battles. She is General Counsel for Planned Parenthood California Central Coast and Adjunct Professor at UC Hastings College of Law.
Formerly Incarcerated People’s Performance Project (FIPPP)
Friday, September 30
Retired Public Defender Mark McGoldrick is a solo performer who co-directs the FIPPPP, which joins two of his passions–storytelling and advocating for criminal justice. For this event, Mark will dive into storytelling that explores the inhumanity of the carceral system. He will be joined by solo performer Pearl Louise, who is a member of the FIPPPP, and one of the most talented storytellers in the Bay Area solo community.
Immigration Policy 2022 — What’s Different from the Trump Era?
Friday, October 7
Karen Musalo and Sara Campos share their vast knowledge about immigration policy. Karen is the Director of the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies at UC Hastings College of Law and her work is often cited by the national press. Sara, Senior Program Office at The Grove Foundation, manages the Immigration Grants Portfolio. She Chairs the Legal Services Working Group or Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees.
Right Wing Politics in the U.S.
Friday, October 14
In 2009, Larry Rosenthal founded UC Berkeley’s Right-Wing Studies Center, where he serves as Chair and Lead Researcher. He has written extensively about right-wing movements in the United States and Europe.
California’s Reparations Task Force
Friday, October 21
Leading Civil Rights Attorney Don Tamaki is part of the legal team that overturned the Korematsu case, which challenged the rounding up and incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. He co-founded the organization, Stop Repeating History, and was appointed to the Reparations Task Force by Governor Gavin Newsom.
About the Performer
Irma Herrera solo performance piece, Why Would I Mispronounce My Own Name? weaves history and comedic insights into stories about names, and sheds light and throws shade on our prejudices and assumptions. How open are we to seeing people who aren’t white as equals? How welcoming are we of others who are different from us?
Irma’s five-month run at The Marsh played to sold-out houses and garnered glowing reviews from critics and everyday folks. Her post-show talk-back with social justice leaders tackled a range of topics including school to prison pipeline, the rights of transgender folks, and immigration policy.
In response to Covid-19, she created her Stairwell Teatro Series telling short stories (five minutes or less) from la scala, the stairwell in her home. You can binge-watch the entire series in less than an hour at https://www.irmaherrera.com/stairwell-teatro