# Estela Scarlata

Estela "Piqui" Scarlata (March 23, 1942 – August 3, 2023) was an Argentine set designer and playwright. She cofounded the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts with Carmen Zapata and Margarita Galban in 1972. She also worked for the Los Angeles Theatre Academy as a costume and set designer until 2019.

## Early life

Estela "Piqui" Scarlata was born in Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina on March 23, 1942. Her family has Italian, Hungarian, Spanish, and Brazilian heritage. She moved to Los Angeles, California in 1965.

## Career

Scarlata began her career as an art restorer in Santa Monica before becoming a set designer at Teatro 6 Actores, a 99-seat theatre in Hollywood, California. In the early 1970s, Scarlata became one of the first women to work as a carpenter at CBS Channel 2.
In 1972, Scarlata co-founded the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts (BFA) with Managing Producer Carmen Zapata and Artistic Director Margarita Galban, and served as its Production Manager/Technical Director and Set Designer-in-Residence. She continued to work with BFA, which was housed in the decommissioned Lincoln Heights Jail, for 37 years, during which time she designed sets for between 150 and 200 plays.
Scarlata has authored several plays. In 1975, she worked with dramatist C. Bernard Jackson to translate her play La Factoria into Wanted: Experienced Operators, a musical about undocumented sweatshop workers. In the late 1980s, Scarlata also wrote a number of children's plays, including Rainbow Red, The Wiseman of Chichen Itza, and Young Moctezuma, some of which toured LAUSD schools. In 2008, she wrote Memorias del Tango, a musical about her family in Argentina.
Scarlata also served as Festival Coordinator for Reader's Theatre, a program she began at BFA in 1984 and ran until 2008, which featured a series of plays with audience discussion and feedback.
From 2011 to 2019, Scarlata worked as set and costume designer for the Los Angeles Theatre Academy (LATA). She also wrote and adapted several plays for the program.

## Awards

Scarlata won the Drama-Logue Award for Artistic Achievement in Set Design for Doña Rosita La Soltera, shared with David Barber, in 1980, The House of Bernarda Alba in 1997 and 1998, and The Misfortunes of a House in 1998. In 1999, Scarlata was knighted by his majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain, and received the Official Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic for her commitment to preserving the Hispanic language and culture through performing arts.

## Theatre productions

| Title | Venue | Year(s) | Notes |
| Los signos del zodiaco | Golden Gate Theatre | 1972 | |
| El Quelite | Golden Gate Theatre | 1973 | |
| Wanted: Experienced Operators | Inner City Cultural Center, Fresno Convention Center, Al J. Williams Theatre, several venues | 1975 | Play cowritten by Estela Scarlata. |
| Doña Rosita la soltera | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 1980 | 1980 Drama-Logue Award for Artistic Achievement in Set Design shared with David Barber. |
| Rainbow Red | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts, several LAUSD schools | 1980–1986 | Written by Estela Scarlata. |
| The Wiseman of Chichen Itza | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts, several LAUSD schools | 1988–1990 | Written by Estela Scarlata. |
| Young Moctezuma | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts, several LAUSD schools | 1989 | Written by Estela Scarlata. |
| La Celestina | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 1992 | |
| The House of the Spirits/La Casa de los Espiritus | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 1996 | |
| The House of Bernarda Alba | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 1997–2007 | 1997 and 1998 Drama-Logue Award for Artistic Achievement in Set Design. |
| The Misfortunes of a House | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 1998 | 1998 Drama-Logue Award for Artistic Achievement in Set Design. |
| Our Lady of the Tortilla | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 1998 | |
| Parade of Strange Images | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 1998 | |
| Too Many Tamales | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 1999–2007 | |
| Maria La O | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 1999–2007 | |
| Witless Lady/La Dama Boba | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 1999 | |
| Guantanamera | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 1999 | |
| Blood Wedding | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 1999 | |
| Rosalba y los Llaveros | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2000 | In collaboration with Danza Floricanto and Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department |
| La Venganza de Don Mendo | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2001 | |
| Salon Mexico | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2001–2005 | |
| Lorca y Las Mujeres | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2002 | |
| El Alcalde de Zalamea | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2002 | |
| Juventud, divino tesoro/Divine Treasure of Youth | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2002 | |
| Los Clasicos Enredos | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2003 | |
| Don Juan Tenorio | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2003 | |
| Fiesta del Dia de los Muertos | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2004 | |
| Reader's Theatre | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2004 | Estela Scarlata served as Festival Coordinator for this event. |
| Zarzuelas Under The Stars | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2004 | |
| Fiesta del Dia de los Muertos | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2004 | |
| Solamente Una Vez/You Belong to my Heart | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2003–2004 | |
| Don Quixote: The Last Adventure | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2004 | |
| Fiesta del Dia de los Muertos | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2004 | |
| New Works Festival | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2005 | |
| La Zapatera Prodigiosa/The Shoemaker's Prodigious Wife | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2005 | |
| Yerma | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2006 | |
| Sucedio en la Habana/It Happened in Havana | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2006 | |
| Un Domingo en la Alameda/A Sunday in the Alameda | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2006 | |
| Las Leandras | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2008 | |
| Erendira | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2008 | |
| La Jaula de las Locas | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2008 | |
| La Verbena de San Antonio | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2008 | |
| Memorias del Tango | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2008 | Play written by Estela Scarlata. |
| El Fieston de las Calaveras | Bilingual Foundation of the Arts | 2008 | |
| El Bicentenario de la Independencia y centenario de la Revolucion de Mexico | Elysian Park Amphitheatre | 2010 | |
| The Immigrant | Elysian Park Amphitheatre | 2010–2019 | Play written by Estela Scarlata. |
| Too Many Skeletons | Elysian Park Amphitheatre | 2010–2019 | Play adapted from La Difunta Familia Diaz |
| LATA Choir | Elysian Park Amphitheatre, homes of disabled residents of Solano Canyon | 2010–2019 | Costumes designed and built by Estela Scarlata. |
| The Lion Sleeps Tonight | Elysian Park Amphitheatre | 2010–2019 | Play adaptation of the songThe Lion Sleeps Tonight by Estela Scarlata. |
| Don Quijote de la Mancha | Elysian Park Amphitheatre, Studio Theatre Playhouse | 2010–2019 | Adaptation by Estela Scarlata. |
| La Leyenda del Maiz | Elysian Park Amphitheatre | 2010–2019 | Adaptation by Estela Scarlata. |
| Sounds of Music | Elysian Park Amphitheatre | 2010–2019 | Play adaptation of film musical Sounds of Music by Estela Scarlata. |