The recent Town Hall meeting at Post 41 was a powerful reminder of why these stories matter — and why New Carpa Theater Co. continues bringing compelling plays to Lunch Time Theater season after season.
For years, New Carpa has made history and current events come alive onstage through works like Raised in War, American Pastorela, The Moment, and many more. These productions do more than entertain, they recover voices, preserve community memory, and connect Phoenix audiences to stories too often left out of the larger narrative.
That spirit was at the heart of this Town Hall, which centered on the history and legacy behind Post 41, presented by New Carpa Theater Co., directed by Alex Sanchez Vega and written by James E. Garcia. The play tells the story of Latino veterans returning home from World War II expecting to be welcomed as heroes, only to pervasive discrimination, sometimes at the hands of fellow non-Latino veterans.
In response, they built their own post — brick by brick — in a South Phoenix barrio. Post 41 became not only a home for veterans, but a beacon for civil rights activism and a living tribute to the service and sacrifice of its members.
The town hall discussion featured an outstanding panel of historians and community voices, including Pete Dimas, Christine Marin, Robert Valenzuela, and Maggie Rivas Rodriguez. Together, they reflected on the importance of preserving oral histories, honoring veterans’ lived experiences, and recognizing the barriers many Latino servicemen still faced even after fighting for their country.
The evening also highlighted the importance of partnership in making these stories possible. Special thanks were extended to Herberger Theater Center CEO Mark Mettes and the Herberger team, whose ongoing support of Lunch Time Theater has helped create space for culturally rich, community-rooted work to thrive in downtown Phoenix. That commitment to diverse storytelling has made the Herberger an especially meaningful home for New Carpa’s work.
The Town Hall made one thing clear: the story of Post 41 is not just history — it is Phoenix history, Latino history, veterans’ history, and American history. And thanks to New Carpa Theater Co., these stories continue to be shared with the care, dignity, and urgency they deserve.
