After the performance on Sunday, September 20, join us for a one-hour panel discussion with experts on the themes of The Birth of the Pill. 

This discussion is moderated by Karla Estela Rivera. Karla is a writer, performer, and arts advocate whose work focuses on storytelling as a powerful tool for connection, cultural affirmation, and social change. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Chicago, she believes that personal narrative and collective memory are vital to individual healing and community transformation. Karla creates work across various mediums—including live storytelling, theater, essays, and screenwriting—often exploring themes of diaspora, identity, family, and belonging. Her performances combine humor, intimacy, and political insight, inviting audiences into stories that flow seamlessly between the deeply personal and the broadly cultural. Karla has performed, produced, and developed work with companies including Free Street Theater, Teatro Luna, UrbanTheater Company, Northern Stage, 2nd Story, and ¡Salsation! Theatre Company. She is also the author and narrator of Rita Finds Home, the first-ever young audience piece commissioned by The Joffrey Ballet, co-produced by Miami City Ballet. In addition to her artistic practice, Karla is a nationally recognized arts leader who has spent over a decade working at the intersection of arts and social change across the country. She continues to balance her artistry and consultancy through her company, the Rivera Creative Collective. She lives in Chicago with her husband, Ramon Charriez, Jr., their child, Frida, and dog-son, Coco Flan.

Karla will be joined by these guest panelists:

— Liza Ann Acosta, a writer, translator, devisor, and dramaturg with an extensive body of work in Latiné theatre, who is co-dramaturg (with Maren Robinson) for The Birth of the Pill.
— Regina García, a Chicago-based scenic designer from Puerto Rico and the scenic designer for The Birth of the Pill.
— María Victoria Martínez, an actor, producer, and creator from San Juan, Puerto Rico, who portrays Ramona Delgado in The Birth of the Pill.
— Raquel Torre, a Boricua theater-maker based in Chicago and is movement director for The Birth of the Pill.

This Sunday Scholars discussion will last approximately one hour and is FREE and open to the public. If you would like to attend but are not attending the show that day, please arrive by 3:40pm and you can enter the theatre once the performance concludes. Remember: Our bar is open starting 12pm on Sunday so you can arrive even earlier to enjoy a snack or beverage before the discussion! Questions? Call the Box Office at 773.281.8463 x1.