"Mr. Leguizamo, Have I Got a Recommendation for You" By Juan Daniel S. Coronado
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A Play That Educates, Moves, and Deserves a National Stage
By Juan Daniel S. Coronado
John Leguizamo, you’ve spent your career fighting for the representation of Latino stories in theater, film, and television. Your full-page ad in The New York Times demanding equity in the arts, your groundbreaking stage works like Freak and Latin History for Morons, and your outspoken advocacy have paved the way for narratives that mainstream culture has too often ignored.
But there’s one story—one play—that I believe belongs on the very stages you’ve been championing.
It’s called Undesirable Secrets, and it tells a history that has been buried for far too long. Written and performed by Dr. Rodolfo Alvarado, a Texas Tech graduate and Lubbock, Texas native, this gripping one-man play brings to life the extraordinary but nearly forgotten story of Anthony Acevedo—a Mexican American WWII medic, prisoner of war, and Holocaust survivor.
A Story That Should Be Taught in Every Classroom in America
As an educator, I’ve spent my career using history to help students understand the world and their place in it. I know firsthand that storytelling has the power to bridge gaps between generations, cultures, and lived experiences. That’s exactly what happened when I sat in the audience for Undesirable Secrets at the Firehouse Theatre in Lubbock, Texas.
From the moment Alvarado stepped onto the stage, you could hear a pin drop. The audience was captivated—not just by the brilliance of his performance, but by the sheer weight of the story itself.
Anthony Acevedo’s story is one of courage and survival against impossible odds. Captured during the Battle of the Bulge, he was among 350 American POWs—many of them Jewish—selected by the Nazis and sent to Berga, a slave labor camp. This selection process was chilling: Nazi officers lined up the prisoners and shouted, “All Jews, step forward.” Even though Acevedo was not Jewish, he was selected and taken anyway.
At Berga, Anthony was forced into an impossible role—tasked with keeping his fellow soldiers “fit” enough to endure backbreaking labor, though he had no medicine, only bandages. As men collapsed from exhaustion, starvation, and brutal treatment, Anthony and the other medics were blamed for their deaths. He was powerless to save them, yet bore the guilt of their suffering. Rather than let their names be forgotten, he risked his life by secretly recording each one in a diary. That diary became the first written by an American POW in a Nazi concentration camp to be archived at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Anthony was also the first Mexican American to register as a Holocaust survivor.
And yet, the horror of Berga wasn’t the only burden Anthony carried. Long before the war, he had survived brutal physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his father—pain that shaped his strength but left deep scars. After the war, the U.S. Army ordered him and the other survivors to remain silent. For over 63 years, he kept that silence. It wasn’t until much later in life that he finally broke it, ensuring the truth would not be buried with him.
A Theatrical Experience That Transcends the Stage
I wasn’t the only one moved to my core by this performance. Sitting just a few seats away from me was Anthony’s daughter, Rebeca Acevedo-Carlin. As I watched her wipe away tears, I understood that Undesirable Secrets wasn’t just a play—it was an act of remembrance. It was history, finally told the way it should have been all along.
Rebeca and her brother, Ernesto Acevedo, have worked closely with Dr. Alvarado through the Anthony Acevedo Educational Foundation to ensure that this production is as historically accurate as it is emotionally gripping. Their commitment to their father’s legacy is nothing short of inspiring.
Mr. Leguizamo, This is the Play You’ve Been Fighting For
John, you’ve said it yourself—our stories matter. Undesirable Secrets is exactly the kind of work you’ve been advocating for. It’s not just a Latino story; it’s an American story. It’s a war story. A survival story. A reckoning with the way history has erased marginalized voices. It’s a reminder that silence is dangerous, and that justice can only be served when the truth is told.
Alvarado’s performance has been met with critical acclaim. Journalist Ramona Logan of Frisco Lakes Lifestyle called it: "A masterpiece in the form of a one-man show… You will lose track of time during this non-stop… gut-wrenching play because Alvarado puts so much passion and emotion into his performance."
If Undesirable Secrets were just a masterful piece of theater, that would be enough. If it were only a stunning solo performance, that would be enough. But it is more. It is a history lesson. A call to justice. A demand that we recognize the sacrifices of the Forgotten Soldiers of Berga.
An Open Invitation
So, Mr. Leguizamo, if you’re looking for the next groundbreaking Latino work to champion—one that not only speaks to our history but to universal themes of justice, resilience, and remembrance—Undesirable Secrets is that play.
Dr. Rodolfo Alvarado is currently performing it across the country—wherever he can find an audience, from libraries to conference rooms, from Texas to Michigan, from intimate theaters to larger venues. But a story of this magnitude deserves an even bigger platform.
If Broadway is truly ready for the next powerful Latino narrative—one that honors our past and challenges our future—then Undesirable Secrets is ready for Broadway.
John Leguizamo, have I got a recommendation for you.
Juan Daniel S. Coronado is an educator and advocate for Latino representation in education and the arts. He currently resides in Austin, Texas, where he works to uplift marginalized voices through scholarship, community engagement, and storytelling. A frequent contributor to cultural and academic conversations, he is committed to ensuring that stories like Anthony Acevedo’s reach the audiences they deserve.
By Juan Daniel S. Coronado
John Leguizamo, you’ve spent your career fighting for the representation of Latino stories in theater, film, and television. Your full-page ad in The New York Times demanding equity in the arts, your groundbreaking stage works like Freak and Latin History for Morons, and your outspoken advocacy have paved the way for narratives that mainstream culture has too often ignored.
But there’s one story—one play—that I believe belongs on the very stages you’ve been championing.
It’s called Undesirable Secrets, and it tells a history that has been buried for far too long. Written and performed by Dr. Rodolfo Alvarado, a Texas Tech graduate and Lubbock, Texas native, this gripping one-man play brings to life the extraordinary but nearly forgotten story of Anthony Acevedo—a Mexican American WWII medic, prisoner of war, and Holocaust survivor.
A Story That Should Be Taught in Every Classroom in America
As an educator, I’ve spent my career using history to help students understand the world and their place in it. I know firsthand that storytelling has the power to bridge gaps between generations, cultures, and lived experiences. That’s exactly what happened when I sat in the audience for Undesirable Secrets at the Firehouse Theatre in Lubbock, Texas.
From the moment Alvarado stepped onto the stage, you could hear a pin drop. The audience was captivated—not just by the brilliance of his performance, but by the sheer weight of the story itself.
Anthony Acevedo’s story is one of courage and survival against impossible odds. Captured during the Battle of the Bulge, he was among 350 American POWs—many of them Jewish—selected by the Nazis and sent to Berga, a slave labor camp. This selection process was chilling: Nazi officers lined up the prisoners and shouted, “All Jews, step forward.” Even though Acevedo was not Jewish, he was selected and taken anyway.
At Berga, Anthony was forced into an impossible role—tasked with keeping his fellow soldiers “fit” enough to endure backbreaking labor, though he had no medicine, only bandages. As men collapsed from exhaustion, starvation, and brutal treatment, Anthony and the other medics were blamed for their deaths. He was powerless to save them, yet bore the guilt of their suffering. Rather than let their names be forgotten, he risked his life by secretly recording each one in a diary. That diary became the first written by an American POW in a Nazi concentration camp to be archived at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Anthony was also the first Mexican American to register as a Holocaust survivor.
And yet, the horror of Berga wasn’t the only burden Anthony carried. Long before the war, he had survived brutal physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his father—pain that shaped his strength but left deep scars. After the war, the U.S. Army ordered him and the other survivors to remain silent. For over 63 years, he kept that silence. It wasn’t until much later in life that he finally broke it, ensuring the truth would not be buried with him.
A Theatrical Experience That Transcends the Stage
I wasn’t the only one moved to my core by this performance. Sitting just a few seats away from me was Anthony’s daughter, Rebeca Acevedo-Carlin. As I watched her wipe away tears, I understood that Undesirable Secrets wasn’t just a play—it was an act of remembrance. It was history, finally told the way it should have been all along.
Rebeca and her brother, Ernesto Acevedo, have worked closely with Dr. Alvarado through the Anthony Acevedo Educational Foundation to ensure that this production is as historically accurate as it is emotionally gripping. Their commitment to their father’s legacy is nothing short of inspiring.
Mr. Leguizamo, This is the Play You’ve Been Fighting For
John, you’ve said it yourself—our stories matter. Undesirable Secrets is exactly the kind of work you’ve been advocating for. It’s not just a Latino story; it’s an American story. It’s a war story. A survival story. A reckoning with the way history has erased marginalized voices. It’s a reminder that silence is dangerous, and that justice can only be served when the truth is told.
Alvarado’s performance has been met with critical acclaim. Journalist Ramona Logan of Frisco Lakes Lifestyle called it: "A masterpiece in the form of a one-man show… You will lose track of time during this non-stop… gut-wrenching play because Alvarado puts so much passion and emotion into his performance."
If Undesirable Secrets were just a masterful piece of theater, that would be enough. If it were only a stunning solo performance, that would be enough. But it is more. It is a history lesson. A call to justice. A demand that we recognize the sacrifices of the Forgotten Soldiers of Berga.
An Open Invitation
So, Mr. Leguizamo, if you’re looking for the next groundbreaking Latino work to champion—one that not only speaks to our history but to universal themes of justice, resilience, and remembrance—Undesirable Secrets is that play.
Dr. Rodolfo Alvarado is currently performing it across the country—wherever he can find an audience, from libraries to conference rooms, from Texas to Michigan, from intimate theaters to larger venues. But a story of this magnitude deserves an even bigger platform.
If Broadway is truly ready for the next powerful Latino narrative—one that honors our past and challenges our future—then Undesirable Secrets is ready for Broadway.
John Leguizamo, have I got a recommendation for you.
Juan Daniel S. Coronado is an educator and advocate for Latino representation in education and the arts. He currently resides in Austin, Texas, where he works to uplift marginalized voices through scholarship, community engagement, and storytelling. A frequent contributor to cultural and academic conversations, he is committed to ensuring that stories like Anthony Acevedo’s reach the audiences they deserve.