Surprise has scheduled the next Lunchtime Theater event with the New Carpa Theater.

“The Two Souls of Cesar Chavez” is a one-man play by James E. Garcia, based on the last day of Cesar Chavez as he reflects on testifying in a weeks-long trial about the worker abuses of the regional agribusiness.

It is scheduled for noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, April 10 at the Arts HQ Gallery, 16126 N. Civic Center Drive.

Garcia is a playwright, journalist, university lecturer and Phoenix-based communications consultant. The founder and producing artistic director of New Carpa Theater Co., he is the author of more than 30 plays, including “The Moment,” “Voices of Valor,” “The Two Souls of Cesar Chavez,” and the upcoming works: “Forget The Alamo,” “Our Civil War” and “Pyg.”

His first short film, “The Crossing” is coming soon and based on his short play of the same name, which won the Kennedy Center Award for Best Short Play in 2006.

The New Carpa Theater Co. was founded in 2002. The company is dedicated to the development and production of multicultural theater and film works. For information, email info@newcarpa.org, or call 602-460-1374.

Lunchtime Theater is a seasonal musical and theater performance program offered to enrich the community. Presented in partnership with the West Valley Arts Council and the city of Surprise, and hosted at the Arts HQ Gallery, it is a unique, diverse, and intimate experience among the visual and performing arts.

Surrounded by gallery artwork, Arizona talent from the Phoenix Opera to local jazz trios and theater groups perform in an afternoon one-hour show once a month from October to April.

Reservations are required at WestValleyArts.Org.

Attendees are welcome to bring their own lunch or go out and support one of the many local restaurants in Surprise.

Open seating begins at 11:30 a.m.