内容摘要：So is Massachusetts designer Nicole Hirsch. She’s put a zingy green — she calls it “alligator” — on a bathroom ceiling. Tangerine on a playroom ceiling. Cobalt blue, lipstick pink and chrome yellow add lively punches on furnishings.

So is Massachusetts designer Nicole Hirsch. She’s put a zingy green — she calls it “alligator” — on a bathroom ceiling. Tangerine on a playroom ceiling. Cobalt blue, lipstick pink and chrome yellow add lively punches on furnishings.

Mulato Teatro cast member Aldo Martin Cortez poses for a photo during a break rehearsal in Ticumán, Mexico, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)Mulato Teatro cast member Aldo Martin Cortez poses for a photo during a break rehearsal in Ticumán, Mexico, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

Martin, 28, does not identify as Afro, but feels the company’s work successfully portrays Mexico’s diversity.“Our ancestors are not only Indigenous, but a fusion, and these mixed heritages have resulted in a very distinct society, made of all colors, which shouldn’t pigeonhole us into just being Afro,” Martin said.Castillo and Chabaud primarily encourage Afro-Mexican artists to work in their plays, but they also welcome amateur actors and LGBTQ+ performers.

One of them is transgender actress Annya Atanasio Cadena, who began her career in plays addressing topics such as suicide, alcoholism and drug addiction in marginalized communities.Mulato Teatro cast members, transgender actress Annya Atanasio Cadena and musician Jesús Peredo, rehearse for their upcoming performance at the First International Afro-Scenic Festival, in Ticumán, Mexico, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

Mulato Teatro cast members, transgender actress Annya Atanasio Cadena and musician Jesús Peredo, rehearse for their upcoming performance at the First International Afro-Scenic Festival, in Ticumán, Mexico, Saturday, May 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

“In my (LGBTQ+) community, we know what it’s like to fight against the world,” said Atanasio, who plays a trans woman in one of Chabaud’s plays about gender violence.But the steady flow of avocados has wound up helping, not hurting, their sales by allowing for a year-round supply to markets and restaurants that has fomented demand, farmers say. Before the influx, most American consumers considered avocados to be specialty items — and when they came into season in California, industry officials had to work to rev up widespread interest in order to sell them.

Avocado consumption has been booming in the United States over the past two decades. The amount of fruit available per person tripled to more than 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) between 2000 and 2021, federal statistics show. Avocado toast and guacamole are regular offerings not just in culinary hubs like NYC but at cafes around the Midwest and the South.Andreas Tompros holds ripe avocados grown at his avocado farm, Ridgecrest Avocados, in Somis, Calif., on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Andreas Tompros holds ripe avocados grown at his avocado farm, Ridgecrest Avocados, in Somis, Calif., on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)On a steep, sun-soaked hillside northwest of Los Angeles, Tompros is replanting nearly 300 avocado trees with the belief that Americans’ hunger for the fruit — and his orchard — will continue to grow.