Encuentro 2024 Selection Committee
Luis Alfaro is a Chicano writer, born & raised in Pico-Union, downtown L.A., who works in poetry, theatre, short fiction, performance & journalism. Luis spent six seasons as Mellon Playwright-in-Residence at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (2013-2019); member of the Playwright’s Ensemble at Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theatre (2013-2020); resident artist at the Mark Taper Forum (1995-2005); and associated with Ojai Playwrights Conference since 2002. He is the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, popularly known as the ‘genius’ grant; PEN America/Laura Pels International Foundation Theater Award for a Master Dramatist; United States Artist Fellowship; Ford Foundation’s Art of Change Fellowship, among others. His plays include Electricidad, Oedipus El Rey, Mojada; Body of Faith. Luis spent two decades in the L.A. poetry; performance art communities and toured the Americas. He is a professor at USC. The Greek Trilogy of Luis Alfaro was released by Methuen Press last year.
Patrice Amon Dr. Maria Patrice Amon is a director, producer, and scholar. Maria Patrice has directed Tanya Saracho’s Fade at Moxie Theatre, co-directed the NNPN RWP of Stephanie Allison Walker’s The Madres at MOXIE Theatre, directed Octavio Solis’ Lydia with Brown Bag Theatre Company, and directed staged readings with Amigos del Rep and Breath of Fire Latina Theatre Ensemble. She has assistant directed for Sam Woodhouse, Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, and Jacole Kitchen. Maria Patrice is a Latinx Producer at San Diego Repertory Theatre and the Executive Producer of Amigos del Rep, a theatre advocacy council of artists and community members who promote Hispanic/Latino/Chicano theatre at San Diego Repertory Theatre. Under her leadership, Amigos launched the Latinx New Play Festival at San Diego Repertory Theatre, produces a staged reading series, offers networking events with the Amigos del Rep general body, and produces special community engagement events that are based on current events and social needs. Additionally, Maria Patrice is a co-founder and co-Artistic Director of TuYo Theatre, a professional Latinx theatre in San Diego and is a National Directing Fellow through NNPN and the ONeil Theatre Center. Maria Patrice has a PhD in Drama from University of California, Irvine with emphasis in Critical Theory and Chicano Studies with a dissertation titled "Theatricalization and Performances of Innocence in Modern American Culture". She holds a Juris Doctorate from California Western School of Law. Patrice is an assistant professor of Latinx theatre at CSU San Marcos.
José Carrasquillo is a theatre practitioner and educator. Recent directing credits include: A Christmas Carol at Ford’s Theatre, the world premiere of Ben Benne’s In His Hands at Mosaic Theatre Company, Lynn Nottage’s Mlima’s Tale at 1st Stage, and Flash Acts: Untranslatable– an international collaboration with Forum for Cultural Engagement. As a theatre educator, José has taught, lectured, or directed at American University, Julliard School of Drama, National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, Interlochen, University of Washington (UW), University of Ohio in Athens, Cornish College for the Arts, UMD at College Park, and Catholic University of America. José is the proud recipient of a Mary Goldwater Theatre Lobby Award for his direction of The Maids at (WSC) Avant-Bard and the 2020 Helen Hayes (Hayes Category) Award for his direction of The Brothers Size at 1st Stage. He has directed at most performing art venues in the region including the Kennedy Center, Studio Theatre, Round House Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Theater J, GALA Hispanic Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, Mosaic Theatre, Forum Theatre, Signature Theatre, (WSC) – Avant Bard and Teatro de la Luna. Jose is a steering committee member of Latinx Theatre Commons, a member of SDC, and serves in an advisory capacity to Theatre Washington. José is the Director of Artistic Programming at Ford’s Theatre where he will be directing Mister Lincoln, to open the 2024-25 season.
Amelia Acosta Powell (she/her) is the Impact Producer and Co-Director of Artistic Programming at the Actors Theatre of Louisville. Previously she has been honored to serve as Associate Artistic Director at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Line Producer at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Artistic Associate & Casting Director at Arena Stage. Most recent directing work includes Loving and Loving, La Egoista world premiere and Every Brilliant Thing (Actors Theatre of Louisville) as well as The Gradient world premiere and The Thanksgiving Play (Repertory Theatre of St. Louis). She is a steering committee member of the Latinx Theatre Commons, a member of the Casting Society of America, an inaugural grantee of TCG’s Rising Leaders of Color, and a proud alumna of the Allen Lee Hughes Fellowship. Her teaching credits include serving as adjunct faculty at Webster University Conservatory of Theatre Arts. She is originally from Denver and holds her bachelor’s and her master’s degrees from Georgetown University.
Adriana Gaviria is an actress, voice-over artist, writer, director, advocate, virtual event technical consultant, and creative producer. She is Founding Member/Artistic Producer of The Sol Project, Producer of SolFest, Director of Technology and Innovation of Parent Artist Advocacy League, and was Producer for LTC’s first Miami Regional Convening. She serves on the national advisory boards of 50 Playwrights Project and FIU Theatre Alumni, the executive board of PAAL, and on the national steering committees for DRAMA and Latinx Theatre Commons. She earned her BFA from Florida International University and her MFA from the Yale School of Drama. She is a member of The Actors Center, SAG-AFTRA, and the Actors' Equity Association. Adriana embraces the human spirit and aims to empower, inspire, and build community through her work. With her new arts initiative North Star Projects, she hopes to create a better world, one project at a time. adrianagaviria.com
Daniel Jáquez is a director, theater-maker, and translator of plays. He is Co-Founder of TuYo Theatre, a San Diego company that creates and produces theatre from a diverse Latinx perspective. Jáquez served as Artistic Director of Milagro Theatre in Oregon, and in New York City he was Director of both INTAR Theatre’s young acting company and INTAR/Jerome Foundation’s NewWorks Lab, an annual festival for emerging Latinx playwrights. Jáquez serves as a member of the Advisory Committee for The Lark’s México/U.S. Playwright Exchange Program and The Latinx Theatre Commons. He is an inaugural member of Barry Edelstein’s Classical Directing Fellowship at The Old Globe Theatre. Jáquez has translated plays by award-winning Mexican playwrights and his translations have been published by NoPassport Press, The Mercurian, and Asymptote. His latest translation, Rarámuri Dreams, was selected for the 2020 Columbia University School of the Arts International Play Festival.
Chantal Rodriguez (she/her/ella) is the Associate Dean of David Geffen School of Drama and Associate Artistic Director of Yale Repertory Theatre. She is also an Associate Professor Adjunct in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism. Prior to joining the Yale community in 2016, she was the Programming Director and Literary Manager of the Latino Theater Company, operators of the Los Angeles Theatre Center. Chantal is the co-editor of Seeking Common Ground: Latinx and Latin American Theatre and Performance (Methuen Drama, 2021), “What’s Next for Latinx” volume 49.1 of Yale’s Theater Magazine (2019), and Encuentro: Latinx Performance for the New American Theater (Northwestern University Press, 2019). She is the author of “The Latino Theatre Initiative/Center Theatre Group Papers” (UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press, 2011) which was nominated for three Latino Literacy Now International Book Awards. Her scholarly work has also been published in Theatre Journal, Latin American Theatre Review, e-misférica, and Theatre Research International. She is a member of the Latinx Theatre Commons Advisory Committee, and the National Advisory Board for the 50 Playwrights Project. Chantal is a graduate of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television where she earned a Ph.D. in Theater and Performance studies, and Santa Clara University where she earned a B.A. in Theater and Spanish Studies.
Jesús I. Valles is a queer Mexican immigrant, educator, writer-performer from Cd. Juarez/El Paso. Valles is the winner of the 2023 Yale Drama Series, selected by Jeremy O. Harris (Bathhouse.pptx), the winner of the 2022 Kernodle Playwriting Prize (a river, its mouths), and the 2022 Emerging Theatre Professional, selected by the National Theatre Conference. As a playwright, Valles received support from The Bushwick Starr, Clubbed Thumb, The Flea, The Kennedy Center, The Lortel, Manhattan Theatre Club, New York Theatre Workshop, OUTsider Festival, The Playwrights’ Center, Sewanee Writers’ Conference, Teatro Vivo, and The VORTEX. As a poet, Valles received fellowships from CantoMundo, Community of Writers, Idyllwild Arts, Lambda Literary, Tin House, and Undocupoets. Valles is a Core Apprentice of the Playwrights’ Center and received their MFA in writing for performance from Brown University.
Latino Theater Co.
Evelina Fernández (Associate Artistic Director, Company Member, Resident Playwright) was born and raised in East LA. She is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and actor who writes about the U.S. Latinx experience. She is currently developing her award-winning saga A Mexican Trilogy for television with Imagine Entertainment. She is a founding member and Associate Artistic Director of the Latino Theater Company, her artistic family at the LATC. Her plays include A Mexican Trilogy (LA Drama Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Writing of a World Premiere Play) published by Samuel French; Solitude (LA Times Critic's Choice) The Mother of Henry (LA Times Critics Choice, LA Drama Critics circle Award for Outstanding Writing of a World Premiere Play); La Virgen de Guadalupe, Dios Inantzin (featured in both the LA Times and the NY Times); Dementia (GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Theater Production in Los Angeles and four Ovation Award nominations); She was part of the CTG Writers Workshop where she began her “Virgin” series with The Mother of Henry. She is currently commissioned by the South Coast Rep and was a writer for Emmy Nominated East Los High seasons 2 & 3.
Sal Lopez (Associate Artistic Director, Company Member): Sal is a founding member of the Latino Theater Company. Work with the company includes This Is A Man’s World, Premeditation, August 29th, La Victima, Luminarias, Dementia, Solitude, Habitat, Wild In Wichita, Mexican Trilogy-Faith, Hope, Charity, and the lead in La Virgen de Guadalupe, Dios Inantzin, performed every year at The Cathedral Of Our Lady Of The Angels. Other plays include, You Should Have Stayed Home You Morons for Radar L.A., Blade To The Heat, Bandito, Zootsuit, for the Mark Taper Forum, Selena (musical), at the Ricardo Montalban Theater, La Posada Magica, for South Coast Rep, A Midsummer Nights Dream, for East L.A. Classical Theater, Corridos Tales Of Passion And Revolution, La Virgen Del Tepeyac, for Teatro Campesino, and Lorca Child Of The Moon, Young Lady From Tacna, Wanted Experience Operators, for The Bilingual Foundation Of The Arts. Linda Ronstadt Canciones de Mi Padre Minskoff Theater on Broadway.
Geoffrey Rivas (Associate Artistic Director, Company Member): Geoffrey a native Californian, graduated from UCLA with a Master of Fine Arts Degree with a concentration on acting. He has received numerous nominations for his stage work and is a founding member of The Latino Theater Company. The company, under the Artistic Direction of Jose Luis Valenzuela, has been producing award-winning Latino theater nationally for 30 years. Film credits include Under the Tuscan Sun, Dragonfly, Luminarias, La Bamba, Born In East L.A., Pow Wow Highway, Bound By Honor, Above Suspicion, and Foto Novelas for PBS, for which he won an ALMA award in 1998. A highlight of Geoff's prolific career on television was 9 years as Detective Vega on the original series, CSI (CBS). His directorial debut, Jozanne Marie’s solo show, Beautiful - for which Jozanne won a NAACP award for best actress - drew much praise and favorable reviews as did his latest show, Home starring Nancy Ma. Latina Christmas Special was further developed under his direction and is widely considered to be the longest running and most successful show ever presented by the Latino Theater Company.
Lucy Rodriguez (Associate Artistic Director, Company Member) is an active member of the Latino Theater Company (LTC) with which she has been affiliated since 1988. As an LTC member she co-produces the pageant play La Virgen de Guadalupe: Dios Inantzin that is presented annually at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown L.A. LTC Theatre credits include: A Mexican Trilogy, Solitude, Faith, Melancholia, La Victima, Dementia (2002) (2010) (2017), August 29, La Virgen de Guadalupe Dios Inantzin, Real Women Have Curves at San Diego Rep (World Premiere), A Christmas Carol, Man of the Flesh at South Coast Rep. Film credits include Species and Deception. Television credits include recurring roles on ER and Sunset Beach.
José Luis Valenzuela (Artistic Director): José Luis Valenzuela is the Artistic Director of the Latino Theater Company (LTC), and The Los Angeles Theatre Center (LATC) and is also a Distinguished Professor at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film & Television. Valenzuela is an award-winning theater director and has been a visionary and an advocate for Chicanx/Latinx Theater for over 30 years. He has directed critically acclaimed productions at major theaters both internationally and nationally including the LATC where he created the Latino Theatre Lab in 1985 and the Mark Taper Forum where he established the Latino Theater Initiative in 1991. He has directed, The Mother of Henry, Solitude, Premeditation, Dementia, and A Mexican Trilogy for the Latino Theatre Company. Most recently he also directed Macbeth at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Karen Zacarias’ Destiny of Desire at Arena Stage, South Coast Rep, The Goodman Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and The Guthrie Theatre. His international directing credits include Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt at the Norland Theatre in Norway and Manuel Puig’s Kiss of the Spider Woman at the National Theatre of Norway. He produced the national Encuentro Festival in 2014 and national and international Encuentro de las Americas in 2017.
About Latino Theater Co. The LTC celebrates over 38 years of commitment to the creation of exciting, thought-provoking theater in Los Angeles. In 2005, the LTC embarked on a new vision to establish a cultural arts center in Downtown Los Angeles. The company was awarded a 20-year lease for the Los Angeles Theatre Center from the City of Los Angeles and a $4 million grant from the California Cultural and Historical Endowment to renovate this historic, five-theater complex. Since reopening in 2007, the company has produced critically acclaimed productions that reflect the diversity of Los Angeles. LTC season programming has consistently been recommended by critics and audiences alike, with shows garnering many L.A. Times Critic’s Choice, Backstage Critic’s Pick, LA Weekly Pick of the Week, and many Ovation Award Nominations and Recommendations over the years. Selected awards and nominations include three Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for World Premiere of Outstanding New Play (A Mexican Trilogy, Time Alone, and The Mother of Henry), Ovation Award Nomination for Playwriting (Hope: Part II of A Mexican Trilogy), and a 2010 NAACP Theater Award (The Reckoning). It has received the ICWP 50/50 Applause Award for gender equity for the past seven years. In 2023, the LTC launched the National Latinx Theater Initiative (NLTI). The first of its kind, this program provides 9.5 million dollars in much-needed unrestricted operating support to Latine theaters and ensembles in Los Angeles, throughout California, around the country and in Puerto Rico. Currently, the LTC has commissioned the Circle of Imaginistas, a group of playwrights focusing on relevant Latine themes. The program pairs veteran, established Latine playwrights with early to mid-career playwrights in a writing partnership through which each playwright will create a full-length play. Continuing LTC’s commitment to education and community involvement, LTC has created the Impact Initiative, a program designed for all community colleges across Los Angeles County providing a platform for students to engage in theater arts through student subscriptions, performances, and master classes. LTC also offers Play at Work (PAW), a free after-school vocational training program that teaches stagecraft to Los Angeles public high school teens and young adults, and the Summer Youth Conservatory (SYC), a fully-funded scholarship based five-week program where high school students train in a professional setting. Website: latinotheaterco.org
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT: As an organization dedicated to providing space for artists from many cultural backgrounds, we want to acknowledge that the building where The LATC is located, in which we gather to share stories, is on the unceded lands of The Gabrielino-Tongva. We pay our respect to The Gabrielino-Tongva and other Indigenous caretakers of these lands and waters; and to their elders who have lived here, who live here now, and who will live here in the future. We extend that respect to all Indigenous people who join us for programming at The Los Angeles Theatre Center.
ANTI-RACIST VALUES: The Latino Theater Company strives to be an anti-racist theater organization. Our company members, board of directors, staff and artists stand united in our commitment to eradicating all forms of oppression and bigotry.