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2016 Latinx Theatre Commons Pacific Northwest Regional

Collage of theatre artists participating in activities at the 2016 Latinx Theatre Commons Pacific Northwest Regional Convening.

Watch the livestreamed opening ceremonies here

Seattle, Washington, 15-17 April 2016

The 2016 Latinx Theatre Commons Pacific Northwest Regional convening brought together over eighty Latinx and allied theatremakers to the Glenn Hughes Penthouse Theatre, University of Washington School of Drama in Seattle, Washington to engage in a national dialogue on the building a Latinx Theatre movement in the Pacific Northwest. See the full list of attendees and check out the agenda here. This convening was the second in a series of regional convenings produced by the LTC Steering Committee and hosted by local partners, for local artists, closely following the regional convening in Dallas, Texas in 2015.

“LTC participants are founding initiatives, reaching out, launching books—all activities they might have done anyway—but it all has this espírito. They aren’t doing these activities solely for themselves. They are part of a larger history; they are buoyed by each other.”—Elaine Ávila

On the left, theatre artists mingle in a black box theater. On the right, a person takes notes on a large sheet of paper on a wall.

The 2016 Latinx Theatre Commons Pacific Northwest Regional began with a session reflecting on the history of Latinx theatre in the Pacific Northwest and celebrating the legacy of Maria Irene Fornés with selected readings of scenes from her works performed and directed by local artists. Following this, we heard from Todd London, Executive Director of the UW School of Drama, and the Office of the Mayor of Seattle, as they proclaimed April 15 as Latina/o Theatre Day. The convening continued for two more days, building and growing relationships among theatremakers in the Pacific Northwest and connecting them with a national movement of Latinx theatremakers organizing together. The convening ended with a closed session for theatremakers from the Pacific Northwest where they charted a path forward, with an emphasis on maintaining connections and furthering artistic partnerships.

“While we had the opportunity to express the many challenges faced by Latina/o artists in this region, the conversation ended on acknowledging the power of our shared history and creating opportunities to move the work forward.”—Arlene Martínez-Vázquez

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