The Diane Rodriguez Teatrista Award

2023 Recipient: Adriana Gaviria

Adriana Gaviria is an actress, voice-over artist, writer, director, advocate, and creative producer. She has performed at regional theaters across the nation—most notably Yale Repertory Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, Denver Center, Arizona Theatre Company, Pasadena Playhouse, Marin Theatre Company, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and Miami New Drama as well as with numerous theater companies in New York. Television/Film: “Law & Order: CI,” “Person of Interest,” “Sueños.” She is Founding Member/Co-Artistic Director of The Sol Project, Producer of SolFest, and serves on the executive team as Director of Technology and Innovation at Parent Artist Advocacy League. She is Founder of North Star Projects, an arts initiative hoping to create a better world, one project at a time. Advisory Boards: 50 Playwrights Project, FIU Theatre Alumni. Steering Committees: DRAMA, Latinx Theatre Commons. Training: NALAC Advocacy Leadership Institute, NALAC Leadership Institute. BFA, Florida International University; MFA, The David Geffen School of Drama, Yale University. Member of The Actors Center, SAG-AFTRA and AEA. Adriana embraces the human spirit and aims to empower, inspire and build community through her work.

The selection committee for the 2023 award included inaugural recipient Patricia Garza; Diane’s husband, Jose Delgado; Chantal Rodriguez; Jacky Segui; and Eric Swartz.

About The Award

The Diane Rodriguez Teatrista Award, "The Diane," is the Latinx Theatre Commons' first award dedicated to an individual working in the theatre field who is committed to increasing Latinx representation across disciplines. With this award, the LTC aims to continue the legacy of Diane Rodriguez (1951-2020), an award-winning, multi-hyphenate theatre artist who tirelessly advocated for other artists and opened doors for future leaders in the field.

In a 2018 interview with the National Endowment for the Arts, Diane reflected, "I think that humor is the biggest weapon to change people’s minds.” Announcing this award at the 2022 LTC Comedy Carnaval honors Diane's own work in comedy through Latins Anonymous, Culture Clash, and her own plays.

The LTC will seek Latinx-identifying applicants who are nominated by peers and colleagues throughout the field, and award recipients will be selected by an appointed committee. With this approach, we aim to amplify Diane's spirit of generosity and her commitment to empowering fellow artists throughout her remarkable career. Diane Rodriguez served on the LTC's Advisory Committee for six years.

The Diane Rodriguez Teatrista Award recipient will receive a $5,000 unrestricted award.

Nominations for the 2024 award will open in early 2024. Applicants will be nominated by peers and colleagues throughout the field and recipients will be selected by an appointed committee.

Inaugural Recipient: Patricia Garza

Patricia is the Producer and Director of Los Angeles Programs at Los Angeles Performance Practice (LAPP) supporting the production and presentation of contemporary performance. Before joining LAPP, they served as the Director of Programs and Engagement at the Network of Ensemble Theaters (NET). A former member of the artistic staff at Center Theatre Group (CTG) for over a decade, Patricia had the honor of working alongside CTG Associate Artistic Director Diane Rodriguez for six years. Together they engaged world-renowned international and local companies on multi-year projects focused on collective and ensemble creation.

The inaugural award recipient was selected by a group of seven nominators: Amelia Acosta Powell, Jacqueline Flores, Anne García-Romero, Lisa Portes, José Luis Valenzuela, Abigail Vega, and Karen Zacarías.