The Latinx Theatre Commons (LTC) in celebrated the 2022 and 2023 recipients of the Diane Rodriguez Teatrista Award on Tuesday 3 October from 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. EDT (Boston, UTC -4). Patricia Garza and Adriana Gaviria speak about their careers, learnings from their mentors and Diane, and their hope for the Latine theatre field. This conversation is moderated by Chantal Rodriguez and introduced by Jose Delgado.
The Diane is the LTC’s first award dedicated to an individual working in the theatre field who is committed to increasing Latinx representation across disciplines. Named in honor of director, writer, performer, and advocate Diane Rodriguez, this award aims to support theatremakers in continuing her legacy. It also includes a $5,000 unrestricted award.
About The Panelists
Jose Delgado
Jose has fifty years of experience in theatre and artist management as a general manager, tour manager, administrator, producer and business manager. He was a member of El Teatro Campesino and currently sits on their board of directors. He also served seven years on the Cornerstone Theater Company's board of directors, six of those years as the chair. He was the producing director of the Ojai Playwrights Conference for ten years and has served on their board of directors since 2011. As owner of Pleiades Management, he manages Mariachi Sol de Mexico and Mariachi Reynas de Los Angeles.
Patricia Garza
Patricia Garza is a producer, advocate, educator, and facilitator based in East Los Angeles on Tongva/Kizh land. Patricia is the producer and director of Los Angeles programs at Los Angeles Performance Practice (LAPP). Before joining LAPP, they served as the director of programs and engagement at the Network of Ensemble Theaters (NET) and have now shifted into the role of NET/TEN program director, continuing to manage NET’s cornerstone grant program. Patricia was a member of the artistic staff at Center Theatre Group (CTG) for over a decade, where they worked alongside Diane Rodriguez in her role as CTG associate artistic director for six years. Patricia has served as a grant panelist for the NEA, Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, among others. Patricia works with other theatre professionals nationally on issues surrounding anti-racism towards collective liberation, with a focus on the LGBTQIA+ community, through artEquity.
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. Website.
About The Moderator
Chantal Rodriguez
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 (LATC), a multi-theater complex in downtown LA. At the LATC, she helped produce many seasons of culturally diverse work including the historic Encuentro 2014 festival. 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 PhD in Theater and Performance studies, and Santa Clara University, where she earned a BA in Theater and Spanish Studies. She lives in New Haven with her husband Stephen and their dog Bailey.
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