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A livestream with recipients of the Edward Medina Prize for Excellence in Cultural Criticism and hosted by the American Theatre Critics/Journalists Association (ACTA). The Medina Prize was created in 2022 to celebrate the life of Puerto Rican theatre critic, Edward Medina, who championed new, diverse voices in theatre criticism and theatre journalism. This year, 2025 honoree Citlali Pizarro and 2024 honoree Christian Lewis engage in an enlightening conversation about the state of theatre, navigating careers in arts journalism, their pathways to the arts, the importance of fresh perspectives, and more.
Citlali Pizarro (she/her) is a New York-based writer and theatre producer with bylines in 3Views, American Theatre, Current Affairs, and HowlRound. In 2023, she was named a TCG Rising Leader of Color in Arts Journalism and a fellow at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Critics Institute. In 2021-22, she was a PEN America Writing for Justice Fellow, a Shadowproof Marvel Cooke Fellow for abolition journalism, and the inaugural Lin-Manuel Miranda Family Fellow in Connectivity at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. She currently works in the Public Theater’s producing department.
Christian Lewis (they/them) is a New York-based trans nonbinary, queer, disabled, freelance critic with bylines in Variety, American Theatre, Theatermania, Theatrely, Out, INTO, Queerty, Playbill, Did They Like It?, and more. They have co-hosted podcasts with the Broadway Podcast Network, spoken on panels at the Prelude Festival and the International Society for the Study of Musical Theater conference, and covered red carpets and awards.
Founded in 1974, the American Theatre Critics/Journalists Association is the only national association of professional theatre critics and journalists in the United States. ATCA champions greater communication among theatre critics and journalists; provides training and networking opportunities and programs to foster emerging writers; advocates for freedom of expression; maintains ethical standards; responds to the continued evolution of the profession; and increases public awareness of theatre criticism as an important national resource. Our members work nationwide for newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and online services.
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