Latinx Theatre Commons Steering Committee Convening

Boston, Massachusetts, 22-23 March 2013

The first gathering of the newly formed Latinx Theatre Commons Steering Committee took place 22–23 March 2013. Born out of a meeting in Washington, DC the previous year, this committee met with the express purpose to plan a national convening of 70-90 Latinx theatre artists in the fall of 2013. That national gathering would officially launch the Latinx Theatre Commons, a national movement that uses a commons-based approach to transform the narrative of the American theatre, to amplify the visibility of Latinx performance making, and to champion equity through advocacy, art making, convening, and scholarship.

“Latino/a” “highlights the globalization of the US Latino/a community and mirrors the fact that life in the US is now an intercultural reality.” —Anne Garcia-Romero

The group that gathered included: Christopher Acebo, Kevin Becerra, Juliette Carrillo, Anne García-Romero, Tlaloc Rivas, Tanya Saracho, Tony Sonero, Enrique Urueta, Kinan Valdez, Clyde Valentín, José Luis Valenzuela, Patricia Ybarra, and Karen ZacarÍas

This planning session started with the articulated goal of creating a concrete plan and action steps for moving forward with the Latinx Theatre Commons national gathering in the Fall of 2013, including: confirmed dates for the event, a list of invitees, an outreach plan, a fundraising action plan, and a basic design for the event itself. The conversation was rooted in a desire to be inclusive of all efforts to advance Latinx theatre around the country, whether or not the champions and artists are specifically tied to this steering committee.