There’s been a lot of changeover in top leadership at Chicago theaters over the past 18 months, with more to come; we’re still waiting to hear who will be replacing Anna Shapiro as Steppenwolf’s artistic director when she leaves at the end of her six-year contract in August. (Will the company honor past tradition and draw from within the ensemble, or will they look outside the walls of the growing Steppenwolf campus on Halsted?)
In talking to all three women (the first female artistic directors in the history of their respective companies), it’s clear that they see their mission is to work collaboratively within the existing ensembles of Remy Bumppo and Teatro Vista, while expanding the idea of what the work created by those ensembles can be, onstage and off.
In practical terms for Lyons, that means “Representation is on the forefront of my mind. Both in terms of who’s on our stages and who’s behind the scenes for our season. Additionally, who is on our ensemble, on our board, and on our staff.” She adds, “I think the anti-racist work that is being done in the theater community really betters the working conditions for everyone. And so here’s where we’re also talking about pay equity, looking at how to pay staffers but also freelancers as fairly as possible, given the size of our organization. Pay equity is also something that is on the forefront of our minds.”
Founded in 1990 by Edward Torres and Henry Godinez, Teatro Vista’s motto is “theatre with a view”—and more specifically, a view that encompasses the broad range of work by contemporary Latinx artists. Torres took over as sole artistic director in 1995 when Godinez (who has been a longtime resident artistic associate for the Goodman) left. In 2013, Ricardo Gutiérrez moved into the role.
Building bridges between communities is also something that Mateo and Diaz feel they can do well, based on their own career experiences.
