Teatro Vision

Teatro Vision was founded in 1978 by Chicana activists and artists who set out to challenge social conditions and theatrical conventions. Thirty years later the organization is led by founding Artistic Director Elisa Alvarado and long time Executive Director Raul Lozano and presents a three-play season to 7,000 patrons at San Jose’s Mexican Heritage Plaza. Over 60% of Teatro Vision’s audience is Latino and while they attract audiences from throughout the South Bay, most come from San Jose’s predominantly Latino East Side. Teatro Vision presents plays (at low ticket prices or for free) that are frequently in Spanish, that range from the family-oriented to the politically-themed, and that are often premieres for the country’s Latino playwrights who struggle to find professional production opportunities elsewhere. In addition to the company’s theater work Alvarado and Lozano have guided Teatro Vision to a crucially important position of community leadership. The company’s Insituto de Teatro program teaches social service providers working in the mental health, violence prevention and immigrant rights areas how to use theater to improve their efforts. Working with fellow Hewlett grantee the Mayfair Improvement Initiative Teatro’s Theater for Community Engagement trained 20 organizers to present 44 productions for 1500 Mayfair residents in 2007. This work, coupled with educational outreach efforts and a leading role in civic advocacy efforts for San Jose’s minority arts community, serve to promote aesthetic diversity in the region and make palpable the integral connection between culture and community well being. With renewed support Teatro Vision will be able to continue its audience development activities as well as further the positive community impact that flows from the Instituto de Teatro.