Chicago’s leading Latine theater company, Teatro Vista, has announced its 2022-23 season, the second under Co-Artistic Directors Lorena Diaz and Wendy Mateo.
The season’s theme is “Shadow Work,” featuring two world premiere live productions and two exciting new digital works intended “to bring to light that which sits in the unconscious mind.”
New psychological thriller Enough to Let the Light In launches Teatro Vista’s new season
(from left) Playwright Paloma Nozicka, director Georgette Verdin, and actors Melissa DuPrey and Lisandra Tena
First up this fall is the in-person world premiere of Enough to Let the Light In by Paloma Nozicka, produced by Teatro Vista as part of the 5th Destinos Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, co-presented at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater, September 21-October 23, 2022.
Enough to Let the Light In is a gripping, fast paced, psychological thriller revolving around girlfriends Marc and Cynthia, who start an evening together celebrating a milestone, but the night quickly devolves into chaos as buried secrets are revealed and lives are irrevocably changed.
Paloma Nozicka is a Mexican-American actor, writer, director and filmmaker, bred in Chicago, based in L.A. Melissa DuPrey, known for her role as Dr. Sara Ortiz on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, plays Marc. Lisandra Tena, best known as Lola Guerrero on the AMC’s Fear The Walking Dead, is Cynthia. Georgette Verdin directs.
Previews of Enough to Let the Light In are Wednesday and Thursday, September 21 and 22 at 8 p.m. Press opening is Friday, September 23 at 8 p.m. Performances run through October 23: Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 3 p.m. Runtime is 85 minutes. Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater is located at 1700 N. Halsted St., Chicago. Tickets, $25-$45, are on sale now at steppenwolf.org.
All hail The Dream King, Marvin Quijada’s new silent musical, debuting spring 2023
(from left) Marvin Quijada, Sandra Márquez, Alice da Cunha
Next spring, Chicago will be hailing The Dream King, a silent musical by Teatro Vista ensemble member Marvin Quijada, co-directed by ensemble member Sandra Márquez and Alice da Cunha.
The Dream King is a story of a man who falls in love with the woman of his dreams while in his dreams. A story told using no words. An exploration of the psyche told through movement, circus, projections, puppetry, and a willingness to let go of what one thinks a play should be. Performance dates and venue are TBA.
Teatro Vista digital productions in 2022-23
(from left) Isaac Gómez, Monty Cole
Digital productions dropping this season are La Vuelta, an original Teatro Vista film exploring how our existence in the world has ripple effects beyond us, particularly in times of great crisis and isolation. La Vuelta is written by ensemble member Isaac Gómez, directed by Monty Cole, and devised by ensemble members Charín Álvarez, Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel, Ramón Ybarra, Eddie Torres, Sandra Marquez and Sandra Delgado.
Gabriel Ruiz
In addition, look for season two of The Fifth World, a serial fiction podcast written by ensemble member Gabriel Ruiz.
Season one, voiced by an all-Teatro Vista ensemble cast, followed Sebastian Reyes as he arrived in the small desert town of Palomas, Arizona to make his name producing a true crime story about a missing child. But things weren’t always what they seemed in Palomas, and Seba found himself in a whole other world.
Rescripted.org called season one of Teatro Vista’s serial podcast “tense, suspenseful, horrifying, gorgeous, and evocative…a must-listen.” Season two will uncover even more mysteries and seal Seba’s fate in a riveting tale rooted in Aztec mythology, set in modern times and influenced by a pandemic.
Get ready by listening to season one of The Fifth World, available to stream for free via teatrovista.org, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Enjoy Season 1, episodes 1 & 2 of The Fifth World. If you dare.
Teatro Vista Co-Artistic Directors Lorena Diaz (left) and Wendy Mateo
“At Teatro Vista, we believe the artists we collaborate with are inherently genius”
In a statement accompanying Teatro Vista’s season announcement, Co-Artistic Directors Lorena Diaz and Wendy Mateo wrote, “At Teatro Vista, we believe that the artists we collaborate with are inherently genius. These artists have not always been given the privilege to explore their work through different expressions in spaces where they see themselves reflected. As artists of color, we know what it means to be drawn into boxes we feel powerless to break out of. It is the work of our artists that defies the idea of what we have been known to produce as a Latine theater company and pushes us into greater depths of expression. Teatro Vista’s 2022-23 ‘Shadow Work’ season will explore what healing looks like and how humans are nurtured to fight against their dark unconscious, in a courageous search for the peace of mind of their inner light.”
Sign up for Teatro Vista’s e-newsletter at teatrovista.org to receive first notice of new shows, episodes, and behind-the-scenes content, or follow Teatro Vista on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
This is a Teatro Vista Joint: In-person show discount opportunities in 2022-23
Student Nights: Thursday nights are Student Nights at Teatro Vista. Students with a valid student ID can get tickets at $15 with the code TVSTUDENT to every Thursday performance. (Please note: one ticket per student ID.)
Teatro For All: Teatro For All is a new initiative to offer affordable tickets to students, artists, seniors or anyone on a tight budget. Teatro For All tickets are available for every performance on a first come first served basis. We trust our community inherently and hope these tickets find the folks who need them most. If you need to access a Teatro For All priced ticket, please use code TEATROFORALL at checkout.
Group Tickets: Booking a group of 10 or more? Group rates are available. To check availability or other details, please send an email to info@teatrovista.org.
Covid-19 Policy: Enough to Let The Light In is co-presented at Steppenwolf 1700 Theater, which, at press time, requires patrons to wear masks and show proof of vaccination. For more details about Steppenwolf’s COVID-19 policies, click here.
About Teatro Vista
Teatro Vista is Chicago’s largest, Equity-affiliated professional Latine theater company and one of the nation’s premier Latine arts organizations.The company’s primary focus is producing new works by Latine theater artists from its own ensemble, a group of multi-generational, multi-ethnic and multi-disciplinary artists.
Teatro Vista ensemble members include Charín Álvarez, Max Arciniega, Cheryl Lynn Bruce, Ramón Camín, Laura Dahl, Sandra Delgado, Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel, Isaac Gómez, Erik Juárez, Jon Lyon, Sandra Márquez, Eddie Martinez, Joe Minoso, Ayssette Muñoz, Marvin Quijada, Tommy Rivera-Vega, Gabriel Ruiz, Nate Santana, and co-founder Edward Torres.
In July, 2021, following a national search, Lorena Diaz and Wendy Mateo were appointed Co-Artistic Directors of Teatro Vista.
Teatro Vista’s Board of Directors includes Adela Cepeda, President, Joan Pantsios, Secretary, Julieta LaMalfa, Treasurer, and Rosa Escareño, Kareem Mohamednur, Carina Sanchez and Jose Vazquez.
Teatro Vista is supported by Alphawood Foundation, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Chicago Community Trust, Chicago Cultural Treasures, Chicago Filmmaker Grant, CLATA (Chicago Latino Theater Alliance), DCASE (Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events), Fidelity Charitable, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Illinois Arts Council, The Joyce Foundation, The Latinos Progresando Excellerator Fund, The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity, and the Arts at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts and the Walder Foundation.
For more, visit teatrovista.org, or follow the company on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
Teatro Vista’s 2022-23 Shadow Work season artist bios
Paloma Nozicka (playwright, Enough to Let the Light In), is a Mexican-American actor, writer and director. TV acting credits include recurring roles on The Red Line (CBS); Proven Innocent, Empire (FOX); Chicago Med, Chicago PD (NBC). She’s worked at some of the country's most prestigious theaters, including Geffen Playhouse, Goodman Theatre, and Steppenwolf Theatre. She's written several short plays, two short films, and currently has a feature film in development. Directing credits include her short film Each Lovely Thing (currently in festivals). palomanozicka.com
Georgette Verdin (director, Enough to Let the Light In), is a Cuban-American director, arts educator and the current Michael Maggio Directing Fellow at Goodman Theatre. Since 2015, she has served as the Managing Artistic Director of Interrobang Theatre Project. Verdin is also a company member with Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. Select directing credits include Spay by Madison Fiedler (Rivendell Theatre), This Wide Night by Chloë Moss (Shattered Globe Theatre/Interrobang Theatre Project), Tribes by Nina Raine (Western Michigan University), the U.S. Premiere of Out of Love by Elinor Cook, as well as, Utility, the 2016 Yale Drama Series winner by Emily Schwend (Interrobang Theatre Project). Verdin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Performance from McNeese State University and a Master in Directing from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. Verdin received 3Arts Make-A-Wave grant in 2021 and is an associate member of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. georgetteverdin.com
Melissa DuPrey (Marc, Enough to Let the Light In) is a multidisciplinary artist with roots from Humboldt Park, Chicago. After earning double Bachelor of the Arts degrees from the University of Houston, she returned to Chicago to join the all-Latina theatre company, Teatro Luna. Her one-woman show, SEXomedy (2012), was developed during their monthly series for women of color in the arts and received a Chicago Reader Recommendation, a Member's Pick, and had a successful debut Off-Broadway in New York. The popular show spurred a progressive sequel, SEXomedy 2.0, which debuted at Steppenwolf Theatre in April 2019. Her second solo show, SUSHI-frito, has also been critically acclaimed as part of MPAACT's Signature Series for solo artists. DuPrey is also a community organizer and spiritualist who also launched The Good Grief Project-an extension of the social justice component from her play GOOD GRIEF where communities of color are connected to local, accessible and multidisciplinary mental and spiritual wellness practitioners of color. In 2021, the New York-based new work development company, ARS NOVA, invited her to develop her fifth solo play, RISE OF THUNDERDOME, to a national digital audience. Her full-length play BRUJAJA was selected as part of 16th Street’s New Play Pop Up Reading Series for 2019 and received its world premiere in 2021 as a digital theatrical release produced by UrbanTheater Company. In 2014, she was selected as a new talent in the ABC Diversity Showcase in New York City. She has performed stand-up comedy in Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. She is a featured actor in the Emmy-nominated web-series Brown Girls and has many regional and non regional theater credits in Chicago. She is credited with playing “Dr. Sara Ortiz” on Grey's Anatomy (Season 17 and 18). Other TV credits include a recurring appearance on Empire (FOX), and guest appearances on The Resident (FOX), Chicago PD (NBC), and The Chi (Showtime). Film credits include: Relative (2022), Long Division (2022), Cherry (2020), Two in the Bush (2017), The Way We Speak (2014) and Bromance (2014). As a musician and active member of her community, she is dedicated to the preservation of Puerto Rican culture by way of the folkloric music, Bomba y Plena, with Africaribe and Las BomPleneras. She is currently an Ensemble Member at UrbanTheater Company and Artistic Associate at Sideshow Theater.
Lisandra Tena (Cynthia, Enough to Let the Light In) graduated magna cum laude from the Theatre School at DePaul University. Stage credits include Mother Road (Goodman Theatre), Crime Scene: A Chicago Anthology (Collaboraction Theatre), Your Problem with Men (Los Angeles Theatre Center), and her self-written one-woman show, Güera (tour included Ilinois, New Mexico, and Arizona). Tena has also appeared in numerous films, commercials, and voiceovers. She is best known for her role as Lola Guerrero on AMC’s Fear The Walking Dead. Other television credits include The Good Place, NCIS, Chicago PD and Good Trouble. She is currently based in Los Angeles.
Marvin Quijada (a.k.a Silent Marvin) is a Chicago based clown and mime, and an electronic composer and DJ. He is a Teatro Vista ensemble member where his credits include La Havana Madrid, I Put the Fear of Mexico in ‘Em and Momma’s Boyz. You can catch him in Teatro Vista's new episodic moving comic production of Detective Q: The Sharpest Line on Instagram at @itsdetectiveQ or @teatrovista. silentmarvin.com
Sandra Márquez is an award-winning Chicago-based actor, director and educator. A longtime ensemble member at Teatro Vista she served as the Associate Artistic Director alongside Artistic Director Edward Torres from 1998-2006. She often works at Steppenwolf Theatre Company where she is an active ensemble member serving on a number of committees there.
She is a recipient of a Jeff Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Beatrice in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge at Teatro Vista. Acting Jeff Award nominations: Best Actress in a Leading Role for 26 Miles by Quiara Alegria Hudes and Living Out by Lisa Loomer. Acting credits include: A Doll’s House Part 2, The Roommate, The Doppelgänger (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Electricidad, The Happiest Song Plays Last, Mariela in the Desert (Goodman Theatre); Massacre, The Sins of Sor Juana, Another Part of the House (Teatro Vista); Clytemnestra in Iphigenia in Aulis, Agamemnon, and Electra (Court Theatre); Mojada and Anna in the Tropics (Victory Gardens); Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Mala Hierba at Second Stage Theatre in New York. Selected film/TV credits: numerous national commercials, Night Sky, Chicago Med, Chicago Justice, Boss and Timer. Marquez is a recipient of the Sor Juana Award from the National Museum of Mexican Art, for her contribution to the Arts and Latinx Community; the Clarence Simon Award for Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring; and several ALTA (Alliance of Latinx Theater Artists) Awards including the Migdalia Cruz Mentorship Award. Before the pandemic canceled the celebration, she was to be honored by the League of Chicago Theaters for her contribution to the Chicago Theater Community. She is a member of the Northwestern University theater faculty where she enjoys teaching and mentoring young theater artists.
Alice da Cunha is a Brazilian/Portuguese actress, director and producer who has worked in Portugal, the U.K. and the U.S. While in London, she studied Creating Theater and Performance at the London International School of Performing Arts, a Lecoq based physical theater school. Since then, da Cunha has worked as a movement director and has helped devise various theater pieces. In 2014, Alice co-founded and became a co-Artistic Director of Physical Theater Festival, an international contemporary, visual and physical theater festival that happens in Chicago every summer. da Cunha continues to act in various film, TV and theater shows and is also an Artistic Consultant to Theater Unspeakable and adjunct professor at Loyola University.
Isaac Gómez (she/they/he) is an award-winning Chicago and Los Angeles based playwright and screenwriter originally from El Paso, Texas/Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. They identify as na’wi – the third gender marker of the Rarámuri, a Mexican indigenous community in northern Chihuahua, of which she is a direct descendent. He is currently under commission with LCT3, Steppenwolf Theater Company, South Coast Repertory, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and IAMA Theatre Company. Their plays have been produced and/or developed by Audible Theater, Steppenwolf Theater Company, Primary Stages, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, the Alley Theatre, and many others. She is the recipient of the 2018 Dramatists Guild Lanford Wilson Award, the 2017 Jeffry Melnick New Playwright Award at Primary Stages, and an inaugural 3Arts Make A Wave grantee. His television credits include the Netflix Original Series Narcos: Mexico, the upcoming Apple TV+ Limited Series The Last Thing He Told Me starring Jennifer Garner, and the second season of the crime-drama Joe Picket for Paramount TV+. They currently have a series in development with Stacey Sher and FX. On the feature side, she is currently under development with a full-length feature at Focus Features. Gómez resides in Los Angeles, with his fiancé, cat (Tuxedo) and miniature schnauzer (Zuni).
Monty Cole is an award-winning film and theatre writer-director from Oak Park, IL. His short that he co-wrote with Matt Foss, Sons of Toledo, has been shown by film festivals around the world and is the winner of Best Short at the International DC Film Festival, Best Short at Film Invasion LA, Best African American Directed Short at Phoenix Film Festival, the Mosaic Award, and Runner Up for Best International Short at the Oakville Film Festival. Cole has directed two other short films: Six Feet Apart by critically acclaimed playwright/screenwriter Isaac Gómez (which recently premiered at the Chinese Theater in Los Angeles with the Dances with Films Festival and is currently nominated for Best Director of a Drama) and Whole, written by Cole, which is in post-production. Cole is currently an Artist in Residence at the Center for New Performance in Los Angeles, a fellow at the Hermitage Artist Retreat and a Research Scholar of the Bridge to Faculty Program at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Cole has a BA in Theatre Studies from Emerson College and an MFA Directing degree from the California Institute of the Arts.
Gabriel Ruiz is a Teatro Vista ensemble member. Ruiz is currently on Broadway originating a role in MJ The Musical. Other New York credits: Blood and Gifts (Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts). Chicago credits include The Wolf at the End of the Block, White Tie Ball (Teatro Vista), I Hate It Here, The Upstairs Concierge (Goodman Theater), The Secret of My Success (Paramount Theater), You Got Older, The Rembrandt, The Way West, How Long Will I Cry?, The Motherf**ker with the Hat (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), Next to Normal, Company, Arcadia (Writers Theatre), Cry it Out, Mansfield Park (Northlight Theatre), Photograph 51, Agamemnon, Man in the Ring (Court Theatre), Native Gardens (Victory Gardens Theater), Singin' in the Rain, City of Angels (Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire), Creditors (Remy Bumppo Theatre Company), Working (Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place) and Arabian Nights (Lookingglass Theatre Company). Regional credits include Native Gardens (Cincinnati Playhouse), Harvey (Milwaukee Repertory Theater), Why Torture Is Wrong... (Forward Theater Company) TV/Film: Christmas Again (Disney), Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, Chicago Justice (NBC), APB (Fox), Electric Dreams (Channel 4) and Boss (Starz). Music composition credits: In the Time of Butterflies (Teatro Vista), An Epic Tale of Scale (Chicago Children’s Theatre), Vietgone (Writers Theatre), I Hate it Here (Studio Theater, The Goodman Theater). He also performs music with the duos 'Sinfolk' and 'With This Song' which can be found on Spotify and WithThisSong.com.