José Luis Valenzuela Awarded SDCF Gordon Davidson Award for Lifetime Achievement and Distinguished Service in the American Theatre

Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation has announced that director José Luis Valenzuela has received its 2024 Gordon Davidson Award. Named in honor of the founding artistic director of Los Angeles’s Center Theatre Group and one of the visionary leaders of the resident theatre movement Gordon Davidson, the award recognizes a director or choreographer for lifetime achievement and distinguished service in the national not-for-profit theatre. The award will be presented to Valenzuela at a ceremony in the Spring.

The selection committee was chaired by Neel Keller, former Associate Artistic Director of Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles. He said in a statement:

“José Luis Valenzuela is a Los Angeles institution and an irrepressible force in the American Theatre. The Gordon Davidson Committee is thrilled that this award can celebrate his artistic achievements, legacy of mentorship, and dedication to the city that he and Gordon loved so much. Like Gordon, José Luis is an artist, a mentor, a teacher, a passionate advocate, and an engaged citizen.  He has directed acclaimed productions throughout our regional theatre and internationally. He has supported generations of theatre artists and students who have gone on to dazzle and challenge audiences around the globe. He has built a vibrant, important theatre company. He has championed civic investment in the arts, making a powerful statement about the theatre’s importance at the center of civic life and dialogue.

José Luis boundless energy and passion for the theatre have allowed him to serve simultaneously, and for many years, as the Artistic Director of the Latino Theater Company (LTC), and The Los Angeles Theatre Center (LATC), while also serving as a Distinguished Professor and served as Head of the MFA Directing program at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film & Television.  As a founder of the Latino Theatre Lab at LATC and the Latino Theater Initiative at the Mark Taper Forum, as well as Producer of the national and international Encuentro Festivals he has changed engrained notions of how theatre is made, who can make it, and who it is for.  Over more than four decades he has used theatre to uplift and inspire community.  He has been a living example of how creativity and inclusion can amplify voices, strengthen institutions, and improve our quality of life. The Gordon Davidson committee cannot think of anyone more deserving of this award.  We congratulate José Luis and join the field in thanking him for a lifetime of remarkable service and achievement.”

Valenzuela shared in a statement in response to receiving the award, “Gordon Davison was a mentor, friend, and a significant part of my life and career. I had the privilege of working with him for five years at CTG. He was incredibly knowledgeable about theater, community, and people. We had numerous discussions about our work, shared our thoughts and ideas, and reached agreements and disagreements. We had a special relationship as theater makers who shared a passion for the art form and a commitment to its impact on society. He emphasized the importance of creating “theater that matters” and letting the world see it.

When I resigned from the Mark Taper, he was disappointed. But we managed to navigate through the situation, and I was overjoyed to see him come to see my work and continue our conversations. He was curious about my artistic and cultural development. He visited the LATC when we acquired the theater to congratulate me and then asked, “Where are you going to get the money to run it?” We laughed when I replied that I didn’t know.

I consider Gordon to be one of the great leaders and a pillar in the American Theater and I am honored to receive this award. I am proud to be part of such a brilliant and incredible group of recipients before me and want to express my gratitude to the committee that supported my nomination. I am having a Sally Field moment.”

Keller was joined on the selection committee by Sheldon Epps, Artistic Director Emeritus of Pasadena Playhouse; Michael John Garcés, Artistic Director Emeritus of Cornerstone Theatre Company; Laura Penn, Executive Director of SDC; Lisa Peterson, Resident Director at the Mark Taper Forum from 1995 to 2005; and Warner Shook, who directed Davidson’s final Taper production. Rachel Davidson, daughter to Gordon Davidson, served as an advisor.

The Gordon Davidson Award has previously been presented to Oskar Eustis (2018), Lisa Peterson (2019), Seret Scott (2020), Emily Mann (2021), Donald Byrd (2022), and Anne Bogart (2023).

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