Nidia Medina to Succeed Lou Moreno as Artistic Director at INTAR Theatre

International Arts Relations announced that Artistic Director Lou Moreno has decided to step down from the position at the end of June 2025 after 15 years. Producing Director, and former associate artistic director, Nidia Medina will succeed him in the role.

"Since the early days of my career as an actor then a director, INTAR has been more than a theater—it’s been a home.  I’ve been privileged to nurture that spirit as Artistic Director by cultivating a space where creativity and community intersect, where the next generation of artists could find their voice, honing their craft alongside legacy voices that continue to define the richness of Latine theater. What I’ll treasure most about my time here, however, is the community we built together. Over the years, I’ve witnessed friendships, collaborations, and even families form from the bonds created at INTAR. These human connections are, to me, the most profound legacy of my time here,” said Lou Moreno. “Among the many highlights was asking Nidia Medina to join the company as my Producing Partner. From the moment she returned to INTAR, Nidia brought with her a wealth of experience from her extraordinary career, along with an unmatched passion for our mission. Her leadership has been transformative, and the work we’ve done together has strengthened the foundation of this company in ways I could only dream of. As I prepare to step aside, I do so with immense pride and gratitude. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve this remarkable company and its artists, and I am forever grateful to have been part of this journey. The stage is set for INTAR’s next chapter, which also marks the first time a woman will be in this role at INTAR, and I can’t wait to watch it flourish under Nidia’s leadership.”

For 15 years, Lou Moreno has been at the heart of INTAR, guiding it through a period of artistic growth, resilience, and innovation. Under his leadership, INTAR remained a crucial incubator for Latine theater, supporting emerging and legacy voices such as CQ, Maggie Bofill, C. Julian Jiménez, Octavio Solis, and José Rivera. At the start of his tenure, Moreno was faced with a theatre without a home. He transformed a small studio into a thriving creative space, proving that a theatre’s strength lies in its people, not its walls. As theatres began to reopen after the shutdown, he led INTAR with innovation by commissioning and staging MicroTEATRO—a series of short plays performed in local businesses across Hell’s Kitchen. Through initiatives like UNIT52, he created opportunities for the next generation of Latine artists, many of whom have carried the spirit of INTAR into new artistic spaces, continuing to shape the cultural fabric of New York and beyond.

"What do all theatre artists search for? A home. A place to be nourished, challenged, inspired, protected, educated, emancipated, and celebrated. For Latinx writers, actors, directors, and designers working in English, that unique and singular home, in New York, has been INTAR Theatre, championed for the last decade and a half by Lou,” added INTAR artist and Playwright José Rivera. “I’ve had the good fortune of being a part of this theatre family for the majority of my writing life. It was INTAR who commissioned my play Marisol.  It was INTAR that produced the New York premieres of Giants Have Us in Their Books and Adoration of the Old Woman.  It was INTAR who gave my Sonnets for an Old Century to an intrepid and exciting cohort of young performers.  And it was INTAR who gave me my first New York directing job when it produced the world premiere of The Hours are Feminine.  I’ve seen INTAR struggle in a heartless New York financial ecosystem.  And I’ve seen it being reborn and flourish time and time again: fed by the artists and community it continues to feed.  The future for this intrepid, tireless, striving little theatre is huge.  I can’t wait to see what happens to my home."

"I am deeply grateful for the time Lou and I have worked alongside each other, and beyond honored to step up and take the reins from him, leading INTAR into the next phase of its life. There is truly no place like INTAR—it is an epicenter of Latine creativity and expression, somehow containing the vastness of the Latine experience and the depth of our generations in its modest, unassuming space.  When you are here, you gain access to our universe,” said Nidia Medina. “In this humbling moment, being entrusted with the future of this legendary Latine artistic space, my mission is clear -- to uplift Latine voices in all of our diversity and complexities, to push our artistry continually forward into national and international conversations where it belongs, to keep the well-being of people at the center of our practices, and of course, to ferociously protect the space that we have cultivated and the community it serves."

“When you think about legacy we often think about preservation of a story, when in reality, legacy is the preservation of an outcome. To have Nidia at the forefront of this new chapter is a gift for INTAR because she is a true leader who understands the foundations of great theater making beginning to end, with practicing curiosity, accountability, and joyous commitment to one's mission. With a strong human-centered approach to her work, there has never been a time where Nidia's keen eye for community chemistry and devotion to keeping artists' needs on the forefront hasn't proven to be an anchor of success,” said Julissa Contreras, INTAR Board Member and Playwright. “Her love for INTAR is palpable and her vision for this community is one that has already been in progress and vibrantly felt; with this shift comes a preservation of what makes INTAR a gem while excavating the potential to shine in new ways that meet ever-changing artistic possibilities.”

"Lou Moreno’s greatest gift to INTAR has been more than curating 15 years of electrifying work—it’s been his unwavering dedication to nurturing the Latine Theatre Community. Under his leadership, INTAR has become a true home for Latine artists, a space where their voices are celebrated and their stories thrive,” noted C. Julian Jiménez, INTAR Board Member and artist. “Now, with the visionary and inspiring leadership of Nidia Medina, INTAR is entering an exhilarating new chapter. Nidia has already sparked a fresh wave of artists and audiences, ensuring the legacy of care and creativity lives on. It’s an extraordinary moment for INTAR Theatre to honor its bold past while fearlessly stepping into an even brighter future."

INTAR will present the World Premiere of The Irrepressible Magic of The Tropics, by Julián Mesri (Comedy of Errors Public Theater Mobile Unit) and directed by Kathleen Capdesuñer (Fefu y Sus Amigas), beginning February 15, 2025, followed in May by the World Premiere of O.K.!, by Christin Eve Cato (Sancocho) and directed by Melissa Crespo (Bees and Honey).

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