Henry Godinez is First Artistic Director at Northwestern

Henry Godinez, resident artistic associate of Goodman Theatre, and director of the Goodman's Latino Theatre Festival, has been appointed the first artistic director of Northwestern University's Theatre and Interpretation Center.

Godinez, who joined Northwestern's theatre department as an associate professor in 2006, begins his new duties immediately.

Godinez will be responsible for working with Northwestern University School of Communication's theatre, dance and performance studies faculty and students to organize an entertaining and innovative artistic program in the Theatre and Interpretation Center. He will continue to teach acting and Latino Theatre courses at Northwestern as well as maintain his positions with the Goodman.

Godinez's 2007-08 season production of Cuban playwright Eduardo Machado's drama The Cook opens at the Goodman's Owen Theatre October 29 and runs through November 18.

Also at Goodman, Godinez directed the world premieres of "Mariela in the Desert" by Karen Zacarias and Straight as a Line by Luis Alfaro, as well as Alfaro's Electricidad, Zoot Suit by Luis Valdez, Psst I Have Something To Tell You, Mi Amor by Ana Castillo, the Goodman/Teatro Vista co-production of José Rivera's Cloud Tectonics and six season's of the Goodman's production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, adapted by Tom Creamer.

Godinez also curates the Goodman's biennial Latino Theatre Festival featuring international, national and local Latino theatre companies, which will be presented in August 2008. He is the co-founder of Teatro Vista, a Chicago-based theatre ensemble that celebrates Latino culture through its performances, and has served as its artistic director for the first five years. Also with Teatro Vista, he directed El Paso Blue and Santos & Santos by Octavio Solis, Journey of the Sparrows by Meryl Friedman, from the book by Fran Leeper Buss, Eduardo Machado's Broken Eggs and the English language premiere of Hugo Salcedo's The Crossing.

His other productions include A Year With Frog and Toad for Chicago Children's Theatre, Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics at Victory Gardens Theatre and Two Sisters and a Piano for Apple Tree Theatre (a co-production with Teatro Vista); True West at Portland Center Stage in Oregon and Urban Zulu Mambo at Signature Theatre in New York City, as well as the Goodman world premiere as the re-titled Millennium Mambo, both starring Regina Taylor.

His other directing credits include The Winter's Tale at Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Macbeth for the Oak Park Festival Theatre, Romeo and Juliet at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, as well as several seasons of Stories on Stage for WBEZ Chicago Public Radio.

As an actor, he was most recently seen in the Teatro Vista/Goodman world premiere of José Rivera's Massacre.

Godinez also has performed at The Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, Ca.; The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; and Chicago's Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Wisdom Bridge Theatre, The Court Theatre and Victory Gardens Theatre, as well as in television and films including Above the Law, The Fugitive, The Package and thirtysomething.

Prior to joining Northwestern, Godinez was an associate professor at The Theatre School of DePaul University in Chicago and an artist-in-residence at Columbia College Chicago. He has served as a sight evaluator and panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and Illinois Arts Council and the Evanston Arts Council, and works on the advisory committee of Arts in Community of the Evanston Community Foundation.

He is the recipient of the 1999 Theatre Communications Group (TCG) Alan Schneider Directing Award and the Distinguished Service Award from the Lawyers for the Creative Arts. The award is designed to identify and assist exceptional directors whose talent has been demonstrated through work in specific regions.

Born in Havana, Cuba, Godinez received a bachelor's degree from the University of Dallas and master of fine arts degree from The Professional Theatre Training Program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which is now located at The University of Delaware.

He lives in Evanston with his wife and two daughters.

For more information about the Northwestern University Theatre and Interpretation Center's 2007-08 season visit www.northwestern.edu/newscenter

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