Ricardo Gutiérrez to Step Down as Artistic Leader of Teatro Vista

Teatro Vista announced today Ricardo Gutiérrez is stepping down as Executive Artistic Director after helming the company's artistic mission for the past eight years.

"I appreciate the honor and opportunity I was given to lead Teatro Vista. It has been a remarkable experience working with an abundantly talented group of artists. I am proud of the work we have done and goals we have accomplished in pursuit of our mission," said Gutiérrez.

"I had planned to step down after our 2019-2020 season but Covid-19 dramatically altered the timetable. It has become apparent that the safety of resuming theater productions is still a long way off. Stepping down at this moment will give the company time to identify new leadership during this 'down time.'"

"Teatro Vista has been so fortunate to have had Ricardo's experienced leadership and creative vision," said Teatro Vista Board President Adela Cepeda. "Although he is stepping aside as Artistic Director, we are thankful that he will continue to be a key ensemble member."

Ushering in a new chapter for Teatro Vista, ensemble and board members are working diligently to shape the creative mission moving into the future.

Gutiérrez has been Artistic Director since 2012. During his tenure, Teatro Vista premiered La Havana Madrid, the most successful production in company history, written by and starring Sandra Delgado, and directed by Cheryl Lynn Bruce, both members of the ensemble. Additionally, the company earned long-sought recognition from Chicago's theater community during his tenure, including a 2019 Special Equity Jeff Award for providing an outstanding platform for depicting Latino voices and experiences within the Chicago theater community for the past 30 years.

In addition to artistic oversight, Gutiérrez recently directed Teatro Vista's world premieres of The Abuelas and The Madres, two interconnected plays by Stephanie Alison Walker, the latter winner of the 2020 Francesca Primus Prize from the American Theater Critics Association. He also staged Arthur Miller's classic play A View from the Bridge reimagined with an all-Latino cast in 2014 and the 2017 world premiere of Ike Holter's The Wolf at the End of the Block, which Teatro Vista commissioned. His other directing credits include Hope: Part II of a Mexican Trilogy (with Cheryl Lynn Bruce), Parachute Men, In The Time of the Butterflies, Between You, Me & The Lampshade, Momma's Boyz, i put the fear of mexico in 'em and La Mágica Posada.

Teatro Vista: What's on tap

Teatro Vista ensemble member Gabriel Ruiz has completed the principal writing of his new radio play The 5th World, which features Gabe and other ensemble members delving into a world of mystery and suspense. The 5th World, told in five episodes, will be presented in late October, just in time for the haunting Halloween season.

Once it's safe to present live theater again, Teatro Vista has two exciting world premieres on tap: The Dream King, a stunning new work of physical theater created by and starring ensemble member Marvin Quijada, directed by ensemble member Sandra Márquez, and Somewhere Over the Border, by Brian Quijada, writer and star of his one-man solo play Where Did We Sit on the Bus?

For more, visit teatrovista.org, or follow the company on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

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