Z Space Names Vanessa Flores Chacko as Associate Artistic Director of Word For Word

Z Space—one of the nation's leading laboratory for the development of new works—has named Vanessa Flores Chacko (she/her) as the new Associate Artistic Director of Word for Word Performing Arts Company. Flores Chacko joins Co-Founder and Artistic Director JoAnne Winter in leading the company, which has been Z Space's resident theater company since its founding, bringing works of fiction to the stage for 30 years. A Word for Word Core Company Member for the past three years, Flores Chacko assumes this leadership position with Word for Word following the departure of Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director, Susan Harloe, in 2022. In her new role, Flores Chacko will work with Winter overseeing the artistic and administrative needs of the company and with the Word for Word Core Company to select stories for production. She will also produce the Off the Page staged reading series, and work closely with the Z Space Marketing team to develop Word for Word's marketing and communication strategy.

"Stepping into the role of Associate Artistic Director for Word for Word is the culmination of a profound connection with Word for Word and Z Space nurtured over many years,” says Flores Chacko. “As a development staff member for Z Space and a Core Company Member of Word for Word, I witnessed the transformative power of both companies' artistry firsthand. I'm thrilled to help lead Word for Word into a new and uncharted era alongside Artistic Director JoAnne Winter, with new and more dynamic programming that will continue Word for Word's legacy of bringing the love of the written word to the stage and inspiring connection. It's an honor to transition into this leadership role, and I am grateful to be part of this extraordinary artistic family." 

​​Prior to being appointed Associate Artistic Director, Flores Chacko worked as the Individual Giving Associate at Z Space from 2018 to 2020, implementing a number of fundraising initiatives and managing donor relations. In recent years, she has served as Associate Producer for a number of Word for Word productions, including Boys Go To Jupiter and installments of Off the Page. She is also a writer, director, and producer with a passion for combining storytelling, play, and collaboration. Flores Chacko has been a Word for Word Core Company Member since 2020 and is the Founder/Creative Director of Other Hand Media. Vanessa has extensive experience in production and administration, having worked with several Bay Area organizations like Playwrights Foundation, American Conservatory Theater, and Z Space. Holding an MFA in Writing from California College of the Arts, she values the profound relationships she has cultivated with fellow artists and continuously seeks to inspire her community and foster connections through art-making and theater. 

“I am beyond thrilled to have Vanessa join the Word for Word/Z Space team,” says JoAnne Winter, Word for Word Artistic Director. “She brings enthusiasm, creativity, wit, and smarts to her position as Associate Artistic Director and has already been an asset as a Core Company member. I look forward to working with Vanessa to envision Word for Word in new ways and to continue our work of bringing literature alive on stage.”

“We are incredibly fortunate to have Vanessa assume this leadership position with Word for Word, expanding on the impact she has already made as a Core Company member and longtime artistic force in the Z Space community,” adds Shafer Mazow, Z Space Executive Director. “As a writer and theater maker, Vanessa brings incredible and intersecting skills and passion for theatrical performance and the written word at the heart of Word for Word's unique style. She is the perfect complement to the team, and I can't wait to work with her and JoAnne to chart a path for our next 30 years.”

In 2023, Z Space is celebrating its 30th birthday. In addition to a fabulous space-theme party on Thursday, November 16, Word for Word will produce Citizen by Greg Sarris this fall, and Z Space's performance schedule includes such noteworthy artistic companies as Fresh Meat Productions, Thrillride Mechanics, Sharp & Fine Dance, Oakland Theater Project, Opera Parallèle, Kitka Vocal Ensemble, Weathervane Productions, Sean Dorsey Dance, 3Girls Theatre, The San Francisco Mime Troupe, and many more. 

About Z Space

Z SPACE is a non-profit theater company located in the heart of San Francisco's Mission District. We produce our own works, foster and subsidize the development of other creative artists with our Subspace program, and curate rentals for a wide variety of performing arts organizations. Operating out of an old factory space, we now activate two performance venues, an 83-seat black box (Z Below) and a 236-seat main stage (The Steindler Stage), with a warehouse aesthetic and an adventurous edge. Z Space is also home to Word for Word, our resident theater company that brings works of fiction to the stage in their own unique style.

Learn more at zspace.org.

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