The history of San Jose’s Chicanx theater company Teatro Visión is marked with transcendent highs and devastating lows. The resilient troupe has big plans for the future, yet not before their big night to celebrate the past and toast what’s ahead. Teatro Visión’s 40th Anniversary Gala is taking place Aug.
24 at Mexican Heritage Plaza. Live music, performances and the presentation of a short documentary about the company is slated for the celebration. For Elisa Marina Alvarado and Rodrigo García, the only two artistic directors in company history, the evening will be special.
It is a celebration of perseverance and a true reflection of the South Bay’s Latino community. “One of the most important things that has kept the teatro alive is the foundation on which it was created, which was community participation,” García said. “This company was built on the very specific values of representation, social justice and equity.
The folks who created this community were part of the Chicano movement in the 1970s, people who cared about the issues of the community.” For many years, Teatro Visión would produce a full season, with at least three full-length plays, many of those world and regional premieres with up-and-coming and established playwrights such as Octavio Solis, Josefina López and Maria Irene Fornés. Many actors who have worked with the company have gone on to established careers, thanks in no small part to the experience Teatro Visión provided.
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