BIO
Anthony J. Garcia
Tony Garcia will celebrate his 39th year as a member of Su Teatro where he is
presently the Artistic Director and resident playwright. Garcia has been
recognized by the theater and Latino community for his tremendous
contributions to the field and community including the NEWSED Civil Rights
Award,.the Champions of Change Award from the Escuela Tlatelolco, Martin
Luther King Peace Award and the Cesar Chavez Peace and Justice Award. As
well as the Colorado Creative Industries Fellowship for excellence in play
writing, the NEA/Theater Communications Group Directing Fellowship, and
Best New Play-Denver Drama Critics Award In 2006, he was named a recipient
of the prestigious United States Artist Fellowship Award. In 2008 Su Teatro
received the Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. He was named the
Denver Theatre Person of the Year by the Denver Post in December of 2010. He is
a recipient of the prestigious Livingston Fellowship awarded by the BonfilsStanton Foundation. In 2012 his adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning book by
Sonia Nazarrio was named the recipient of the Ovation Award for Best New
Play, and most recently he received the 2014 William Funke Award for
Community Building from the Colorado Non-Profit Association.
Garcia has written and directed numerous productions; recent works include
Papi, Me and Cesar Chavez (2003), which tours through Colorado and the
Southwest; The Westside Oratorio (2004), and El Sol Que Tu Eres/The Sun That
You Are (2005). Garcia is an Affiliate Faculty Member in Department of
Chicana/Chicano Studies at Metropolitan State College of Denver,. He has
served as a trainer in the areas of fundraising and organizational development
for the Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training, the Colorado Creative
Industries' Peer Assistance Network, and NALAC's Leadership Institute. He is
the former Vice-Chair and present member of the Board of Directors for
National Association of Latino Arts and Culture He served for 7 years as
member of Denver's Commission on Cultural Affairs, and is now a Board
Member of the Trustees for the Western States Arts Federation.
In 2010 he helped create the Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center, a
regional center for Chicano and Latino artists at the Denver Civic Theatre.
History
Su Teatro was founded in 1971 as a social justice organization and is one of the
oldest Chicano teatros in the country, programming includes a Mainstage
Theater Season, The St. Cajetan’s Reunification Project (a community-based
production in Denver’s West Side), an arts-in- education program and major
film, music and poetry festivals. Su Teatro belongs to a strong and dynamic
community, and possesses the ability to create high quality artistic work, and
new opportunities for artists. The staff, artists and volunteers are deeply
committed to the mission of the organization who are fully responsible for our
successes.
Created during the height of the Chicano Movement Su Teatro in 1971, the
theater company was established in 1972, as an integral part of the Chicano selfidentity and civil rights movement of the 1960s and 70s. It is the third oldest
Chicano theatre company and is recognized nationally as a leading force in both
the Chicano arts aesthetic and American Theatre. The purpose of Chicano
Theatre was, and is, to give voice to a community whose history and stories have
been often been suppressed and in many cases lost. Su Teatro’s work has been to
reacquaint a marginalized people with their rich heritage while empowering
them and strengthening the cultural identity of future generations. . In 1989, Su
Teatro emerged as the larger multidisciplinary cultural arts center, El Su Teatro
remains committed to education, social justice, cultural and artistic expression.
Programs and Activities
Mainstage Season: Su Teatro annually produces 4 to 5 original works,
adaptations, and other Chicano/Latino plays relevant to the concerns,
celebrations, and social issues of our community.
The St. Cajetan’s Reunification Project: What is now known as the Auraria
Higher Education Center was once a thriving Westside barrio, and the still
standing, but de-sanctified St. Cajetan’s church was the spiritual center of the
neighborhood. Once a year, Su Teatro travels to the Auraria campus to offer
culturally specific programming and allow for a symbolically return the families
of that forgotten the neighborhood back home. The Metropolitan State College
of Denver and the University of Colorado at Denver actively collaborate with to
produce this event.
The XicanIndie FilmFest: Showcases the work of independent Chicano
filmmakers, as well as classics from Mexico’s golden age of cinema and cutting
edge contemporary films from throughout Latin America and the Latino World.
The Neruda Poetry Festival: Our premier literary event is gaining popularity
each year. The Neruda Poetry Festival includes tributes to pioneering Chicano
poets, the Barrio Slam spoken word competition, a literary salon, and
appearances by visiting poets and performers.
The Chicano Music Festival and Auction: This outdoor roots festival celebrates
the music of the Southwest—influenced heavily by Mexican traditions but born
on this side of the border. The live and silent auctions feature the original work
of local and Southwestern artists.
The Cultural Arts Institute: Next to our Mainstage Season, this arts education
program is our largest ongoing project. Cultural Arts Institute programming
includes the Adams City Outreach, an after school dropout prevention program;
Teatro de la Juventud, our youth theatre company; and two educational touring
performances: Papi, Me and Cesar Chavez and The Cancer Monologues, which
further our community outreach efforts.