Theatre in Chicago News: Welcome Rosa Escareño
Teatro Vista, Chicago’s only Equity-affiliated Latinx theater company, has announced that Rosa Escareño, Interim General Superintendent and CEO of the Chicago Park District, has joined its Board of Directors.
"The entire Teatro Vista ensemble is thrilled to welcome Rosa Escareño to our Board of Directors,” said Adela Cepeda, Board President, Teatro Vista. “Rosa brings 15 years of executive level experience and 30 years of government and public service to our Board. We are energized by her vision and her dedication, and excited to have her guidance as Teatro Vista continues to embark on an exciting new future. She is a vital addition to our current Board members, who remain so dedicated to Teatro Vista's art and values."
“It is an honor to join the Teatro Vista Board of Directors, a visionary group of professionals committed to expanding the Latinx life experience through theater in Chicago,” responded Escareño. “I believe firmly in freedom of expression and through Teatro Vista I look forward to the opportunity to elevate local artists and to strengthen the voice of our richly diverse community across artistic, educational and professional boundaries.”
Escareño is a life-long public servant with more than 30 years of government experience. As the Interim General Superintendent and CEO of the Chicago Park District, Escareño manages nearly 2,500 employees and oversees a $500 million agency considered one of the largest park systems in the country, with over 8,800 acres of parkland, more than 600 parks, 26 miles of lakefront, 12 museums, two world-class conservatories, 16 historic lagoons, over 75 nature areas and thousands of special events, sports and entertainment programs.
Prior to her appointment at the Chicago Park District, Escareño served as Commissioner of the City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) where she served as a cabinet member under two Mayoral administrations bringing modernization and equity to Chicago’s marketplace. During the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, Escareño was on the forefront of Chicago’s business recovery efforts including reopening Chicago businesses, administering $120 million in business financial relief and setting up protections and policies for businesses and essential workers to ensure a safe city reopening. During her years as Commissioner, she spearheaded important initiatives to grow Chicago’s economic landscape supporting Chicago’s business community while establishing protections for consumers and workers -- all while focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion to enhance economic growth in underserved communities.
Throughout her career she has championed initiatives to enhance the quality of life of Chicago residents and communities. Escareño holds a degree of Master of Science in Communications from Northwestern University and a degree of Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University Chicago. Born in Zacatecas Mexico, she is a lifelong Chicagoan proud to give back to the city she loves, Chicago.
About Teatro Vista
Teatro Vista is Chicago’s largest, Equity-affiliated professional Latinx theater company and one of the nation’s premier Latinx arts organizations.The company’s primary focus is producing new works by Latinx theater artists from its own ensemble, a group of multi-generational, multi-ethnic and multi-disciplinary artists.
Teatro Vista ensemble members include Charín Álvarez, Max Arciniega, Desmín Borges, Cheryl Lynn Bruce, Ramón Camín, Ivonne Coll, Laura Dahl, Sandra Delgado, Liza Fernández, Khanisha Foster, Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel, Isaac Gómez, Ricardo Gutiérrez, Erik Juárez, Jon Lyon, Sandra Márquez, Eddie Martinez, Salome Martinez, Joe Minoso, Ayssette Muñoz, Christina Nieves, Marvin Quijada, Tommy Rivera-Vega, Gabriel Ruíz, Nate Santana, Cecilia Suarez and co-founder Edward Torres.
In July, 2021, following a national search, Lorena Diaz and Wendy Mateo were appointed Co-Artistic Directors of Teatro Vista.
Lorena Diaz (left) and Wendy Mateo, Co-Artistic Directors, Teatro Vista.
“We are deeply energized by Teatro Vista and its ensemble, with its tapestry of talent, innovation and unique perspectives,” said Mateo. “There is a depth to the American Latinx experience that has fueled our 20 years of storytelling and collaboration together. With this particular ensemble, we’ll be able to deepen that storytelling and bring in a kind of nuance and complexity to our stories that our audiences will be inspired by.”
Diaz added, “the opportunities in an ensemble-led theater company are many and Teatro Vista has an abundance of thought-provoking artists who are exploring different genres of creative expression, from writing for television, to audio plays with visual components, to full-fledged plays with music like La Havana Madrid. Expect that kind of excitement going forward.”
Teatro Vista’s Board of Directors includes Adela Cepeda, President, Joan Pantsios, Secretary, Julieta LaMalfa, Treasurer, and Rosa Escareño, Kareem Mohamednur, Carina Sanchez and Jose Vasquez.
Teatro Vista is supported by Alphawood Foundation, the Arts Work Fund, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Bayless Foundation, Chicago Community Trust, Chicago Cultural Treasures, Chicago Filmmaker Grant, CLATA (Chicago Latino Theater Alliance), DCASE (Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events), The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Illinois Arts Council, The Joyce Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity, and the Arts at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Pritzker Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Shuttered Grant and the Tide-Venturous Foundation.
For more, visit teatrovista.org, or follow the company on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
