Teatro Vista...Theatre With A View began fifteen years ago as an itinerant company that produced quality Latino theater. We managed a small, but eager company that produced shows two or three times a year. However, in 2002 Teatro Vista decided to change the profile of the company and began producing a full season. We immediately experienced a surge in new audience members, ensemble and board growth and our infrastructure began to take shape. Since that season, Teatro Vista has presented an impressive string of productions from the North Shore to Pilsen from the Goodman and Victory Gardens to the Chopin Theater and we have realized an amazing amount of growth and acclaim. Under the guidance of Artistic Director Edward Torres and Board President Tom Greensfelder, Teatro Vista is now Chicagos largest, oldest and only professional (Equity) Latino Theater Company. Our amazing growth over the past few years and the fact that TV has always operated in the black, has given us confidence. We have begun to plan for our dream of a permanent home for our company. In December of 2007 we hired Laura Wurz to act as our full time managing director, in order to continue our growth and remain a healthy company financially and artistically. The organization was founded by Edward Torres (current artistic director) and Henry Godinez (current Artistic Associate at The Goodman and Advisory Board Member for Teatro Vista). In their words... WE MET IN 1989, while working on a play together here in Chicago. We both felt that it was a shame that Latinos weren't getting roles outside of stereotypical casting. So we founded Teatro Vista. We hoped that all of Chicagoland could enjoy the sort of theatre that we had envisioned. Our Mission Statement is from our hearts and we hope that our "view" is one you share.

TEATRO VISTA... Theatre With A View is firmly committed to sharing and celebrating the riches of Latino culture with Chicago theater audiences. This commitment stems from the belief that there are as many similarities as there are differences, and that perhaps the answer to breaking down the walls of prejudice and stereotype lies in understanding these differences. Ultimately, it is through this view that Teatro Vista intends to bridge the gap between Latino and non-Latino audiences in Chicago.

Teatro Vista... Theatre With A View presents (at least) 3 productions a year. These productions are sometimes self produced and sometimes co-productions with various theater companies. At this time we are still itinerant (beginning planning for a new permanent home) and our productions vary in size from large when partnering with the Goodman or Victory Gardens, to small studio shows. We are beginning our fourth year with a reading series called Tapas a la Teatro Vista. This free series, presented in the Pilsen neighborhood in the spring, allows our audience and supporters to help us determine our next season of productions. We are planning to expand our reading series in 2008 and invite more of the playwrights presented to come and work with our company and be involved with our post-reading discussion. We want to strengthen our relationships with our Latino writers. Connected to Tapas we also plan a two to three week workshop for a play in development each year. Projects of Possibility/Proyectos de Posibilidad! is now taking place at Little Village Lawndale High School. This program concentrates on developing skills with the end product being a performance of La Posada Magica by Octavio Solis. We have teaching and professional expertise in areas of acting, working on vocal and physical movement, text analysis, scene study, lighting, costumes, set design and direction. Our program is fully integrated into the school year offering continuing workshops and mini-lab showcases for the actors. Professional development sessions for not only the students but also for the teachers are offered over the course of the year. Practical application is completely realized with the full production presented in November/December on the 500 seat proscenium theater at the Little Village Lawndale High School. The students take part along side of theatre professionals in acting, designing and managing the production. The Board of Teatro Vista holds two benefits each year, ranging in scale from a dinner to a traditional gala, and a board development event.