The Luis Alfaro Residency Project (LARP), funded through the University of Illinois Presidential Initiative: Expanding the Impact of the Arts and the Humanities, brings renowned playwright, MacArthur fellow, and USC associate professor of dramatic writing to the campus of UIC during the spring ’22 semester.
Speaking My Mind
“Speaking My Mind” is a series of storytelling workshops that addressed the question of why people, especially in communities of color, do not seek out mental health services. Drawing on his experience as a writer, artist, and activist, Luis facilitated a series of group conversations dedicated to exploring this fundamental issue. The LARP team established several meaningful partnerships with individuals and organizations, Dr. Heather Pendergrast and Dr. Evelyn Figueroa of UI Health, the Gage Park Latinx Council, and the Pilsen Food Pantry, who helped to organize, recruit, and host the workshops. We completed 14 sessions, with four different communities: UI healthcare professionals, UIC healthcare professions students, and people from the Gage Park and Pilsen communities.
Classroom Visits
Luis was a guest lecturer in two of Dr. Kim’s courses, one session with students in his Greek Mythology course, and two sessions in his Greek Tragedy course. He was also a guest discussant in the Dance, Theater, and Performance Studies working group, as well as a guest lecturer in two sessions of Associate Professor Bonnie Metzgar’s writing course.
Sister Campus Events
On two separate trips, Luis and members of the LARP team visited UIUC (Feb. 25) and UIS (April 15), where he led creative writing workshops for students and community residents and participated in public conversation events for the wider campus and community. At UIUC, Luis was in dialogue with Assistant Professor of Acting Aaron Muñoz, on the theme of “Creative Care and Collaboration,” and at UIS, Luis spoke with Associate Professor Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson and artist-in-residence of Our Stage, Our Voices, Reggie Guyton.
A Conversation with Two Great Latinx Authors
Luis Alfaro and Luis Alberto Urrea
Luis was a keynote presenter (Mar. 1) during the School of Literatures, Cultural Studies, and Linguistics’ annual In/Between conference, on the theme of “Decolonizing and Diversifying the Curriculum.” One of the culminating events of the Luis Alfaro Residency Project was a public conversation (April 13) between Luis and Luis Alberto Urrea (Professor of English, UIC), facilitated by Dr. Lisa Freeman (Head, Department of English, UIC), in partnership with UIC’s Institute for the the School of Theatre and Music, the Department of Classics and Mediterranean Studies, which is part of the School of Literatures, Cultural Studies, and Linguistics, the Department of English, the Ralph Cintron Ortiz Latino Cultural Center, and the Theater and Performance Studies Working Group.
Watch video of the event at UIC with Luis Alberto Urrea, Lisa Freeman and Luis Alfaro here: Latinx Authors in Conversation: Luis Alfaro and Luis Urrea
Meet the Team
Luis Alfaro
A leading voice in American theatre today, Luis Alfaro is a Chicano playwright born and raised in Los Angeles with deep ties to Chicago. He is an associate professor with tenure at the University of Southern California (USC). Previously, he taught at California Institute of the Arts (Cal-Arts), and in the Writers Program at UCLA Extension. He is also the associate artistic director of Center Theatre Group (CTG), the resident theatre company of the Music Center of Los Angeles County, home of the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre and Kirk Douglas Theater. Before CTG, Alfaro spent six seasons as the inaugural playwright-in-residence of the 90-year-old Oregon Shakespeare Festival (2013-2019); served as a member of the Playwright’s Ensemble at Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theatre (2013-2020); was a resident artist at the Mark Taper Forum (1995-2005); was an inaugural member of the Latinx Playwrights ‘Circle of Imaginistas’ at the Los Angeles Theatre Center (2021); and has worked with the Ojai Playwrights Conference since 2002.
Luis Alfaro’s award-winning plays and performances include Electricidad, Oedipus El Rey, Mojada, Delano, Body of Faith, Straight as a Line, and have been seen at regional theatres throughout the United States, Latin America, Canada and Europe. He also has an Emmy-nominated short film, Chicanismo, and an award-winning recording, down town. Alfaro is the recipient of a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, popularly known as a “genius grant,” awarded to people who have demonstrated expertise and exceptional creativity in their respective fields. He has also received recognition from: the PEN America/Laura Pels International Foundation Theater Award for a Master Dramatist; United States Artist Fellowship; Ford Foundation’s Art of Change Fellowship; Joyce Foundation Fellowship; Mellon Foundation Fellowship, and the Annenberg Artist-in-Residence for the city of Santa Monica; among others. He is the only playwright to have received two Kennedy Center ‘Fund for New American Play’ awards in the same year.
Christine Mary Dunford
Principal Investigator
Director of the School of Theatre and Music at University of Illinois at Chicago
Christine Mary Dunford
Christine Mary Dunford is Director of the School of Theatre and Music at University of Illinois at Chicago, and an ensemble member with Lookingglass Theatre Company (since 1989) where she has acted in, written/adapted and/or directed nearly three dozen Lookingglass productions including her adaptation of the novel,Still Alice. Dr. Dunford is co–founder of The Memory Ensemble which uses improvisational performance to improve quality of life for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Young Richard Kim
Principal Investigator
Associate professor and head of the Classics and Mediterranean Studies Department at UIC
Young Richard Kim
Young Richard Kim is associate professor and head of the Classics and Mediterranean Studies Department at UIC, with an additional appointment in the History Department. In his research and teaching, he is interested in the ancient and medieval Mediterranean world, with expertise in Late Antiquity, late ancient Christianity, and early Byzantine studies. Dr. Kim is also deeply committed to work in public outreach, community building, and social justice. Prior to his arrival at UIC, he worked for the Onassis Foundation USA as director of educational programs, building partnerships and projects with several cultural institutions, including the Bard Prison Initiative, the New–York Historical Society, Aquila Theatre, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Public Theater. Together with Dr. Christine Dunford, he was awarded a grant from the University of Illinois Presidential Initiative: Expanding the Impact of the Arts and the Humanities, which is supporting the Luis Alfaro Residency Project at UIC.
Xiomara Cornejo
Theatre Director
Xiomara Cornejo
Pilar Carmona
Senior Associate Director, UI Health
Pilar Carmona
Pilar Carmona, Senior Associate Director, Community Relations, manages community relations focused on health education, cultivating partnerships with community organization and leaders, increasing awareness of clinical services, managing engagement and visibility at strategic events, contributing to the elimination of health disparities and community wellness for UI Health. A seasoned community relations professional with experience in corporate community relations and Spanish media. Prior to her current position, she worked 10 years in program development and implementation, recruitment, and faculty development for the College of Medicine Hispanic Center of Excellence. She holds a BA in Communications, University of Illinois at Chicago and an MBA, National Louis University.
Wendy Madrigal
Project Coordinator
Wendy Madrigal
Wendy Madrigal has been serving as the project coordinator for the Luis Alfaro Residency Program. She is an alumnusfrom the University of Illinois at Chicago where she obtained a degree in BA Theatre Design, Production, and Technology with a concentration in Stage Management. Wendy is a recipient of the Michael Merritt Award 2021 and currently working backstage as the production assistant with Goodman Theatre. Her main goal with her work is helping people of different cultures share their voice and hear those unique stories.
Guillermo Duarte
Music Programs Manager at the University of Illinois
Guillermo Duarte
Guillermo Duarte is the Music Programs Manager at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s School of Theatre and Music, where he oversees brand marketing for the school’s 65 annual public programs, 7 academic degrees, four mainstage theatre productions and 16 music ensembles. He holds a BA in Communication at UIC and an MS in Strategic Brand Communication from University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. He is also President and cofounder of Pachanga Chicago a media company dedicated to programming Hispanic and cultural events for first, second and third generation Latinos in the Midwest.
Jacob Clinkscales
Senior Theatre and Performance Major
Jacob Clinkscales
JacobClinkscales is a senior Theatre and performance major at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the School of Theatre and Music. As a Teaching Artist and administrator, Jacobis passionate about social justice, community building and therapeutic arts education. In 2018 he served as a Peer Advisor for The Obama Foundation’s inaugural Training Day which has inspired him to serve marginalized communities including Court involved youth, people experiencing homelessness and the LGBTQ community.
Dr. Evelyn Figueroa
Executive Director of the Figueroa Wu Family Foundation
Dr. Evelyn Figueroa
Dr. Evelyn Figueroa is a family physician and UIC Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. She is the Executive Director of the Figueroa Wu Family Foundation (501c3) which serves over 4000 impoverished and marginalized Chicago people each month. Outreach from the FWFF includes the Pilsen Food Pantry, plus free clothing, books, medical supplies, and more.
Dr. Heather Prendergast
Professor, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs for the College of Medicine
Dr. Heather Prendergast
Dr. Heather Prendergast is a Professor, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs for the College of Medicine, and the Vice–Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Illinois Hospital.She is currently serving as the Interim Executive Director of the University of Illinois Physician Group (UIPG). As an active clinician–scientist, she is passionate and focused on addressing health disparities and health inequities. Her primary area of focus is cardiovascular disease. She is the recipient of several federally funded grants and is currently conductingthe first NIH randomized clinical trial (RCT) in the emergency department focused on asymptomatic hypertension in an at–risk predominately minority patient population. She has over 50 peer–reviewed publications and is a reviewer for a number of medical journals.
Horacio Acevedo
Graphic Designer
Horacio Acevedo
Horacio Acevedo is an award winning visual designer with an eye for clean, minimal, and straight-to-the-point design working across disciplines to create brand identities, websites, packaging, illustrations and everything in-between. He is currently working as a creative lead with various agencies across Chicago and leading his own team with Studio Acevedo.