Standing ovation

Teatro Audaz's 2023-2024 season kicks off this June in San Antonio

Three Teatro Audaz actors rehearse a scene.

Teatro Audaz

The curtain is set to rise on local Latinx theater company Teatro Audaz's upcoming 2023-2024 season, titled "Reclaiming Our Root." The season kicks off on June 1 with the first of four shows dedicated to uplifting the voices of the Latinx community.

The shows in order of premiere dates are: Luchadora!, The Ghosts of Lote Bravo, Somewhere Over the Border, and It's a Wonderful Vida.

With the exception of Luchadora!, all of the aforementioned productions will have their first ever Texas premiere during the Teatro Audaz 2023-2024 season. Adding to the overall audience experience at each show is the chance to participate in a playwright platica after each show, which is essentially a post-show talkback with the creative team and the playwright themselves (on select show days).

"We are thrilled to embark on this season, beginning in the summer, with a mission to provide unique theatrical experiences for the community of San Antonio and the surrounding areas," shared Laura T. Garza, founding executive artistic director of Teatro Audaz San Antonio and faculty instructor and theatre coordinator at San Antonio College, via release.

Garza added that she was, "grateful," to have the chance to, "offer a full production season during the summer, allowing our artists, comprised of teachers and professional students, the flexibility to continue to make art and stay creative while not in the classroom.”

Tickets are currently on sale for Luchadora! The story tells the tale of Nana Lupita and her incredible journey in 1960s Texas as she secretly trains to make it as a lucha libre wrestler — naturally, she'll need all the help she can get when her lucha libre wrestling grandfather has to step down from a competition!

Will Lupita's determination and the help of a magical mask maker enable her to take her grandfather's place at the lucha libre World Championship competition? You'll just have to check out the Teatro Audaz premiere of Luchadora! to find out.

Luchadora! runs from June 1 to June 11 at the McCreless Theater.

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Stars from the Lone Star

Provocative San Antonio artist honored with 2025 Texas Medal of Arts

Photo courtesy of Donald Moffett via Texas Cultural Trust

Donald Moffett, a visual artist and activist who was born in San Antonio, is among the 2025 honorees.

The vastness of Texas lends itself to many things, including inspiring some of the county's best artists. Reflecting this, the Texas Cultural Trust has picked its 2025 honorees for the Texas Medal of Arts Awards (TMAA).

The 12th biennial awards ceremony will be held in Austin on February 25-26, 2025. According to a press release, it celebrates "individuals who have profoundly influenced Texas and beyond," and includes artists across literature, visual arts, film, music, and more.

San Antonio has one representative this year: multimedia visual artist Donald Moffett, who was born here and now lives in New York. Although all of the honorees have strong points of view, Moffett offers some of the most provocative works — for viewers who know how to look at them.

Moffett's style is largely abstract and sometimes explicit, tackling issues like the AIDS crisis, climate change, and political repression.

His courtroom drawings series Mr. Gay in the USA depicts the trial and sentencing of Ronald Gay, who committed a mass shooting in a gay bar in Roanoke, Virginia. In his multimedia series What Barbara Jordan Wore, he highlighted former U.S Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, a progressive Texas representative who was particularly famous for her opening statements in the impeachment of then-President Richard Nixon.

2025 Texas Medal of Arts Honorees include:

Terry Allen, Lubbock: Multimedia
Mercedes Bass, Fort Worth: Arts Patron/Individual
Gary Clark Jr., Austin: Music/Songwriter
Elizabeth Crook, Austin: Literary Arts
Sandy Duncan, New London: Musical Theatre
Richard Linklater, Houston: Film/Director
Donald Moffett, San Antonio: Visual Arts
Moody Foundation, Galveston: Arts Patron/Foundation
Texas Music Educators Association: Arts Education
Dennis Quaid, Houston: Film/Actor

They join 129 more honorees since 2001.

"Texans have left an indelible mark on the arts and culture landscape, creating a legacy that inspires future generations," said Texas Cultural Trust CEO Heidi Marquez Smith in the release. “We are thrilled to celebrate these outstanding creative leaders at the 12th biennial Texas Medal of Arts Awards, reinforcing the importance of supporting the arts and creative sectors.”

The Texas Cultural Trust is a nonprofit that works toward increasing access and awareness of the arts across Texas. Two days of celebrations, brunch, dinner, an awards show, and more will be held at a private home, the Governor's Mansion, and the Long Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets ($150) are available via txct.org.

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