Staff Biographies
Tony Garcia, Executive Artistic Director
Tony has been the Executive Artistic Director of El Centro Su Teatro since 1989 and has been a member of Su Teatro since 1972. He received his BA in Theatre from the University of Colorado at Denver. He is responsible for the overall operation of the organization, which includes overseeing all departments and directors. Additionally, he is responsible for the artistic programming of the organization. Tony has received numerous awards and accolades for his artistic vision, including the 1989 University of California, Irvine Chicano Literary Award, a 2005 United States Artists Fellowship, and a recent artist residency at the Island Institute in Sitka, Alaska. Tony is also an adjunct professor at Metro State College in Denver.
Tanya Mote, Development and Marketing Director
Tanya has been with Su Teatro since 1997. She received her BA in Mass Communications and Spanish from the University of Denver. She also received her MA in International Studies from the DU Graduate School of International Studies and is a PhD candidate in the same program. Tanya has worked closely with the ED to overhaul and revitalize Su Teatro’s development strategies. She is responsible for directing all fundraising activities for the organization, including marketing, grant writing, corporate sponsorships, and the individual donor program. Tanya is also an adjunct professor at the Community College of Aurora.
Mica Garcia de Benavidez, Organizational Manager
Mica graduated from Claremont McKenna College in May 2001, earning her BA in International Relations. She was a 2004 Colorado Trust Fellow and earned her Masters in Nonprofit Management at Regis University in 2007. Mica manages the main stage acting company and also runs Su Teatro’s arts education program, which includes several touring performances, an in-school theater arts program, a youth theater company, and various other workshops and acting classes. Additionally, Mica assists the Development Director with grant support and the individual donor program and serves as the Auction Coordinator.
Valarie Castillo, Office Manager
Valarie has been a member of the Su Teatro acting company since 1998. She has acted in several productions and been a part of several touring show casts. Since 2005, Valarie has assisted the Artistic Director in programming Su Teatro’s season, and she herself directs the annual Neruda Poetry Festival. Valarie has also traveled several times to Berkeley, CA as an artistic presenter to scout new talent at La Pena’s Hecho en Califas festival. She has taught in the Cultural Arts Institute program and acted as assistant director for two productions. Valarie’s costume design for the recent production, Ollin, earned her a Denver Post Ovation Award nomination. Valarie is also a recent graduate of the National Association for Latino Arts and Culture Leadership Institute.
John Kuebler, Media Coordinator
John is a 2005 graduate of the Metropolitan State College of Denver, where he received his BA in English. He assists the Development Director in researching and drafting grant proposals. He also writes press releases and feature articles for the local media in order to raise the public profile of the organization. John has earned some recent recognition for his playwriting including a production of one of his short plays by the Actors Theatre of Louisville in January 2007. Another of his plays was featured in Su Teatro’s Spring Reading Series. John was the Buffalo National River 2008 Writer in Residence and is a 2009 NEA Arts Journalism Institute Fellow.
Jim Denton, Technical Director
Jim graduated from the University of Colorado at Denver with a BFA in Theatre/Film and Video Production with an emphasis in production development and directing. Jim is in charge of all the technical aspects of Su Teatro’s theatrical performances. He first worked with Su Teatro in 2005 in a collaborative production with UCD. For that production he earned a Meritorious Achievement Award in stage management from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.