Elisa Marina Alvarado is an American director, actress, educator, social worker, practitioner of traditional Mexican medicine, and dancer. Born in San Jose, California, Elisa Alvarado is a director and community organizer of Purépecha and Cuban descent. She was the founder and long-time Artistic Director of the San Jose-based Chicano Teatro Visión theater company. Teatro Visión is a Chicano theater company in the Latino theater scene, known especially for adapting classic Mexican novels and films for the stage. She is currently invested in two theater programs Codices and the Instituto de Teatro, which produce new works by Latino playwrights and offer comprehensive training in culture-based theater.
Personal life and career Elisa Alvarado was born in San Jose, California, to Blanca Alvarado and Jose J. Alvarado. Her parents encouraged her interest in books, the arts, and social justice. Her interest in theater and its potential for social change began in high school in the 1970s after a performance by El Teatro Campesino. Shortly after, she joined the San Jose-based theater company Teatro de la Gente and toured through San Jose, Mexico, and the American Southwest. After a few years with Teatro de la Gente, Alvarado and other women in Women in Teatro formed an all-female company called Teatro Huipil, named after the Huipil, a traditional garment worn by Indigenous women in Mexico and Central America.
After disagreement over vision for the company, many of the co-founders left, and Alvarado renamed the company Teatro Visión. Alvarado served as Artistic Director of Teatro Visión for 33 years, until 2017, when she gave the position to her protégé Rodrigo García.
On July 31, 2012, Alvarado suffered a stroke while at a family reunion in New Mexico. During her recovery, Teatro Visión underwent structural changes, reportedly aimed at improving sustainability.
Recently, Alvarado spent more time with the other programs that she belongs to or founded. In addition to her new works program Codices and her theatrical education program Instituto de Teatro, she is a member of the Native Family Outreach and Education project and the City of San José Independent Police Auditor Community Advisory Committee. She works as a Clinical Social Worker Specialist in San Jose and founded the Ethnomedicine Project that offers training in traditional Mexican medicine. She taught at San Jose State University, San Francisco State University, and Palo Alto High School.
Awards In 2010 Alvarado received the James McEntee Lifetime Achievement award, and in 2016 Theatre Bay Area selected her as one of 40 individuals pivotal in building the prestige of the Bay Area theater community. In 2010 she was selected for the Silicon Valley Business Journal's Women of Achievement, and received the City of San Jose's Cornerstone of the Arts award in 2017.
Productions by Teatro Visión + List of ProductionsProduction NameAuthorThe House on Mango StreetAdapted by Amy Ludwig, Written by Sandra CisnerosLa Muerte BailaRebecca Martinez and the Milagro Theatre EnsembleMacarioB. TravenSolitudeEvelina Fernández with Teatro VisiónBless Me, UltimaRudolfo AnayaPerlaLeonard MadridTaking FlightAdriana SevanGhosts of the RiverOctavio SolisThe Woman Who Fell from the SkyVictor Hugo Rascón BandaLa Casa en Mango StreetSandra CisnerosHeroLuis AlfaroSchool of the AmericasJose RiveraVisitor's Guide to Arivaca (Map Not to Scale)Evangeline OrdazBodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding)Federico García LorcaDog Lady/Evening StarMilcha Sanchez-ScottLa VictimaTeatro de la EsperanzaThe CookEduardo MachadoElectricidadLuis Alfaro¡CANTINFLAS!Herbert SigüenzaSantos & SantosOctavio Solis4 Guys Named José Y Un Mujer Named MaríaDavid Coffman and Dolores PridaReal Women Have CurvesJosefína LopezDrive My CocheRoy ConboyBoxcarSylvia Gonzalez and Teatro VisiónChilean HolidayGuillermo ReyesLady From HavanaLuis SanteiroConjuntoOliver MayerLa Posada MágicaOctavio SolisFefu and Her FriendsMaria Irene FornésViequesJorge GonzálezHeroes and SaintsCherrie MoragaThe Kiss of the Spider WomanManuel PuigLa Posada MágicaOctavio SolisLa NonaRoberto M. CossaWhen El Cucui WalksRoy ConboyThe True History of Coca Cola in MexicoAldo Velasco and Patrick ScottHarvest MoonJosé Cruz GonzálezRosita's Jalapeño KitchenRodrigo Duarte ClarkeLa Casa en Mango StreetSandra CisnerosLa Carpa Aztlan Presents: I Don't Speak English OnlyAntonio GarcíaSpirit DancingJosé Cruz GonzálezReal Women Have CurvesJosefina López¡NO SE PAGA! ¡NO SE PAGA!Dario FoSantos & SantosOctavio SolísLa VíctimaTeatro de la EsperanzaOur Lady of the TortillaLuis SantieroGood Grief Lolita!Wilma BonetRosario's BarrioRodrigo Duarte ClarkeThe Last Angry Brown HatAlfredo RamosLas Nuevas TamalerasAlicia MenaNovenas Narativas y Ofrendas NuevomexicanosDenise ChavesFood for the DeadJosefina LópezRoostersMilcha Sanchez-ScottEl Oro de los Quinteros AñosArturo Gomez, Jaime Avarado, & Denis Marks with Teatro VisiónHow Else Am I Supposed to Know I'm Still Alive?Evelina FernándezBrujeríasRodrigo Duarte ClarkeSoldado RazoLuis ValdezBuy! Buy! Navidad!Adapted by Lalo Cervantes, Written by Manuel PickettConversations With My Grandmother Martha (MGM)Edit VillarealBrujeríasRodrigo Duarte ClarkeImages of DeceitAdapted by Teatro Huipil, Written by Anita Quintanilla
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