Lisa Portes 2903 S Hillock Ave Chicago, IL 60608 [email protected]
Artistic Leader & Theatre Director: Accomplished leader with twenty years of leadership experience in both professional and academic theatre environments and professional director with three decades of experience directing contemporary plays and musicals for the American theatre.
HIGHLIGHTS • Co-founded the LatinxTheatre Commons (LTC), a national network of Latinx theatremakers that promotes Latinx theatre as an integral part of the American theatrical landscape • Conceived of, raised funds for, and champions the LTC Carnaval of New Latinx Plays (2015, 2018). • Created a new model for producing a national new play festival by rallying a Carnaval producing coalition that includes the LTC, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre,Victory Gardens, the Theatre School at DePaul University and local Chicago Latinx theatres. The model is fleet and circumvents the mission- needs, red-tape, and infrastructural obligations of working within any one institution. • Co-conceived and raised funds for the LTC El Fuego Initiative, an initiative which insures production of each of the twelve Carnaval 2015 playwrights at theatres nationwide by 2020. El Fuego seeded six world and regional premieres by Carnaval playwrights during the 2016-17 season alone. • Updated the MFA Directing program at The Theatre School at DePaul University to provide MFA directors state-of-the-art training. Reconceived curriculum, admission processes, and production program. Increased ethnic diversity in the MFA Directing Program by 400%. Created proven pipeline into the profession: Lavina Jadhwani (MFA ’15): Time Out Chicago’s 2014 Best Next Generation Stage Director, Drama League Classical Directing Fellowship; Michael Osinski (MFA ’14): Drama League Directing Fellowship; Marc Pinate (MFA ’13): Artistic Director of Borderlands Theatre in Tuscon; Keira Fromm (MFA ’08) and Krissy Vanderwarker (MFA ’10) Jeff nominated, Chicago-based directors; • Re-visioned the mission for Chicago Playworks for Families and Young Audiences to reflect Chicago schoolchildren’s specifically urban, contemporary and multi-ethnic experience. Introduced a commissioning program and launch world premiere productions by top shelf playwrights to seed the TYA field. Upgraded the quality of production by upgrading the professional experience of directors.
LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE Head, MFA Directing Program, The Theatre School at DePaul University, Chicago, IL 2007 - Present Top-tier MFA Directing Program housed within an internationally recognized theatre conservatory. • Charged with all administrative aspects of running a nationally recognized MFA program for directors, • Curate an eighteen-production annual MFA directors season in collaboration with Dean and all area heads in Acting, Design, Dramaturgy and Tech.
Champion, Latinx Theatre Commons Carnaval 2015 & 2018 2013 – Present A national festival of new Latina/o Plays produced by the Latina/o Theatre Commons • Conceived Carnaval and created both internal and external collaborative structures to launch the event • Chief fundraiser and final decision-maker on all aspects of a festival that welcomed over 200 theatre decision-makers from around the country • Launched initiative to pair theatres with featured writers to insure production within the next three seasons.
Artistic Director, Chicago Playworks for Families and Young Audiences, Chicago, IL 2002 - 2017 Chicago Playworks serves an annual audience of over 35,000 Chicago schoolchildren in a three-production season produced by The Theatre School at DePaul University at the 1300-seat Merle Reskin Theatre Portes - 2!
DIRECTING HIGHLIGHTS1 Rightlynd* Ike Holter Victory Gardens Glass Menagerie Tennessee Williams California Shakespeare Theatre Thanksgiving Play Larissa Fasthorse Cincinnati Playhouse This Is Modern Art* Idris Goodwin & Kevin Coval Steppenwolf Theatre Ghostwritten* Naomi Iizuka Goodman Theatre *Indicates World Premiere
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE TCG Board Member, Current SDC Executive Board Member, Current TCG Diversity & Inclusion Institute, 2014 - 2016 Horton Foote Prize in Playwrighting Selection Committee, 2014 & 2010 Fox Foundation/TCG Actor Fellowship Panel, 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Drama Jury, 2007 AT&T Onstage/TCG Panel, 2004 NEA/TCG Music Theatre Panel, 2003
GRANTS & AWARDS SDC Zelda Fichandler Award for Directors, 2016 TCG SPARK Fellowship for Executive Leaders of Color, 2014 Illinois Theatre Association Outstanding Contribution Award, 2003 NEA/TCG Directors Fellowship, 1997-99 Drama League Directors Fellowship, 1992 Fulbright/Hays Fellowship, 1989
RELATED EXPERIENCE Professor of Directing & Acting, The Theatre School at DePaul University, 2000-Present Associate Artistic Director, Soho Repertory Theatre, 1997 - 2000 Associate Director, The Who’s Tommy: New York, London, Frankfurt, Toronto, US, UK, Canadian National Tours, 1993-97 Associate Director Titanic: US First National Tour, 1998 Artistic Director Theater E, San Diego, CA 1992 – 1995
EDUCATION University of Southern California, San Diego, CA MFA in Directing, 1992
Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH BA in Theatre with Honors, 1988
1 Full Directing resume available upon request