Alumna Raquel Almazan '15 Named President/Chair Of The Indie Theater Fund Board Of Directors

By
Nina Mahesh
February 26, 2020
Raquel Almazan

Theatre alumna Raquel Almazán ’15 was named the new President of the Indie Theater Fund Board of Directors. She replaces Susan Bernfield, who has moved into an Advisory Board role. Having worked with the fund for over four years, Almazán had made herself a central figure in both the fund and the indie theater community at large. 

In response to her new role, Almazán said, "Over the last four years, I have been a participating theatre member, board member and ambassador for theatres of color for The Indie Theatre Fund… The fund has provided vital contributions to companies at pivotal times and eliminates barriers of entry to theatre makers. I'm inspired by the growing capacity of the fund to support even more artists and companies… I'm honored to be a part of this radical movement where the spectrum of New York City theatres and its communities can unite towards a more equitable and resourced field."

Founded in 2012, The Indie Theater Fund's mission is to support the most under resourced, under represented theaters in the five boroughs of NYC. They do so by providing easily accessible funding through grants and loans, and very low-cost and free resources and education.

Almazán is an interdisciplinary artist, facilitator and activist. She received her MFA in Playwriting from Columbia University, and BFA in Theatre from University of Florida, New World School of the Arts. Almazán is the artistic director of La Lucha Arts. Her work has been featured in New York City, including Off-Broadway, throughout the United States and internationally in Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Colombia, Chile, Guatemala and Sweden. 

'La Paloma Prisoner' bookcover

Almazán did a Professional Development Residency with Eugene O'Neill Center Playwrights Conference and The Playwrights' Center. She is also the recipient of Kennedy Center's Latinidad Award, The National Association of Latino Arts and Culture Grant, the Kate Neal Kinley Playwriting Fellowship, and the Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation Playwriting Prize. Her plays include La Paloma PrisonerLa Migra Taco TruckLA NEGRA, CAFÉPorning the Planet: The Desensitization of a NationDoes That Feel Good to you My Lark?El Odio de un PaisWhen I Came HomeCross Roads: Re-framing the Immigrant Narrative, and The Hopefulness.

Almazán is currently working on La Paloma Prisoner, which will have a run Next Door @ New York Theatre Workshop in spring 2020. La Paloma Prisoner is a multi-disciplinary play about the reclamation of identity by women in the Colombian prison system. Based on the true story of a group of incarcerated women selected as beauty queen contestants at the Buen Pastor prison in Bogotá, this new play interweaves the ritualistic journey of a “parade of prisoners” within Colombia’s social, political, and spiritual history.