Nicolas Valdez

I must begin by stating that I recognize my unique privilege in having access to cultural arts institutions, supplemental education opportunities, and extensive travel at a very young age. As the son of parents who were both educators, my mother as a bilingual teacher in public grade schools and my father a university sociology professor, I was exposed to a unique perspective of the world not shared by many of my peers growing up. Having been born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, a city with the highest economic disparity in the country as well as some of the worst social and health indicators, I have witnessed first-hand how poverty, over policing, and limited access to services can affect marginalized communities of color. This experience has been the impetus of my work as an artist, activist, educator, and social critic.

I have always felt a sense of urgency in the work that I create. Having been schooled in the practice of Xicano Theater, my aesthetic is rooted in the agi-prop activism of the social justice and cultural movements of the early days of El Teatro Campesino. My humble beginnings were in my teens as a founding member of Grupo Animo through the Guadalupe Cultural Art Center’s resident youth theater company, where our intensive critical dialogue was magically transformed into powerfully moving performances that resonated with our diverse audiences. Through the practice of theater making I found a voice and a sense of place, knowing that there was a void in the representation of people who looked and talked like me, and not the gross caricatures that I saw in popular media. Simultaneously, through the Guadalupe’s Xicano Music Program, I started learning traditional Conjunto accordion and began to understand the importance of these cultural practices and how it relates to the establishment of Mexican-American communities along the migrant trails of the 30’s and 40’s.

Now, nearly 30 years later, my work has evolved to embrace all forms and processes in the creation of culturally relevant and thought provoking theater. I throw myself entirely into what I create incorporating all aspects of my learned skills; theater, music, poetry, movement, and video production. At my most humble, I am simply a storyteller, of the oldest tradition when we still gathered ‘round the communal fire and passed along our myths, dreams, fears, and aspirations. Ultimately, I believe that we can create systemic change and disrupt systems of oppression through the power of transformative artistic practice. In my work I seek to reclaim our lost historical narratives, ask difficult questions, provoke critical dialogue, and provide an opportunity to see honest, unromanticized reflections of ourselves onstage and on screen. It is crucial, now more than ever, that we hold space for our youth and provide them with the creative tools to process and express their frustrations during these tumultuous and uncertain times. In this way, we can begin to radically reimagine the world for ourselves and future generations.