TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Appoints Alejandra Cisneros as Director of Arts Engagement

Tony Award winning TheatreWorks Silicon Valley has announced the appointment of Alejandra Cisneros as the company's new Director of Arts Engagement. In this role, Cisneros will engage TheatreWorks' communities, lead its work in arts education, community partnerships, and accessibility, create and manage community responsive programs that promote diversity and individual creativity, and work with students and educators in TheatreWorks venues and at schools. TheatreWorks award-winning programs serve elementary, middle, and high school youth, with innovative collaborations that offer understanding of current social issues, opportunities to work with professionals, mentorships and job-training, and much more.

Named one of American Theatre Magazine's "6 Theatre Workers You Should Know," producer/ director Alejandra Cisneros (she/ella) is a first-generation American, proud daughter of Salvadoran immigrants. Her vision lives at the intersection of community building and art making, creating work that is value driven. Her favorite collaboration is the superhero staged series El Verde!, which has toured venues throughout Southern California. She has served as The Public Theater's Mobile Unit Program Manager; Community Producer at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival where she directed the OSF School Visit Program and tour of La Comedia of Errors; Community Partnership Associate for Center Theatre Group producing events like Chisme y Queso, and new commissions, Annazul, Sueños Frosted Flakes; and Senior Coordinator for Grand Park at the Music Center in Downtown LA. She has also collaborated with Artists at Play, the Robey Theatre Company, and Kaiser Permanente's Educational Theatre. She is an alumnus of UC Irvine, Director's Lab West, the NALAC Leadership Institute, and served as a FAIR Fellow at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and is a Nathan Cummings Young Leaders of Color recipient. In 2016, Alejandra was awarded a Leadership U: One-on-One grant, funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and administered by Theatre Communications Group.

"We are thrilled that Alejandra Cisneros will be joining us at TheatreWorks in this important role," said TheatreWorks Artistic Director Tim Bond. "Alejandra brings 15 years of experience working at the intersection of community building, innovative theatre education programming, and artistic collaboration, focused through the lens of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. With her uplifting personality and innovative approach, we look forward to Alejandra's leadership as we build upon our award-winning educational programs and deepen our connections to the broadly diverse communities that embody our region."

Said Cisneros. "I am excited to break bread with the TheatreWorks community and share some of my favorite meals as we continue to build the future of this organization. Arts engagement is about providing a service to ALL community stakeholders. As the new Director of Arts Engagement, I enter asking, what does this mean for TheatreWorks? How are we showing up today? I feel fortunate to join this incredible team, led by Tim Bond, which supports my vision as we continue to shift the needle in American Theatre."

The tasks Cisneros will undertake in her new role include deepening TheatreWorks' impact on elementary, middle, and high school youth; developing a comprehensive professional development and mentorship program; and encouraging the curiosity of TheatreWorks audiences with curated pre-show and post-play discussions. Cisneros will also develop and implement community engagement programs that strengthen TheatreWorks' partnerships with culturally diverse community organizations and individuals throughout the Bay Area, as well as leading the theatre's efforts in accessibility, which include Pay What You Choose performances, Open-Captioning, ASL performances, Sensory Relaxed performances, Audio Description, and Student Matinees.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley is the recipient of the 2019 Regional Theatre Tony Award. Led by Artistic Director Tim Bond and Executive Director Phil Santora, the Palo Alto-based theatre company serves more than 100,000 patrons per year and has captured a national reputation for artistic innovation and integrity, often presenting Bay Area theatregoers with their first look at acclaimed musicals, comedies, and dramas, directed by award-winning local and guest directors, and performed by professional actors cast locally and from across the country. The company's

51st season has been postponed in accordance with global efforts to prevent the spread of

COVID-19 (Coronavirus), and TheatreWorks is currently scheduled to resume in-person

performances in October 2021 with the comic book-infused indie folk-rock musical Lizard Boy.

For information on TheatreWorks, visit theatreworks.org.