The Brown
Theatre
Collective
Theatre
Collective
The Brown Theatre Collective is an interdisciplinary political and aesthetic platform, turning to performance art, theatre, dance, music, and visual art (and the interconnection between these art forms) as tools for cultural engagement and social change.
We emphasize the importance of viewing modes of difference in direct conversation; for example, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and other markers of identification and representation are explored together through different ways of telling stories.
We use workshops, intensive labs, sound sessions, staged readings, improv comedy, poetry slams, theatrical productions, and performance art to encompass our creative mission.
The collaborative duo of Mateo Hurtado and Dr. Sandra Ruiz co-founded the collective during the Fall of 2014 due to their shared love of the absurd in performance and life.
They soon found out that there was a community on campus also thrilled and moved by absurdity, and thus began the Collective.
The Collective has produced plays and performances that tackle themes of gender, sexuality, race, racialized masculinity, and class, while also creating a space for students and community members to express themselves through various modes of performance.
The Collective has expanded the definitions of performance, collective action, theatre, Brownness, art, activism, and politics writ large. Working only from donations (of time, talent and resources), the Collective seeks refuge in spaces across campus.
With the generous support of the Department of Latina/Latino Studies at UIUC, we have become a fierce collaboration between faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, staff, academic counselors, and community members, while crossing boundaries between artist and audience, discipline and method.
In the spirit of experimental, grassroots, and DIY traditions, the Collective is invested in what happens when aesthetics and politics merge under the direction of subversive, imaginative ways of creating community through all types of performance.
Alicia Rodriguez, Laura Castañeda, Sandra Ruiz, Mateo Hurtado, Melody Contreras, Gabriel Herzog, Fiona Ngô, Tonatiu Ruiz-Escobedo, Alexis Walker, Latrelle Crawford.
(A Staged Reading)
Melody Contreras, Jessica Kadish-Hernandez, Alicia Rodriguez, Sandra Ruiz, Alberto Brandariz Nuñez, Alejandro Mata, Ethan Miles Perry, Sophie Ruiz-Gehrt, Gabyliz Machado, Gabe Herzog, Christian Wilson, Jayel Gant, Willa Coufal, Fiona Ngô, Adonis Holmes, Laura Coby, Mateo Hurtado, Victoria Giesso, Madison Paez, Madison Freeland, Iris Elena Hernandez, Guillermo Pineda, Laura Castañeda.
(A Staged Reading)
Gaby Garay, Adonis Holmes, Evan London, Latrelle Bright, Juan Machain.
Monique Simone, Mateo Hurtado.
(A Staged Reading)
Sandra Marquez, Vince Williams, Mateo Hurtado, Colleen Accardo, Yadira C. Ramirez, Christian Wilson, Dr. Alicia Rodriguez, Caitlyn Johnson (CJ THomas), Katelynn Shennett, Vanessa Garcia, Joe Agase, Kyle Bricker, Alberto Lara Valdivieso, Brandon Rivera, Jordan Gleaves, James Washington, Adonis Holmes, Dr. Eric Darnell Pritchard.
Mateo Hurtado, Dr. Sandra Ruiz, Evan Duncan, Laura Castañeda, Raffeal A. Sears, Vince Williams, Sophie Garcia, Brandon Rivera, Jordan Gleaves, Cat M., Sophie Ruiz-Gehrt, Tyler Harr, Jess Kadish-Hernández, Lisa Ortiz-Guzmán, Sirena Elvira Mota, Ivan Magaña, Gustavo Carmona, Kyle Bricker, Cristina Lucio, & Adonis Holmes.
Brandon Rivera, Liz Salim.
Monique Simone.
(A Staged Reading)
Amorita Falcon, Mateo Hurtado, Yadira C. Ramirez, Michelle Patiño-Flores, Ninos Baba, Dylan Connelley, Heather Raynie, Vince Williams, Janjay Knowlden, Dr. Asantewa Sunni-Ali, Latrelle Bright, Jordan Gleaves, Caitlyn Johnson (CJ Thomas), Monique Simone, Cat M., Claritza Maldonado, Jess Kadish-Herández, Maya Prentiss, Julie Hannaford Rundell, & Mike Salazar.
Monique Simone, Angélica Sanchez, Mateo Hurtado.
Monique Simone, Angélica Sanchez, Mateo Hurtado.
Mateo Hurtado, Jade Heberer, Dr. Sandra Ruiz, Angélica Sanchez, M. Laura Castañeda, Dr.Alicia Rodriguez, Heather Raynie, Alberto Brandariz Nuñez, Lamar Farr, Yeaji Kim, Dylan Connelley, Liz Salim, Brandon Rivera.
Donovan Diaz, Tyler Harr, Adonis Holmes, & Vince Williams.
Elizabeth Morales, Julia Monk, Mateo Hurtado, & Jesus Monroy.
Jesus Monroy, Johnny Arceo, Mateo Hurtado, Rachel Thain, Terrance Rogers, & Brandon Rivera.
Alumni: Angélica Sanchez, Monique Simone, Julia Monk, Cat M., Amorita Falcon, Michelle Patiño-Flores, Yadira C. Ramirez, Jesus Monroy, Jade Heberer, Brandon Rivera, Liz Salim, Lamar Farr, Heather Raynie, Evan Duncan, Ninos Baba, Janjay Knowlden, Dr. Asantewa Sunni-Ali, Jordan Gleaves, Caitlyn Johnson (CJ Thomas), Jeremy Marder, Claritza Maldonado, Sophie Garcia, Kyle Bricker, Alberto Lara Valdivieso, Maya Vinice Prentiss, James Washington, Tyler Harr, Cristina Lucio, Sirena Elvira Mota, Terrance Lamonte Jr., Gustavo Carmona, Rachel Thain, Raffeal A. Sears, Dylan Connelley, Johnny Arceo.
BTC Faculty and Staff Allies: Prof. Robert Gerard Anderson, Prof. JW Morrissette, Prof. Siobhan Somerville, Prof. Latrelle Bright, Prof. Susan Koshy, Prof. Regina Garcia, Prof. Jennifer Monson, Prof. Fiona Ngo, Prof. David Coyoca, Prof. Jonathan Inda, Prof. Ruth Nicole Brown, Prof. Lisa Gaye Dixon, Samuel Smith, Monique Rivera, Prof. Maryam Kashani, Prof. Rebecca Ferrell, Prof. Amy L. Powell, Julie Rundell, Dr. Gioconda Perez, Prof. Valleri Robinson, Prof. Isabel Molina-Guzmán, Prof. Julie Dowling, Prof. Lisa Cacho, Prof. Edna Viruell-Fuentes, Prof. Gilberto Rosas, Prof. Soo Ah Kwon, Prof. Vicki Mahaffey, Prof. Andrea Stevens, Prof. JB Capino, Prof. Kevin Hamilton, Prof. Gabriel Solis, Prof. Dara Goldman, Prof. Rolando Romero, Prof. Kristin Romberg, Prof. Cynthia Oliver, Prof. Natalie Lira.
University of Illinois Departments: Latina/Latino Studies, Theatre, Urban Planning, the Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory, Linguistics, Spanish, Media + Cinema Studies, English, Anthropology, Communications, Engineering, Psychology, Comparative Literature, Political Science, and Dance.
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Logo Designer: Luis Colindres
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