Art by Phil Luna, courtesy of Su Teatro
Su Teatro’s first indoor stage was mounted as El Centro Su Teatro in 1989 in the old Elyria School building at 4725 High Street, though Garcia admits that the troupe was squatting there before the deal was even finished. Twenty years later, the company outgrew the facility and the neighborhood, longing to return to its roots.
While slowly paying off the mortgage over the past twelve years, Su Teatro grew in leaps and bounds. Beyond its regular stage fare, the company introduced the XicanIndie Film Festival, the annual Chicano Music Festival, and WordFest, a conglomeration of theatrical and literary readings. It also has a healthy rotation of community-oriented holiday shows that remain popular with audiences.