Gustavo Ott, the celebrated Venezuelan playwright who will succeed GALA Hispanic Theatre‘s visionary artistic director Hugo Medrano, counted the late theater director among his mentors, he said as he introduced himself to the Washington theater scene Monday.
Ott, 60, a playwright, translator, and theater director will take the helm at GALA in January — and has big shoes to fill. Medrano co-founded GALA with his wife Rebecca and ran it for nearly half a century, establishing it as a powerhouse theater company despite its small size, until he passed away in May.
Ott outlined his vision in an event at GALA attended by members of the press, leaders of local arts nonprofits, and cultural representatives from the embassies of Nicaragua, Spain, and Cuba. Originally from Venezuela, Ott founded and directed Teatro San Martín and Fiesta: International Theatre Festival in Caracas, Venezuela. Most recently, he served as executive artistic director for Teatro Dallas in Texas.
Ott has written over 50 plays and says he’s known the Medranos and worked with GALA since the early 1990s. The theater in Columbia Heights produced his Helen Hayes Award-nominated musical The Return of Eva Perón: Momia en el clóset in 2009. GALA will produce the musical again in May 2024.
Ott described Hugo Medrano as a mentor. “I know that I am here to build upon his vision,” he said at the event Monday.
Ott says he’s always been impressed by GALA’s bilingual programs for students, particularly Paso Nuevo, a...
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