Jay Españo named artistic director of PrideArts
Jay Españo, an actor, singer and director with experience in both film and live performance, has been appointed artistic director of PrideArts, the Chicago theater company formerly known as Pride Film and Plays. The announcement was made Thursday by Cheri Tatar, president of the company’s board of directors.
Españo, who was born in Manila in the Philippines, studied with the Tanghalang Pilipino company and at Singapore’s LASALLE College of the Arts. After moving to Chicago, he gained an MFA degree from Columbia College Chicago and he has worked with several Chicago theater companies. He also toured nationally in “The King and I.”
In a statement, Espano, said he hopes to “continue PrideArts’ tradition of telling a diversity of queer community stories that not only entertain, but also encourage the audience to reflect on their own views, beliefs and biases.”
Españo, 47, replaces Donterrio Johnson who resigned last November, citing a disagreement with the theater’s ongoing relationship with its founder, David Zak, who also resigned in 2020 after several ensemble members at the theater requested his removal.
Pride operates in a storefront theater at 4139 N. Broadway on Chicago’s North Side. Españo said he was at work planning the 2021-22 season and expected to announce the slated productions soon.
