The Team

Fernando Calzadilla —

www.fernandocalzadilla.com

Fernando Calzadilla is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice includes performance, theatre, ethnography, visual arts, and communication processes from the perspective of Performance Studies. A native Venezuelan, Fernando has been awarded 14 times best set, costumes, or lighting design for his work. He has performed and exhibited in Caracas, New York, São Paulo, Miami, and Valencia art galleries. His work has received support from Knight Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, and National Endowment for the Arts. Fernando was a Fulbright Specialist 2017-2020 in theater and was Guest Artist at Directors Lab West 2017.

Between 2007-2017, he was Resident Artist for Miami Theater Center where he co-authored three original plays and four adaptations. He designed sets, lights, and costumes for all of them.

All strands of his practice are centered around the human body, color, and light questioning gender and genre classifications as well as the separation between process and product. He has a BFA in Theater Design and a PhD in Performance Studies both from New York University where he worked closely with Richard Schechner and Diana Taylor. Fernando is a Rasaboxes accredited instructor.

Elaiza Irizarry —

Elaiza Irizarry is a Cultural Manager and artist with an emphasis in the Performing Arts. Her trademark has been commonsense and equality in work relations; credibility and excellence in the final product.

She has worked in cultural foundations and theater companies in Caracas, New York, and Miami. In 1984, her career jumped to the highlights when she co-founded with Isaac Chocrón La Compañía Nacional de Teatro. The popular success of the company in producing classics, from Shakespeare to Goldoni to Miller, made it an unprecedented phenomenon in the Venezuelan Theater.

Elaiza’s sensibility for art and its creators put her in collaboration with visual artists and actors in independent projects of high quality and visibility. From working with the playwright to originate a new script to working with the director and actors to set it on stage. From producing actors’ training workshops to producing art installations, performances, and ethnographic research. Her collaborations include Jacobo Borges, Ibsen Martínez, Marisol Escobar, Carlos Mota, Fernando Calzadilla, Carlos Giménez, Victor Valera, to name just a few.

From 2002-2005, Irizarry was COO for the Miami Performing Arts Center. 2006-2017 saw a successful 11-year tenure as executive director and producer for Miami Theater Center.

In 2021, Elaiza and Fernando Calzadilla founded Casa Ocumare Artists in Residency in Cheste, Spain, a non-for-profit association set in a rural environment dedicated to research, education, promotion, and presentation of art and culture in partnership with many artists and the support of Arts Connection Foundation in Miami, USA.

CASA OCUMARE AIR ADVISORY COUNCIL

CARLOS MOTA | Interiors & design consultant NYC | @casamota

LEONORA SATTERFIELD | Paralegal, Tennessee, USA

EVEL GONZALEZ | Fotógrafo Artista Barcelona | @evelgonzalez

SAIDA SANTANA | Actriz y Creadora Madrid | @saidasantana

VICENTE SANZ | Fotógrafo y Músico Madrid | @vsanzdeleon

JORDÁ FERRÉ | Artista Escénico. Constructor de máquinas Barcelona | @xordanix

ALVARO SOTILLO | Diseño Gráfico Venezuela | @sotillografico

ROSA ELDA FERNANDEZ | Valencia Spain

CARLOS SALAZAR BASTOS | Director de Teatro & Opera Venezuela | @carlossalazarb

MIGUEL FERRARI | Actor, Director de Cine Premio Goya Madrid | @ferrarimiguel

JORGE PICO | Director de Teatro Valencia. SPAIN

LUCIO FERNANDO BUENO | Chef Internacional. SPAIN

JOSEBE ARTAZA | Vitoria-Gasteiz, SPAIN

BLANCA TORRECILLA | Vitoria-Gasteiz SPAIN

MARIVENI RODRIGUEZ | Periodista-voyeur-tabernera inspirada | @mar_veni

GABRIELA FONTANILLAS | Visual Communications. Graphic design | @vacafonta