West Side Story - August 18 - August 27, 2023
Teatro San Diego
Note from our Executive Director & Founder
It is with great honor and privilege that we present this piece about the dissonance that occurs when communities are displaced and torn apart, yet within that disparity there is always a light of hope. If anyone has been following, Teatro San Diego was founded when there was uncertainty in the year of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020. This nonprofit was meant to bring light to a theatrical community in need of justice and equality represented on stage.
West Side Story is very near and dear to me. It afforded me many opportunities, from local productions to the international tour and the Steven Spielberg film. This show allowed me to make a living doing what I love; and that opportunity came at the backs of many people's sacrifices. My story started with an immigrant family of 12, moving into a single-bedroom trailer home in Chula Vista. Their "American dream" came to enlarge when they purchased a home in City Heights almost 40 years ago. Growing up I saw the construction of this very theatre you sit in, the adjacent park and library. West Side Story is a commentary on the effects of gentrification and displacement; life imitating art.
As a boy, I would walk by this park and theatre wondering if I could ever be like those fancy performers on a stage and sing, act, dance. This production represents a culmination of my life's work. I strive to uplift my community and share the good news that we are invited to the show. People like us can be the heroes of our own stories! A Mexican-American can make a living doing what they love. It doesn't take an exception or special unique talent, it takes hard work. In the words of those that came before us, YES WE CAN!
Please enjoy West Side Story and uplift anyone in your life with a dream.
Executive Director/Founder
Julio Catano
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