The heartbeat of Laredo is found in its people– the doctors, teachers, public servants and retail workers who keep the city moving from 9 to 5. You see them in line at local coffee shops or sit in traffic next to them on the loop. But when the sun sets, a transformation occurs. The tie comes off, the scrubs are exchanged for costumes, and the briefcase is swapped for a script.
The state of theater in Laredo is, first and foremost, a testament to these double lives. It is a community built entirely by volunteers. For decades, our stages have been upheld not by people who do it for a paycheck, but by people who do it for the purest reason of all: because they have to. Because they love it.
This spirit of volunteerism is the bedrock of our artistic community, a tradition carried on the shoulders of giants like Brother Bob Warren, Stanley Keilson and Hortense Reuthinger-Offerle. They laid the groundwork for a storytelling tradition that has endured for generations.
But if you look closely at our history, you can pinpoint a moment when the ground shifted. Around 2009, with the establishment of Laredo Theater Guild International under the artistic direction of Joe Arciniega, we witnessed a renaissance. Suddenly, community theater wasn’t just about junior musicals or modest, small-scale productions that struggled to find an audience; it was about “The Event.” Production values skyrocketed, audiences swelled, and the material became more challenging. This era challenged other local organizations like LITE Productions, Laredo Little Theater and new companies like Break a Leg to up their game, creating a world where a new generation of Laredoans grew up viewing high-quality, artistic spectacle as the base standard. It was a beautiful, necessary evolution.
But art does not stand still. If the last decade was about proving we could go “big,” I believe the next era of Laredo theater is about the courage to go “deep.”
While commercial theater and big musicals will always have their place — and they are vital for bringing families into the fold — our community is ready for something more. We are ready for theater that doesn’t just entertain, but confronts. Theater that strips away the spectacle to reveal the raw, beating heart of the story.
Last summer, I attended the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and I was struck by how the most powerful productions were often the simplest. They were stripped down, honest, and undeniably moving. It was a reminder that you don’t need a massive proscenium to create magic; you just need truth. Inspired by that raw energy, I have decided to step outside the comfort of our established local organizations to embark on my first major independent project. Driven by a desire to uplift artistry above commercialism, a group of collaborators and I are currently working on a production that embodies this new, unfiltered direction.
In early 2026, I will be directing John Logan’s Red, a play centered on the life of the legendary abstract expressionist Mark Rothko.
This will not be a typical night at the theater. We are taking the play off the stage and planting it in a unique, site-specific format within a historical downtown building at 819 Iturbide St. The space, which local lore suggests has served as everything from a bank to a bar, will be converted into Rothko’s art studio. It is an invitation into the artist’s inner sanctum, where the scent of turpentine fills the air and the splattering of paint happens inches from your seat. In this intimate, 42-seat setting, the boundaries between the audience and the art dissolve, making you a silent witness to a creative fury.
By staging this work in an ordinary, unused building rather than a traditional theater, we are inviting the audience to enter with an open mind. There is a psychological shift that happens when you step into an unexpected environment; the lack of a familiar structure challenges the viewer to see the world through new eyes. It reminds us that theater can — and should — happen anywhere.
Rehearsals for this “pop-up” production began in early November with a team of colleagues driven by a shared desire for artistic exploration. I am particularly moved to be working with several of my former students: Katelyn Kahn (Producer/Stage Manager), Leann Bernal (Producer), Allyson Tellez (Costume Designer), and Pepe Treviño, who plays the role of Rothko’s assistant, Ken. They are joined by José Flores as Mark Rothko, Dramaturg Ricky Castillon, Prop Master Ray Cantú and Assistant Producer Damaris Guzman. Seeing these artists take ownership of this challenging project reinforces my belief in the future of our city’s talent; they are not just the next generation — they are the current leaders pushing our boundaries.
In the play, Rothko commands his assistant to “Make something new.”
That is the state of theater in Laredo today. We are standing on the incredible foundation built by the volunteers and visionaries of the past, and we are answering the call to make something new. We are currently finalizing the necessary permits for our target opening in early February 2026. Because of the intimate nature of the space, only 42 seats will be available for each performance during our strictly limited three-weekend run.
While tickets may not be available at the time of this writing, they may be released by the time you read this. For the most up-to-date information on performance dates and ticket availability, please visit redoniturbide.com. We invite you to step out of the theater and into the studio with us. Let’s dream bigger, look closer, and feel more deeply, together.
(Marco Gonzalez is a director, local educator and former Artistic Director of Laredo Theater Guild International. A two-time veteran of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, he most recently staged Lord of the Flies at the 2025 festival.)
