Richard Montoya is an American actor, director, producer, screenwriter, playwright, comedian, and co-founding member of theSan Francisco based performance troupeCulture Clash.[1][2][3][4] His work in theatre is largely comedy-based and centers around ideas of racism, immigration, discrimination, and identity in Latin-American communities.[4] He follows in the steps of his father, famous activistJosé Montoya, and is known for creating social and political change through a variety of artistic expressions.[4][5]
Richard Montoya was born inSan Diego, CA[6] in 1959 to parents actively involved in theUnited Farm Workers Movement of the 1970s and 1980s. He was influenced by his family's involvement in matters of civil rights to pursue a career in political and social activism, and chose to accomplish these goals mainly through writing original works and acting in plays and films concerned with matters of culture, racism, and Latino identity in the United States. He attendedCalifornia State University, Sacramento in addition to studying at theAmerican Conservatory Theater.[4][7] Montoya has also spent time working withLuis Valdez's famedEl Teatro Campesino, as well as with theSundance Institute's Writers and Directors Lab.[4][8] He has been awarded two Annenberg Fellowships through the Sundance Institute. He used his 2007 grant to transformWater & Power, what was originally created as a play by Culture Clash, into the 2013 film of the same name.[4][9]
On May 5, 1984 Richard Montoya along with Ric Salinas,Herbert Sigüenza,José Antonio Burciaga,Marga Gómez, and Monica Palacios founded a performance troupe based out of theMission District of San Francisco called Culture Clash with the goal of creating theatrical and artistic works ofpolitical satire through which controversial ideas of immigration andmulticulturalism were discussed.[6][7] In Montoya's words, Culture Clash was created to be "part gallery installation, [part] stand-up, [and part] theater – Chicano Teatro" occurring at the "height [of] civil strife" in Latin-American Countries such asNicaragua andEl Salvador that worked in tandem with the United Farm Workers and theChicano Movement to heighten political and social around multicultural issues of racism, immigration, discrimination, and more.[7] Culture Clash focuses on creating works of satire mainly in the form of full-length plays and short comedic skits. Their works includeCulture Clash in AmeriCCa,Chavez Ravine, andA Bowl of Beings.[10]
Although Culture Clash is still a collective, Montoya has also branched out and created works of his own. In addition to works produced through Culture Clash, Montoya has authored and co-authored works for a variety of works for prominent theatre companies likeBerkeley Rep, theOregon Shakespeare Festival, and theSan Diego Repertory Theatre.[11] In addition to these co-authored works, as an independent writer he has created such works asWater & Power (play, 2006; film, 2013),American Night: The Ballad of Juan José (play, 2010),[12] andThe River (play, 2013).[13] Montoya also served as a staff writer on the first season ofNBC'sSouthland.[13]
Montoya played a role inJared and Jerusha Hess's2006 movieNacho Libre.
Works created through Culture Clash have received mixed reviews from critics and audience members. According to theLA Times, the 2003 production of the group'sChavez Ravine lacked depth[14] and others said it was too long to hold audience's attention,[15] even though audience members touted the work as "the group's most important play".[16] The troupe revived the play in 2015 and received more positive, but still mixed, reviews.[16][17]
Montoya's individual creations, such asAmerican Night: The Ballad of Juan José, which originally debuted at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2010, were generally well received by critics, being called "fun and thoughtful".[18]Water & Power, the 2013 film written and directed by Montoya has an average rating of 3.6/5 based on 152 ratings onRotten Tomatoes, with 67% of audience members liking the film.[19]
Montoya's personal and professional papers are housed at theCalifornia State University, Northridge (CSUN) Special Collections and Archives in the University Library.[20]
