Sancocho
our acting ensemble
Antonia Arcely (Caridad)
Antonia Arcely is estatic making her debut with Visión Latino. Recently, Antonia was part of the FIRST ever Latina Comedy Festival in Chicago where she performed stand up. Antonia is a proud union member of SAG, DGA, LMGI, and IATSE Local 476 allowing her to work in front of and behind the camera with acting credits on Chicago Fire, Empire, and Chicago PD and crew credits on numerous TV/Film productions over the past ten years. Antonia is currently working on a pilot sitcom and video comedy sketches with Write Dat Down Prod. LLC a company she co-founded in 2021.
Amber Lee Ramos (Renata)
Amber is new to Chicago and is making a return to the stage after being a stay-at-home parent for 7 years. She studied Theatre Performance at Baylor University and has primarily had roles on screen since then. Amber is a collage artist and muralist and loves connecting people through stories and art. She is excited for a new chapter in Chicago theatre.
our creative team
Xavier M Custodio (Director)
Xavier M. Custodio is one of the Co-Founders and Artistic Director of Visión Latino Theatre Company. He feels honored to be directing the Midwest Premiere of Sancocho and working alongside two talented and brillante Associate Artistic Director,and this amazing production team. Thank you Christin Cato for trusting me with your play. Xavier’s directing credits includes: Failure: A Love Story, Y Tu Abuela, Where is She?(World Premiere), Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, Stories of Us, Fame, In The Heights, Yellow Eyes, Revolt (World Premiere), and Parachute Man (Assistant Director). He has been in the following productions: The Scarecrow (Minster Dodge), Rent (Benny), Godspell (John the Baptist), Man of La Mancha (Juan), Nine Lives: A Musical Web Series (BFPS Manger), Evita, Ragtime, and The Wiz.
Christin Eve Cato (Playwright)
Christin Eve Cato is a playwright and performing artist from the Bronx. She holds an MFA in Playwriting from Indiana University and completed her BA in Political Science and Philosophy at Fordham University. Cato is also a graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School for Music and Art and the Performing Arts. She is affiliated with NYC theater companies, Pregones/PRTT (ensemble member & former Resident Dramaturg), INTAR Theatre (UNIT 52 ensemble member), and the Latinx Playwrights Circle. Cato's artistic style is expressed through Caribbean culture and the Afro-Latinx diaspora, honoring her Puerto Rican and Jamaican roots. Recent off-broadway productions include, The Good Cop (DUAF 2022); American Made (Samuel French OOB Festival/ NYC); and an audio play journey, The Mayor of Hell's Kitchen Presents: A Time Traveling Journey Through NYC's Wild West (The Parsnip Ship & Playwrights Horizons/ NYC). Publication/Contributor credits include: We Are Not Neutral (Amazon Books) and, launching soon, Latinx Actor Training (Routledge). She has developed her work with The Classical Theatre of Harlem, Harlem9, Pregones Theater, Milagro Theatre, Borderlands Theater, Teatro Vivo, Smith College, Indiana University, Texas State University, Cardinal Stage, The Road Theatre Company, The Kennedy Center, Piper Theatre Productions, and many others. For more info: www.christinevecato.com
Yajaira Custodio (Associate Artistic Director- Costume Designer)
Yajaira I. Custodio is a Co-Founder and Associate Artistic Director of Visión Latino Theatre Company. Yajaira is a Chicago based actress, content creator,digital marketing specialist, costume and graphic designer. As a graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA), Yajaira was fortunate to attend both the New York City and Los Angeles campuses where she studied theatre arts with a focus in performance. Stage credits include: Little Shop of Horrors, Urinetown, Fiddler on the Roof, Seussical the Musical, Ragtime, Godspell, In The Heights, and Yellow eyes. Through her work with Visión Latino, she hopes to highlight more work that elevates the voices and stories that are rarely produced. Also, a special thank you to my parents for everything they do for us and this company.
Flavia Pallozzi(Associate Artistic Director)
Flavia Pallozzi is a Uruguayan-American actress and writer from Miami, Florida. She became an ensemble member with VLTC six years ago and has been an associate artistic director for four, helping Vision Latino premiere works at Chicago Dramatists, The Den Theater, and now Windy City Playhouse. Flavia has also worked with companies in the city such as Remy Bumppo, the Chicago Shakespeare Project, and Victory Gardens. She is an advocate for Latin representation in film and theater.
Shayna Patel (Scenic Designer)
Shayna is a scenic designer who moved here from England. Prior to Sancocho, she designed National Merit at the BoHo Theatre and had worked on numerous shows at Columbia College Chicago including mainstage shows Head Over Heels, Contact: A case study and American Menu and D3’s such as 4.48 Psychosis, and Dog. She also works as a scenic painter and miniature scale model maker for shows around Chicago. Find more about her and her work at www.shaynadesigns.com.
Line Bower (Technical Director)
Line Bower is a Chicago-based freelance technical director, carpenter, and SAFD-certified stage combatant. They are thrilled to be working with VLTC for the first time! A recent graduate of Columbia College Chicago, they were the college’s first student technical director of a mainstage production in Hortensia and the Museum of Dreams. Other recent credits include Richard III with Babes With Blades Theatre Company (technical director), and Skates: A New Musical (stagehand). Love and thanks to their mentors, Kal Grissom and Grant Sabin.
SeaBass (Lighting Designer)
Sebastian 'SeaBass' Medina, is a recent graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University, Sebastian is a Latino Chicago-based lighting designer operating out of the Atheneum Theatre in Chicago’s historic Lakeview neighborhood. Recent credits include Dance Chicago Year Showcase (2022), Anastasia (2022) Visceral Dance Showcase (2022) Chicago Academy 4 the Arts Showcase (2021), The Polar Express Train Ride - Chicago (2021), BISI Summer Show Case (2021).