Richard Montoya is an American actor, director, producer,
screenwriter, playwright, comedian, and co-founding member of the San
Francisco based performance troupe Culture Clash. His work in theatre
is largely comedy-based and centers around ideas of racism,
immigration, discrimination, and identity in Latin-American
communities. He follows in the steps of his father, famous activist
José Montoya, and is known for creating social and political change
through a variety of artistic expressions.Richard Montoya was born in
San Diego, CA in 1959 to parents actively involved in the United 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 attended California State University, Sacramento in
addition to studying at the American Conservatory Theatre. Montoya has
also spent time working with Luis Valdez's famed El Teatro Campesino,
as well as with the Sundance Institute's Writers and Directors Lab. He
has been awarded two Annenberg Fellowships through the Sundance
Institute. He used his 2007 grant to transform Water & Power, what was
originally created as a play by Culture Clash, into the 2013 film of
the same name.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 the Mission
District of San Francisco called Culture Clash with the goal of
creating theatrical and artistic works of political satire through
which controversial ideas of immigration and multiculturalism were
discussed. In Montoya's words, Culture Clash was created to be "part
gallery installation, [part] stand-up, [and part] theater â€" Chicano
Teatro" occurring at the "height [of] civil strife" in Latin-American
Countries such as Nicaragua and El Salvador that worked in tandem with
the United Farm Workers and the Chicano Movement to heighten political
and social around multicultural issues of racism, immigration,
discrimination, and more. Culture Clash focuses on creating works of
satire mainly in the form of full-length plays and short comedic
skits. Their works include Culture Clash in AmeriCCa, Chavez Ravine,
and A Bowl of Beings.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 like Berkeley Rep, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the
San Diego Repertory Theatre. In addition to these co-authored works,
as an independent writer he has created such works as Water & Power
(play, 2006; film, 2013), American Night: The Ballad of Juan José
(play, 2010), and The River (play, 2013). Montoya also served as a
staff writer on the first season of NBC's Southland.
screenwriter, playwright, comedian, and co-founding member of the San
Francisco based performance troupe Culture Clash. His work in theatre
is largely comedy-based and centers around ideas of racism,
immigration, discrimination, and identity in Latin-American
communities. He follows in the steps of his father, famous activist
José Montoya, and is known for creating social and political change
through a variety of artistic expressions.Richard Montoya was born in
San Diego, CA in 1959 to parents actively involved in the United 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 attended California State University, Sacramento in
addition to studying at the American Conservatory Theatre. Montoya has
also spent time working with Luis Valdez's famed El Teatro Campesino,
as well as with the Sundance Institute's Writers and Directors Lab. He
has been awarded two Annenberg Fellowships through the Sundance
Institute. He used his 2007 grant to transform Water & Power, what was
originally created as a play by Culture Clash, into the 2013 film of
the same name.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 the Mission
District of San Francisco called Culture Clash with the goal of
creating theatrical and artistic works of political satire through
which controversial ideas of immigration and multiculturalism were
discussed. In Montoya's words, Culture Clash was created to be "part
gallery installation, [part] stand-up, [and part] theater â€" Chicano
Teatro" occurring at the "height [of] civil strife" in Latin-American
Countries such as Nicaragua and El Salvador that worked in tandem with
the United Farm Workers and the Chicano Movement to heighten political
and social around multicultural issues of racism, immigration,
discrimination, and more. Culture Clash focuses on creating works of
satire mainly in the form of full-length plays and short comedic
skits. Their works include Culture Clash in AmeriCCa, Chavez Ravine,
and A Bowl of Beings.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 like Berkeley Rep, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the
San Diego Repertory Theatre. In addition to these co-authored works,
as an independent writer he has created such works as Water & Power
(play, 2006; film, 2013), American Night: The Ballad of Juan José
(play, 2010), and The River (play, 2013). Montoya also served as a
staff writer on the first season of NBC's Southland.
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