WHO
WE ARE

QUIÉNES SOMOS

Rebeca Alemán

FOUNDER & Executive Artistic Director

actress | PLAYWRIGHT | PIANIST | JOURNALIST

I was born in Venezuela. At age five, I began playing the piano and at age 17, I was selected to join the first National Youth Theater Ensemble of Venezuela. After receiving my Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism/Media Communication and Music, I continued my training in London and NYC for both acting and directing. I have played leading roles in over 38 theatrical productions, soap operas, and films including those as Sor Juana Inés De La Cruz, Frida Kahlo and Camila O’Gorman. I was an ensemble member for five years at the Spanish Repertory Theater-NYC. I have written six plays, four short films, and one children’s book. I have produced 23 plays and directed and produced four short films focused on denouncing violence. My film “Gone with The Sea”, in memory of all victims of violence, was an Official Selection FIACINE-2019-Academia de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas, Spain. My play “The Delicate Tears of the Waning Moon” opened DESTINOS-2019 and was unanimously recognized as outstanding by specialized critics and the audience. I am the Founder and Executive Director of Water People Theater. 

2 ACE AWARD-ACTRESS REVELATION OF THE YEAR AND BEST ACTRESS. NATIONAL AWARD. VENEZUELA-BEST ACTRESS.

2 DE ORO. TELEVISION – BEST ACTRESS.

Iraida Tapias

Producing Artistic Director

director | PLAYWRIGHT | SCRIPTWRITER | SOCIOLOGIST

During her 51-years-experience career in theater, she focused on producing and directing plays of Spanish American authors, especially Venezuelan. Iraida has written seven plays and produced over 30 theatrical performances. She directed 12 theatrical pieces and two musicals. Awards: National Artist Award, Venezuela – Best Director. Premio Municipal de Cine, Venezuela – Scriptwriter and La Habana Film Festival Award – Best Producer.

Constanza Mendoza

Resident Advisor & Development Support

Constanza Mendoza (she/ella) is a Venezuelan-born, Chicago-based cultural organizer, facilitator, and nonprofit consultant. With over a decade of experience in strategy and community engagement, she founded Terra Cotta in 2023 to support BIPOC arts and cultural organizations. Her work spans legacy institutions like the South Side Community Art Center and Joel Hall Dancers & Center, as well as transformative organizations like Black Girls Code, Enrich Chicago, and Water People Theater. A 2024-2025 fellow at the Intercultural Leadership Institute, Constanza also serves as a grant panelist for the NEA, NALAC, and DCASE. She holds a master’s in Arts Administration from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a Post-Bac in Museum Studies from UASB-Quito, and a bachelor’s in Art History from the Université Paris-Sorbonne.

STAFF

Marisabel Muñoz
Scenic and Props Designer

Isadora Villamizar
Production Assistant

Carlos Trujillo 
IT Coordinator

Collaborators

Ramón Camín
Oliver Krisch
María Fernanda Rodríguez
Samuel Ocean
Michelle Skiba
Giulio Pedota
Madeline Nesbitt
Kenneth Martin
Sandra Bernal
Estefania Mena

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

JOSÉ R. SÁNCHEZ – CHAIR
Humboldt Park Health President and CEO

THAIS LOPEZ VOGEL –VICE CHAIR
Co-Founder/Trustee at Volo Foundation.

PHILLIP BARREDA –TREASURER
Executive Vice President | Chicago MSDC

MARTA MEDINA – SECRETARY
Journalist – President – M2 Communications.

CASPER SANDERSON –DIRECTOR
VP, Sales – Americas Markit.

REBECA ALEMÁN –DIRECTOR
President & Founder – Water People Theater

ADVISORY BOARD

PEPE VARGAS
Founder & Executive Director of the International Latino Cultural Center.

VANESSA VALECILLOS
Dancer – Faculty at Northwestern University, Chicago.

JUAN GABRIEL MORENO
President and founder of Juan Moreno Architects (JGMA)

OSCAR PERDOMO MARÍN
Writer | Journalist | Poet.