The Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) announced that co-founder and Executive Director Myrna Salazar passed away Aug. 3—two weeks after celebrating her 75th birthday.
According to a press release, "Salazar will always be a Chicago legend, leaving a legacy as a Latina trailblazer who shattered glass ceilings throughout her career. To her last day, Salazar advocated for equity and representation of Latino artists in mainstream media and Chicago's live theater stages."
A native of Puerto Rico who was raised in Chicago, Salazar—who was appointed to the Chicago Cultural Advisory Council in 2020—began her career as an economic development specialist at the West Town Economic Development Corporation. She was the founder and president of Salazar & Navas Talent Agency Inc., where she secured contracts for more than 300 professional actors, models and spokespersons for a client base of 50+ Fortune 500 companies.
From 2007 through 2011, Salazar was the director of development and marketing at the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago (ILCC), which produces the Annual Chicago Latino Film Festival (CLFF), among other programs. In 2016, Salazar co-founded and became the executive director of CLATA.
CLATA's signature program is Destinos, the Chicago International Latino Theater Festival. Now in its fifth year, Destinos is an annual, citywide, LGBTQ-inclusive festival showcasing Chicago's Latino theater artists and companies alongside top Latino artists from the U.S. and Latin America. The 5th Destinos runs Sept. 14-Oct. 16, 2022, at venues throughout the city.
Information about funeral services is forthcoming.
