Victoria Espinosa

Victoria Espinosa (March 26, 1922 – July 6, 2019) was a Puerto Rican theatre director and academic, who was Professor of Theatre at the University of Puerto Rico. Compared to other Puerto Rican theatre pioneers, such as Myrna Casas and Gilda Navarra, Espinosa directed over 120 plays during the course of her career, founded Puerto Rico Theatrón Theater Workshop and the Puerto Rico Actors' Association, and became known as "the 'grand dame' of Puerto Rican theatre".

Early life and education Born on March 26, 1922, in the Trastalleres neighbourhood of San Juan, her father, Eduviges Espinosa, was a bricklayer and poet, and her mother, Isolina Torres, was a housewife. Biracial (her father was black, her mother white), Espinosa experienced racial discrimination as a child. She was later awarded an MA in Hispanic Studies. She started her career at the university, directing the children's theatre. Espinosa also acted at two points in her career: during her doctoral studies in Mexico, and when she was in her 90s. During the latter period she took roles in Moliere's Las Preciosa Ridiculas and Samuel Beckett's Rockaby. In 1958 she directed Los soles truncos (The Half-Suns), written by René Marques at the First Puerto Rican Theatre Festival. Another notable production by Espinosa was that of La Isla Antilla by Tere Marichal, which went on tour to North America in 1996.

Awards and recognition The Who's Who of Contemporary World Theatre'' referred to Espinosa as "the 'grand dame' of Puerto Rican theatre" and in 1997 she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the XII International Theatre Festival, which was held in Miami.

In 2022 the centenary of her birth was celebrated with lectures and performances at University of Puerto Rico.

In 2024 the Puerto Rican festival La Campechada was dedicated to Espinosa, and featured performances across Santurce inspired by guiding themes of her life, such as gender and theatre.

Personal life In 1953 Espinosa married surrealist artist Luis Maisonet; they had two children. She died on July 6, 2019, aged 97. She was buried at the Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery.