Richard Montoya

File:Richard Montoya, September 2019-1.jpg, September 2019]]

Richard Montoya is an American actor, director, producer, screenwriter, playwright, comedian, and co-founding member of the San Francisco based performance troupe Culture Clash.{{cite thesis |last=Garcia |first=David Gumaro |date=2006 |title=The Evolution of a Critical Race Theater: Culture Clash and Chicana/o Performance Art, 1965–2005 |publisher=University of California, Los Angeles}}{{cite journal |last=Garcia |first=David G. |date=2006 |title=Remembering Chavez Ravine: Culture Clash and Critical Race Theater |url=https://escholarship.org/content/qt4gw5j737/qt4gw5j737_noSplash_c58d6b7d5b03e2beab5ebe0edb52c107.pdf?t=olo6ck |journal=Chicano-Latino Law Review |volume=26 |issue=1 |pages=111–130 |access-date=August 8, 2023}}{{cite thesis |last=Jara |first=Javier |date=2023 |title=Culture Clash Digital Archive: Latinidad and Resistance in 20th century Latinx Sketch Comedy Group |url=https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/downloads/1j92gg07k |publisher=California State University, San Marcos |access-date=August 8, 2023}}Grimm, Tracy. Richard Montoya Papers. Julian Samora Library at the Institute for Latino Studies, 2012. Web. https://latinostudies.nd.edu/assets/134273/richardmontoyapapers.pdf 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.{{cite web|title = José Montoya : The Poetry Foundation|url = http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/jose-montoya|website = www.poetryfoundation.org|accessdate = 2015-12-02}}

Early life and education

Richard Montoya was born in San Diego, CA{{cite web|url = https://findingaids.csun.edu/archon/?p=collections/controlcard&id=157|title = Richard Montoya Culture Clash Collection, 1989–2004|date = |accessdate = |website = |publisher = |last = |first = }} 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 Theater.{{cite web|title = Richard Montoya: 25 Years Of Laughing About Race|url = https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111893905|website = NPR.org|accessdate = 2015-11-30}} 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.{{cite web|title = Richard Montoya Culture Clash Collection, 1989–2004 {{!}} Special Collections & Archives|url = https://findingaids.csun.edu/archon/?p=collections/findingaid&id=157&q=&rootcontentid=31402|website = findingaids.csun.edu|accessdate = 2015-12-01}} 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.{{cite news|title = Culture Clash's Montoya gets film fellowship|url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-sep-21-et-quick21.s2-story.html|newspaper = Los Angeles Times|date = 2007-09-21|access-date = 2015-12-01|issn = 0458-3035|language = en-US|first = Diane|last = Haithman}}

Career

= Early career: Culture Clash =

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 – 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.{{cite web|title = Latino Archives|url = http://digital-library.csun.edu/cdm/search/collection/LatinoArchives/searchterm/Culture%2520Clash%2520Collection/field/relati/mode/exact/conn/and/cosuppress/|website = digital-library.csun.edu|accessdate = 2015-12-02}}

= Later career and notable works =

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.{{cite web|title = Artslandia Q + A with Richard Montoya – Artslandia – Portland's Performing Arts Guide|url = http://artslandia.com/artslandia-q-a-with-richard-montoya/|website = Artslandia – Portland's Performing Arts Guide|accessdate = 2015-12-01|language = en-US}} 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),{{cite web|url = https://www.osfashland.org/en/productions/2010-plays/american-night.aspx|title = Oregon Shakespeare Festival: American Night|date = |accessdate = |website = |publisher = |last = |first = }} and The River (play, 2013).{{cite web|url = http://tdps.berkeley.edu/events/tdps-new-play-reading-series-the-river/|title = New play reading series: The River by Richard Montoya|date = |accessdate = |website = |publisher = |last = |first = }} Montoya also served as a staff writer on the first season of NBC's Southland.

Montoya played a role in Jared and Jerusha Hess's 2006 movie Nacho Libre.

Critical reception

Works created through Culture Clash have received mixed reviews from critics and audience members. According to the LA Times, the 2003 production of the group's Chavez Ravine lacked depth{{cite news|title = No runs, a few hits, no real errors: a sketchy 'Ravine'|url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jun-02-et-shirley2-story.html|newspaper = Los Angeles Times|date = 2003-06-02|access-date = 2015-12-05|issn = 0458-3035|language = en-US|first = Don|last = Shirley}} and others said it was too long to hold audience's attention,{{cite web|title = Chavez Ravine – Culture Clash|url = http://culturevulture.net/theater/chavez-ravine-culture-clash/|website = CultureVulture|date = 2003-06-06|accessdate = 2015-12-05}} even though audience members touted the work as "the group's most important play".{{cite web|title = Culture Clash adds more bite in 'Chavez Ravine: An L.A. Revival'|url = https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-chavez-ravine-culture-clash-20150301-story.html|website = Los Angeles Times| date=29 January 2015 |accessdate = 2015-12-05}} The troupe revived the play in 2015 and received more positive, but still mixed, reviews.{{cite web|title = Chavez Ravine|url = http://www.theatermania.com/los-angeles-theater/reviews/chavez-ravine-kirk-douglas-review_71687.html|website = TheaterMania.com|accessdate = 2015-12-05}}

Montoya's individual creations, such as American Night: The Ballad of Juan José, which originally debuted at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2010, were generally well received by critics, being called "fun and thoughtful".{{cite web|title = Theater review: Oregon Shakespeare Festival's history cycle, 'American Revolutions' begins with fun, thoughtful 'American Night'|url = http://www.oregonlive.com/performance/index.ssf/2010/08/theater_review_oregon_shakespeare_american_night.html|website = OregonLive.com| date=21 August 2010 |accessdate = 2015-12-05}} Water & Power, the 2013 film written and directed by Montoya has an average rating of 3.6/5 based on 152 ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, with 67% of audience members liking the film.{{cite web|title = Water & Power|url = https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/water_and_power_2014/?search=water%2520and%2520power|website = www.rottentomatoes.com|date = 2014-05-02|accessdate = 2015-12-05}}

Legacy

Montoya's personal and professional papers are housed at the California State University, Northridge (CSUN) Special Collections and Archives in the University Library.{{cite web |url=http://pdf.oac.cdlib.org/pdf/cnos/urba/csun_urb_cc_rm_oac.pdf |title=Guide to the Richard Montoya Culture Clash Collection |last1=Marshall |first1=Robert |last2=Graff |first2=Rebecca |date=February 2004 |website=Online Archive of California |publisher=California Digital Library |access-date=January 5, 2022 |quote=}}