Today, we’d like to introduce you to Armando Huipe.
Hi Armando, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I was introduced to the theater world by a college professor of mine who linked me up with the Latino Theater Company at the Los Angeles Theatre Center.
It’s a quintessential story—I worked as an usher and in the box office from time to time, but I did get tickets to see the performances. I had seen other performances through grade school field trips, but it wasn’t until my time at the LATC that I saw people who looked like my family, and I got up on their feet in response to a theater performance. Let’s just say I caught the bug.
I’ve been blessed to have brilliant artists and arts leaders as mentors throughout the years. I absorbed so many points of view, lessons, and advice. As a young professional, I fashioned myself into an artist. I was surrounded by artists, spent a lot of time in rehearsal halls, and enabled so much art making—of course, I started to identify as an artist. One of my mentors, Diane Rodriguez, took me out for lunch one day, and the topic of my career came up.
I was in a small department within a large institution, and it was evident to her that there wouldn’t be much upward mobility for me there for quite some time; we could both be a little impatient at times. She told me I had to get my master’s and that “Yale School of Drama is the ticket.” To my own surprise, that’s what ended up happening! I applied to the Theater Management program and graduated with an MFA.
Soon after, I started as the producer of the Latinx Theatre Commons, a national service organization that supports Latinx theatermaking. That path led me back here to Los Angeles, where I received a call from Skylight Theatre Company. I’m in my third year as Executive Director of Skylight Theatre Company, where I’m working toward building the company for the long term.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t usually like to discuss experiences as setbacks. When I was in college, I had some personally destabilizing things happen in my life that made my undergraduate trajectory go from being on track to very untraditional. I actually flunked out of UCLA in 2010 and saw many of my classmates graduate over the next few years.
In 2015, I had the chance to go back and finish my degree—at the same time, I applied and was accepted to the Theater Management program at Yale School of Drama. After coming out the other side of my master’s program, I gained a perspective about setbacks as greater things in progress. There’s nearly always something to learn and grow from in struggle. I try to stay open to receiving the lessons embedded in difficult times.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I joined Skylight Theatre Company as executive director in January of 2022. We have been rebuilding the company and our audience since then to reflect our local community’s concerns and experiences. At Skylight, we have a slogan: We believe artists have the power to create change. Baked into that statement is a belief that artists are inevitably in conversation with the community and society.
Our job as producers is to stay in tune with the conversations our communities are having and offer them unmistakably theatrical experiences that can reflect and challenge them. When people come to Skylight, I hope they find deeply entertaining and visceral experiences that help them ask a question they haven’t thought of or discover novel approaches to what’s going on in their lives.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I grew up in Los Angeles, so a lot of what the city is just feels natural to me. A friend once pointed out to me how culturally specific so many enclaves are—from Koreatown and Little Armenia to Chinatown and Little Ethiopia.
Immigrant communities have claimed space and molded it to themselves. LA really shines when communities are able to share and partake in each other’s culture, navigating the cuisines, sounds, and architecture, all of which contribute to the tapestry of the city. What do I like the least? How parking-dependent friendships can be.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.skylighttheatre.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/armandohuipe/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/armando.huipe/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/armandohuipe
Image Credits
“The Sandwich Ministry” by Miranda Rose Hall, Seth Dorcey, Jordan Hull, and Maha Chehlaoui, “Lavender Men” by Roger Q. Mason, Jenny Graham, Pete Ploszeck, “La Egoista” by Erlina Ortiz, Jenny Graham, Chanel Castañeda, Lys Perez “Hungry Ghost” by Lisa Sanaye Dring, Grettel Cortes, and Ben Messmer
