#410 – Javier Vilalta

This week on Stageworthy, host Phil Rickaby welcomes Javier Vilalta, a Mexican-Canadian interdisciplinary artist, stage director, movement coordinator, translator, and co-founder of 8ROJO Theatre. Based in Calgary, Javier shares his journey through performance, directing, and devising unique and often non-verbal theatre experiences. He reflects on his early challenges as an immigrant artist, the evolution of his creative voice, and his mission to help shape Calgary’s cultural identity.

This episode explores:

• Javier’s early artistic influences and his pivot from acting to directing
• The founding and philosophy behind Ocho Rojo Theatre
• Creating intimate, high-concept work for small audiences
• His experience directing across Canada and internationally
• Thoughts on diversity, representation, and creative freedom in Canadian theatre
• His recent production of Mary Stuart and the upcoming queer retelling of Romeo and Juliet with The Shakespeare Company

Guest: 🎭 Javier Vilalta Javier is a Mexican-Canadian visual performance creator, stage director, movement choreographer, and translator. He resides in Calgary, where he attended the University of Calgary’s Fine Arts department.

As a stage director and movement choreographer, he has collaborated with companies such as Vertigo Theatre, Theatre Calgary, Sage Theatre, Downstage, Lunchbox Theatre, The Shakespeare Company, CYPT, Jupiter Theatre, Chromatic Theatre, Inside Out Theatre, The Guild Hall, and StoryBook. He has earned two Betty Mitchell nominations for direction and choreography.

In 2005 he co-founded, along with Black artist Norma Lewis, the visual performance ensemble 8ROJO. With this group, he has devised five interdisciplinary creations; with which he has travelled around Canada and as far afield as Mexico, Czech Republic, Sweden, France, Taiwan, UK, and Iceland. With 8ROJO, he was awarded the ‘Innovation in Performance’ award at the 2016 STOFF Festival in Stockholm, Sweden; and he was a finalist for a 2021 Off West End Award in London, UK for Outstanding Production.

He has translated the texts ‘100 Love Poems and a Song of Despair’ by Pablo Neruda and Federico García Lorca’s ‘Rural Trilogy’. He translated and adapted the Mexican modern opera Anjou: The Musical Horror Tale for Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS.

Since 2010, he has assessed and developed educational sessions based on body mechanics, movement for the stage and visuals in motion, which he has shared with artists around the world.

Connect with Javier: 📸 Instagram: @javidirector

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