Mark Valdez is an artist, cultural organizer, and consultant who partners with communities, organizations, civic institutions, and others, using theater and creative tools to address community needs and to lift up community voices and stories. His work has been seen at the Alliance Theatre, Cornerstone Theater Company, La Peña Cultural Center, MACLA, Mixed Blood, the Ricardo Montalban Theater/Center Theater Group, and Trinity Rep, among others. Recent projects include the animated short film The Curious Cardinal, which he wrote and directed and adapted into a children’s picture book; Detained by France-Luce Benson, and The Most Beautiful Home…Maybe, an interactive performance which toured across the U.S., and Into The Burrow: A Peter Rabbit™ Tale, which he wrote and directed. Currently, Mark is directing The Ally by Itamar Moses, at Mixed Blood. Mark was the founding Executive Director of the Network of Ensemble Theaters, a collective of artists committed to co-creation. Mark is the recipient of various grants and awards including a Princess Grace Award, the Zelda Fichandler Award, and the Johnson Fellowship for Artists Transforming Communities. He is an inaugural awardee of the California Arts Council’s Legacy Artist Fellowship.