| From an early age, Norma Saldivar cultivated what she calls a "wild imagination" through storytelling and performance. When asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, however, she may have said a lawyer or something involved with political science. But underneath her school smarts and love of history, there was a persistent imaginative creativity that would eventually develop into a profound connection with the theater. Saldivar's connection with the arts and theater evolved from one of pleasure and curiosity to a life-long passion and successful career. Today, Saldivar heads up the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Directing Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Theatre and Drama. Most recently, she was named interim executive director of UW-Madison's Art Institute. Saldivar's journey began in the south suburbs of Chicago, where she was born and raised. In many ways, her home life was typical of suburban America. Yet, Saldivar was aware early on that she was just a little different from classmates. Both Saldivar's parents are from Mexico and she was raised in a bilingual household that sought balance between American and Mexican culture and values. "My [heritage] is always actively a part of who I am," Saldivar said. "You got to school and you know you're different. That's always been a part of my psyche." Also a consistent piece of Saldivar's psyche was her fluid and active imagination. "I had a wild imagination," she said. "I think that';s what generated my interest in exploring theater." When Saldivar headed off to college to become a lawyer, she was inevitably drawn to the theater. Instead of getting a degree in political science, as she had planned, Saldivar received a bachelor's of fine arts in acting from Illinois Wesleyan University. In her senior year, Saldivar directed for the first time and found that being the storyteller was her true passion. She immediately went on to graduate school and earned her MFA in directing from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. "My interest was in creating a fantasy world and being able to put it into three-dimensional form in front of an audience," Saldivar said. "I wanted to be the storyteller and not inside the story." After graduate school, Saldivar went to Chicago to carve out a career as a director. She worked for a number of small theaters and later was the resident director and artistic administrator for the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre. She has served as casting director, dramaturge, and producer for productions in Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Milwaukee. In her nine years at UW-Madison, Saldivar has served as an associate professor of directing, director of the University Theatre, and an affiliate faculty member of the Chicano/a Studies Program. She has directed a variety of productions and has received awards for her new play development and for excellence in teaching. Today, Saldivar heads up the MFA directing program at UW-Madison. She enjoys the challenge of teaching others. "You have to inspire students to find their own voice," Saldivar said. "That's a lot of work. You have to inspire them to trust their instincts and use those instincts to develop an effect. The reality is; it takes years to become an artist." Although her work admittedly keeps her quite busy, Saldivar welcomed the opportunity to head up the highly respected Arts Institute at UW-Madison. She was named interim executive director this past August. "I enjoy being busy and making a contribution to the University," Saldivar said. "At this particular junction, I've been trying to lend as much leadership to the program as I can." The Arts Institute is an inter-college unit that is well known for its series of artist residencies, which brings notable performers, writers, composers, and other artists to the campus. "The institute assists the college in bringing really wonderful artists to the campus," Saldivar said. "Exposing the community to unique performers that they wouldn't normally see, is so valuable." The institute is also valuable in that it provides financial and other support to performers and artists, a trade that often has fewer resources for such support, Saldivar said. Additionally, the institute sponsors and supports Arts Night Out, the Wisconsin Film Festival, as well as fellowships and awards, public programming, and outreach for the University and the Madison community. Saldivar will lead the Arts Institute for a year. Whether she continues on after that is yet to be determined. "I'm trying to determine if this will be a good fit for both the institute and myself," she said. For the time being, Saldivar takes her responsibility very seriously. She has the utmost respect for the institute and all it offers to the University and the community. "I am very proud to be involved in the Institute," she asserted. "I feel this awesome responsibility to keep the Institute for the year." Governed by arts faculty and staff, the Arts Institute exists to foster and celebrate the arts, broadly understood as integral and essential to the University's mission. It does so by integrating campus arts programs, providing opportunities to experience and understand diverse cultures and the arts created within them, facilitating cross-departmental projects, and serving as a resource to the larger campus community. For more information on the Arts Institute, visit www.arts.wisc.edu/artsinstitute or call (608) 263-4086. |
| Norma Zaldivar A passion for theater art by Laura Salinger |
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| (Left) Norma Saldivar |