The board of directors of the Overtime Theatre announced on January 6 that local actor, writer and director Jade Esteban Estrada will take the helm as the organization’s artistic director. Estrada succeeds William Razavi who resigned in November. The Overtime Theatre opened its doors in 2007. According to its website, it “produces works with an…
County Commissioner Tommy Calvert Thrives in the Belly of the Beast
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. It could be argued that Tommy Calvert’s 2014 election as Bexar County Commissioner marked a turning point in local leadership. It wasn’t only that he was both the youngest person and first African American person to be elected to the position, but also because his background in civil…
Councilwoman Ana Sandoval Wants to Change the Climate at City Hall
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Around 2002, Ana Sandoval was on the cusp of a life-changing decision. She was living what might appear to be a perfect life in San Francisco, complete with a postcard view of the Golden Gate Bridge from outside her apartment building. Opposite, she could see cable cars coasting…
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg: Good to the Last Punch
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. On a quiet Tuesday afternoon, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg is sitting alone at a window table at Tito’s Restaurant in Southtown, typing into his phone. As I walk toward him, I muse on the time our paths crossed in 2013. We were both guests on Chris Duel’s…
Outgoing San Antonio City Councilman Rey Saldaña Ain’t Afraid of No Ten-Foot Crocodile
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. With clear eyes and an effortless smile, San Antonio City Councilman Rey Saldaña is looking back on his eight-year tenure without a single regret. As he approaches his final days in office, his administrative workspace is filled with memories and milestones commemorating his role as the neighborhood-hero-makes-good representative…
S.A. Councilman Manny Pelaez Can Take the Political Body Shots – Erm, Body Blows
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Councilman Manny Pelaez seems a little caught off guard when I ask him about his decade-long experience as an improv troupe member and stand-up comedian. Still, he takes the question in stride. “Who told you that?” he asks. When I reveal my source, he nods in a circumspect…
Justin Rodriguez Is Back and Ready to Focus on Ideas, Not Ideology
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. On January 12, a carefully curated tableau vivant sat behind former San Antonio mayor Julian Castro when he announced his candidacy for U.S. president at the West Side’s Plaza Guadalupe. That multicultural tapestry represented many cultures and walks of life, but it also rewarded the city’s political elite…
State Rep. Diego Bernal is Glad You Finally Think Public Ed Is Cool
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. I’m sitting across from Democratic State Rep. Diego Bernal and he’s telling me that his mother and I are neck and neck in tracking his whole political career. In honor of the holiday season, I thought I’d demand a recount. Bernal became this column’s inaugural subject in 2011,…
Jade Esteban Estrada Premiers New One-Man Show ‘A Sign from the Taco Gods’
San Antonio actor, playwright, director and choreographer Jade Esteban Estrada premiers a new, autobiographical, one-man show that highlights his childhood, his family, and a career that has taken him around the world. The production, titled A Sign from the Taco Gods, is being presented by the Overtime Theater and the TacoTown Theatre Company from December…
Ray Norris Is Tying a Yellow Ribbon ’Round the Live Oak Tree
Jade Esteban Estrada interviews the artistic director of the Live Oak Singers. Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Ray Norris was 11 years old when he got on stage and sang his first solo. Dressed in a sequin jacket and accompanied by back-up singers, he sang “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak…