Margarita Espada

Margarita Espada is an artist, educator, and cultural organizer with extensive experience in physical theater practice. Espada is the founder and director of Teatro Experimental Yerbabuja, an arts organization dedicated to using the arts as a tool for social change. She serves on the faculty of the Department of Women’s Studies at Stony Brook University, where she teaches courses on theater and activism.

Espada holds a Master of Fine Arts in dramaturgy from Stony Brook University and a Bachelor of Arts in education from the University of Puerto Rico. She is a certified theater teacher in both New York State and Puerto Rico, with more than 30 years of experience as an educator, performer, playwright, arts activist, and community organizer.

Espada has conducted research, supported school and organizational change initiatives, and facilitated professional development in applied theater, culturally responsive practices, curriculum design, problem solving, and reflective communication. She also works as a project manager for the Center for Community Inclusion at Long Island University, coordinating with family engagement specialists and parent liaisons in various districts to develop and implement family-friendly practices within schools.

Espada has received multiple awards for her contributions to the arts and community work, including the Martin Luther King Living Legend Award from the NAACP Islip, Suffolk County Proclamation, and Artist of the Year from Suffolk County. Her work has been reviewed in the New York Times, Associated Press, Newsday, and other media outlets.