LMDA Conference 2025 Recap

by Shelley Orr

A group of travelers poses in front of the CECUT sign in Tijuana, smiling and enjoying their visit.

The 2025 LMDA Conference was our first Bi-National meeting, building on groundwork laid by the leadership of LMDA over decades. In 1990, just five years into LMDA's history, members voted to change the name of the organization to Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas to reflect the growing international membership, especially across North America. The first LMDA conference in Canada was a bi-lingual gathering held in Montreal in June of 1993. Members established LMDA Canada in 1996.

More than two decades ago, efforts to engage with dramaturgs in México began in earnest. In 2004, LMDA President Liz Engelman, LMDA Canada Chair Brian Quirt, and LMDA Board Chair Mark Bly traveled to México on behalf of LMDA to make connections that extend to today. As President-elect, in 2015, Ken Cerniglia proposed that LMDA host the annual conference in México.

In 2021, that goal came to fruition as LMDA hosted our in-person, annual conference in México City, which brought focus to the field of dramaturgy and helped to establish LMDA México. A key group of members in México, including Silvia Peláez, Lourdes Guzmán, Martha Herrera-Lasso González, Daniel Mesta, and Brenda Muñoz Salazar, among others, have helped raise awareness about dramaturgy in México. The fruit of all those labors, and more, was in evidence during the 2025 Bi-National gathering in San Diego and Tijuana.

LMDA 2025 Conference

At the 2025 conference, we had 137 participants, including more than 30 volunteers who were instrumental in making the event the great success that it was. Participants came from México, the US, but we also welcomed presenters from Canada and Singapore. We were grateful to gather with those delegates who were able to come.

Attendees at a table with microphones, participating in the Bi-National Opening of the LMDA 2025 Conference.

The conference was almost two conferences in one, with events happening on both sides of the border on each of the three full days, allowing attendees to meet and connect with their fellow dramaturgs at a variety of sessions. Huge thanks go to the Conference Coordinator, Danielle Ward, the Conference Co-Chairs, Alejandra Anzorena, Danielle Mages Amato, Shelley Orr, Valeria Vega, and the Conference Committee: Patrice Amon, Lindsey R. Barr, Vanessa Beltrán, Suzi Elnaggar, Sara Freeman, Lourdes Guzmán, Adriana Hermes, Martha Herrera, D.J. Hopkins, and Alex Vermillion. Thanks to our sponsors for their support of the conference: Play On Shakespeare, The Dramatists Guild of America, San Diego State University (SDSU), Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT), and The Old Globe.

Three speakers, Patrice Amon, Danielle Amato, and Jeremy Cohen, participate in a panel discussion on stage at a keynote event.

We held more than 40 sessions at the conference, in three different venues; SDSU, CECUT, and The Old Globe Theatre. Sessions were held both in Spanish and English, with simultaneous translation available to all attendees. A wide range of events were offered, from lounge singing with critical theory to interactive workshops to guided tours of theatres to panel presentations and performances.

A large screen features a group of people during a plenary session focused on Luis Valdez.

At the banquet, held in the beautiful Mingei Museum in San Diego’s Balboa Park, we honored three changemakers, past president Lynde Rosario with the Leon Katz Award for teaching and mentoring, Gabriela Aparicio with the Elliott Hayes Award for outstanding achievement in dramaturgy, and Luiz Valdez for his immeasurable contributions to the field.

A man in a black suit, Luis Valdez, speaks at the banquet, addressing the attendees with confidence.

We hosted performances by San Diego-based TuYo Theatre’s Pásale Pásale and Amá by Portal, an ongoing, bi-national dance collaboration with artists based in San Diego and Tijuana. We also featured works by La Jolla Playhouse and The Old Globe for attendees to see.

Three women stand on stage during a performance of Portal at CECUT.

México's channel Canal Once featured the LMDA Conference in a segment on their most recent episode. Conference presenter, filmmaker, and dramaturg Jazmín Cato works at Canal Once and created the segment, which features Conference Co-chair Alejandra Anzorena. The segment beautifully documents the conference events that happened in Tijuana. The LMDA segment begins at about 45 minutes into the episode; see it on YouTube.

A woman engaged in a video call, with the text LMDA displayed, part of the Sin Muros segment with Jaz Cato.

Post-Conference Survey

If you attended, please share your thoughts on the conference with us. We look forward to receiving your feedback.

Dramaturgs love to document! Do you have photos from the 2025 conference that you would like to share? Email communications@lmda.com for a link to a Google Folder to drop in your photos!