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The soon-to-be-released PBS American Masters film “American Pachuco” documents the life and times of El Teatro Campesino founder Luis Valdez, from the fields of Delano through the creation of iconic plays and films like “Zoot Suit” and “La Bamba.”
But perhaps Valdez’s greatest legacy is the generations of actors, playwrights, musicians and stage crew he has nurtured through El Teatro’s 60-year history, including two core members who are being honored at the first BenitoLink Press-Tigious Awards: Christy Sandoval and Cristal Gonzalez-Avila.
“I think,” Valdez said, “that Christy and Cristal represent the best evolution of El Teatro in a long time. They’re both educated in drama at the university level without losing their connection to the grassroots community. And that’s a powerful combination.”
Sandoval, El Teatro’s executive director, joined the company in 2005 as one of the devils in “La Pastorela.” She began taking on lead acting roles, starting with the shepherd Cuchara in the 2007 production of “La Pastorela.”
In 2008, the organizing skills she had gained as a receptionist earned her a place in El Teatro’s inner circle, and she eventually took over important programs, including El Teatro’s educational programs. By 2017, she assumed the position of general manager.
According to Valdez, Sandoval’s abilities as an arts administrator have proven vital to the theater company’s future success.
“Christy deals with the day-to-day functioning of the organization,” he said, “at the same time that she’s making plans and submitting proposals for funding and looking into our future as a nonprofit organization.”
Sandoval also shepherded the theater company through the complexities of the COVID pandemic and the move of the Christmas plays from the San Juan Bautista Mission church to the converted packing shed that El Teatro calls home.
“I see myself trying to honor the work of those who came before me,” she said. “I see it as part of my work of honoring them to create the means to keep the theater moving forward.”
Gonzalez-Avila first took part in an El Teatro production in 2010, with “Popul Vuh,” which was staged in the Plaza in front of the Mission, followed by a role in “Corridos” at the Teatro playhouse.
Gonzalez-Avila has remained a core actor in playhouse productions, most recently playing Satanás in 2025’s “La Pastorela,” which also featured her two daughters. But she has also branched out on her own in a variety of creative endeavors, including writing, producing, directing and creating films with XeroCuadro, a production company she co-founded.
Gonzalez-Avila has also been teaching at San Juan School, where she’s introduced a new generation to writing and performing.
“I fell in love with the students,” she said. “These kids press the reset button almost every day, and seeing life through their eyes has humbled me.”
Valdez praised Gonzalez-Avila for her accomplished life as a performer, a teacher and mother, and for her ability to function as a working artist.
“She is an authentic voice,” he said. “I love what she has to say and how she says it. She is exemplary as far as I’m concerned, and she is ready to pass the torch to our children.”
Christy Sandoval and Cristal Gonzalez-Avila are two of the community members being honored at the BenitoLink Press-Tigious Awards on April 25 at 4:30 p.m. at Leal Vineyards and Winery.
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