Jaime Castañeda has taken over as the artistic director of Dallas Theater Center, bringing a career focused on developing new theatrical works and presenting them in unconventional settings. The 45-year-old San Antonio native previously held leadership positions at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego and New York's Atlantic Theater Company.
His approach emphasizes producing fresh, realistic drama and sharing those productions with other companies across the country and internationally.
Castañeda’s early career was shaped by his involvement with Assault Prevention Theatre at Texas Christian University in the late 1990s. That group collaborated with campus police and crisis counselors to stage dramas about sexual assault in dormitories and classrooms. He described the experience as life-defining, noting that the work resonated strongly with audiences and led to performances at other universities.
The theater center’s 2026-27 season opens this month with the debut of Reykjavik86, a play by Gabe McKinley. The production dramatizes the 1986 summit in Iceland, where President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev discussed reducing nuclear arsenals. Castañeda developed the piece with McKinley during workshops at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., and brought the first full production to Dallas.
A preview of the show was held at the George W. Bush Presidential Library at Southern Methodist University. Company members Bob Hess, Blake Hackler, and Alex Organ performed scenes in a room containing the actual table and chairs from the White House Situation Room.
