Esme Cuautle

Esme Cuautle, (she/her) is an aspiring arts administrator and production professional. Esme is a first-generation creative Latina. With hands-on experience in production management and technical theater, Esme has worked with TurnKey Theatrical and the PROTOTYPE Festival, supporting productions from pre-Broadway readings to large-scale theatrical performances. She was a cohort member of Beyond the Stage Door. At NYU she served a Co-Secretary of a fiber arts club and Co-Production Manager of TNT’s production of Fun Home.

Title of Capstone Project

From Suit Zoot to Buena Vista Social Club

Description of Capstone Project

This paper explores Esme's love for theater and expands on the notions learned through her 4 years at performance studies, particularly looking at structures within Broadway that can either facilitate or hinder the lasting effects they have on the community. By bringing into conversation two particular productions, Zoot Suit by Luis Valdez in 1979 and Buena Vista Social Club by Marco Ramirez in 2025. Esme intends to explore the constraints that society can have on art.