María Luz Villar Otón

Category: Journalist, announcer, actress and theatre director
 Curriculum

She promoted the Studio of Scenic Arts, directed the 'Theatre Weeks' in Ourense (1983-88) and organised theatre courses for teachers and therapeutic theatre. She was one of the founders and first actress of 'Ditea' Theatre (Santiago de Compostela, 1960). She performed all sort of theatre tendencies and directs several productions. In 1974, she definitively got a post as assistant director and first actress. In 1978, she established herself in Ourense to work as an announcer in the radio station 'Cope'. In 1993, she created the Studio of Scenic Arts (a centre of a private initiative) and organised the 'Annual Theatre Weeks', consisting of seven daily new films by different directors, nationalities and themes for children, young people and adults as well as theatre marathons and poetry reading. She gave courses and lectures at schools and associations.

 Work & Activities

She took part in the films El emigrante (1979), Divinas Palabras (1987), Los Jinetes del Alba (1990) and Martes de Carnaval (1991) and the TV serials El Novio de Parmuide (1987), El oro y el barro and Compuesta y sin novio. She published the poetry book Cauce desnudo and e Ruega por nosotras (2002), which is a compilation of articles published in the newspaper La Región about women problems. She also made catalogues for painting exhibitions, prologues for several commemorative ceremonies, reports in academic ceremonies and the cover for the book Enconxuro de Queimada by Lope de Bonaval.

 Other Interesting Aspects

She is a member of the Spanish Society of Authors and the Institute of Studies of Valdeorras. She was awarded several theatre prizes for his works as actress and director such as 'Hércules de Plata'(A Coruña, 1996) and 'Máscara de Oro' (Lugo, 1972). In 1970, she was congratulated by the standing committee of the City Council of Santiago de Compostela for her work as an actress and thanked in 1988 for her help to organise the Conferences on Galician Theatre in O Carballiño (Ourense). She was also paid an homage on two ocassions for her work on the radio and got an honourable mention in the section 'Magnolias' of the newspaper El Correo Gallego for her theatre activity. She is the president of 'Losada Diéguez' Prize and protectress of the first promotion of the third millenium in the Nursing School (Vigo University, 2001).
She has collaborated in the newspapers La Voz de Galicia and El Faro de Vigo and in the magazines 'Hora Punta', 'Ánfora' and 'Ecocio'. Nowadays she collaborates in the newspaper La Región (Ourense). Mª Luz Villar appears in “Poemas del Claustro” (a compilation of the poems written and read in the International Conference of the Cistercian Order), in six compilations of poems from meetings of poets, organised every year by the Institute of Studies on Valdeorras, in several encyclopaedias, in the book “Quién es quién” of the newspaper El Correo Gallego, in theatre publications and sections of ‘Proper Names’.