Tony Bondoc: You don’t need permission to create - Just corn, grit and heart

Ilse sits down with arts programmer, community builder, and fellow South Texan Tony Bondoc, whose resume runs from the Neo-Futurists to the League of Chicago Theaters. They talk about growing up on the Texas border, why “football for theater” (the UIL one-act competitions) shapes unstoppable creatives, and how gratitude and intention fuel his work behind the scenes.

Between debates over corn vs potato, barbecue road-trip spreadsheets, and Big Red nostalgia, Tony opens up about building access and equity into Chicago’s theater ecosystem—and what it means to make something out of nothing. It’s a love letter to arts admin folks everywhere: the quiet heroes keeping the lights on and the curtains rising.

Follow Tony on IG @tonyb890 and support the League of Chicago Theaters to see where he’s bringing the next show to life.

Hosted by Ilse Zacharias Rivera. Say hi / follow along here: @ilsezacharias

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Thank you to our sponsor, Joel Maisonet Photography: maisonetphotography.com