Guillermo Yiyo Ornelas

Guillermo “Yiyo” Ornelas is a theater creator, teaching artist, and arts education advocate. As a first-generation Mexican-American, they understand the impact that an arts education can have, especially to members of vulnerable communities. Most recently, they performed at Brava Theater in Richard Montoya's, Translating Selena. They have worked with Campo Santo, Fuse, and foolsFury to help develop new work. Yiyo has served as the Vice-Chair for the Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area (AEABA) to ensure that arts education be equitable and accessible to all members of the community. Guillermo holds a B.A from UC Berkeley, double majoring in Sociology and Theater & Performance Studies, having received the Mark Goodson award for ‘Distinguished Artistic Talent.’ Prior to transferring to UC Berkeley, they led a weekly theater workshop for runaway and homeless youth in Redlands, California. They’ve worked with local communities to encourage youth and their families to foster creative modes of expression, through the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, the Teatro Project, and JumpStart. They currently work as an outreach coordinator and teaching artist with San Francisco Youth Theater.