BIO + HEADSHOTS
Teo Castellanos is an acclaimed independent actor, writer, and director with over 30 years of experience in devised theater, film, and television. He is a Doris Duke Artist (2021), a United States Artist Fellow (2019), and a Sundance Institute Screenwriters Intensive Fellow (2015). Teo's award-winning solo performance NE 2nd Avenue, commissioned by Miami Light Project, toured extensively for a decade and earned the Fringe First Award at the 2003 Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.
A recipient of numerous prestigious awards and grants, Teo's accolades include support from the National Latinx Theater Initiative, National Endowment for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts, MAP Fund, National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures, National Performance Network, and multiple Knight Foundation awards. He has also been honored with the State of Florida Individual Artist Fellowship in both 2005 and 2013.
Teo’s latest solo work, Third Trinity (published by Jitney Books), was directed by his longtime collaborator, Oscar winner and MacArthur Genius Fellow Tarell Alvin McCraney. In 2003, Teo founded the Dance/Theater company Teo Castellanos D-Projects and serves as Artistic Director of the devised theater collective Combat Hippies. His solo and ensemble works have toured across the U.S., Europe, South America, China, and the Caribbean. He has also taught theater workshops and master classes at universities nationwide.
Teo contributed a chapter on his directing methodology to The Fire in the Center (Routledge), an anthology showcasing directors of color. His notable theater credits include Elegba in Tarell Alvin McCraney’s The Brothers Size (Miami) and Santos in Skeletons of Fish by The Hittite Empire (London). On-screen, he has performed opposite Matt Dillon in Sunlight Jr. and John Leguizamo in Empire. Teo is a member of SAG/AFTRA, an Associate Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers, and holds a BFA in Theater from Florida Atlantic University.
An ordained Zen practitioner, Teo belongs to the 44th generation of the Vietnamese lineage of the Lam Te (LinJi) Zen School. He has developed a theater training pedagogy integrating Zen principles, music, movement, and archetypes, and has volunteered at Everglades Correctional Institute, teaching both theater and Zen practices.
Teo served on the board of directors of Miami Light Project for 15 years, including five years as board president, and is now a Board Emeritus member. He also serves on the board of the Dharma Teachers Order.
