Castillo named Larson Family Endowed Director of Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center

Christina Castillo has been named the Larson Family Endowed Director of the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center, Lynn Sargeant, dean of South Dakota State University’s College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, announced today.

Castillo will start in her position full time on Dec. 22.

As director of the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center, Castillo will oversee the day-to-day operations of the facility, provide strategic leadership, develop marketing and communication plans, and collaborate with campus, community and regional partners to fully realize the center’s potential. The endowment will be used to make enhancements to the facility, staff and programming as a whole.

She will also work in partnership with David Reynolds, director of the SDSU School of Performing Arts, to curate a shared artistic vision for musical, dance and theatrical performances.

“Christina brings a wealth of skill and experience in event management and marketing to this position, as well as a genuine love for the performing arts,” Sargeant said. “An alumna of SDSU, Christina has remained involved in the performing arts since her student days as a member of Prairie Repertory Theatre. Most recently, she returned to Prairie Rep as a member of its board of directors. She will bring great energy and dynamism to our efforts to ensure Brookings and SDSU remain a destination for the performing arts.”

Castillo is a De Smet native and a 2010 graduate of SDSU, with a Bachelor of Science degree in communication studies and theatre and a minor in dance. She has worked at Daktronics since 2011, most recently in event management and marketing operations.

She has both emotional and professional connections to the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center.

“I’m excited to return to the SDSU performing arts community, where I launched myself professionally and where I met my husband,” Castillo said. “It’s exciting to come back into the arts because that’s what I’m passionate about. The Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center is a space where I’m so comfortable and feel connected and welcome.”

Castillo is entering this opportunity open to ideas and suggestions.

“I want to hear from those who are established within the facility, and I hope to communicate and collaborate with various stakeholders regionally, community-wide and at SDSU to work together toward common goals, while making improvements and better experiences for our guests,” she said.

Castillo hopes to bring a fresh perspective to the Performing Arts Center, appealing to alumni and young people in the community. She plans to launch more programs to entice younger audiences’ engagement with the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center.

“I’m looking forward to bringing my leadership, marketing and event management skills as well as local connections to this role,” she said.