Johnny Joe Trillayes Memorial Scholarship

The Johnny Joe Trillayes Memorial Scholarship honors the life and legacy of Johnny Joe Trillayes—an extraordinary director, educator, and storyteller from the southernmost tip of Texas—by providing financial support to a multidisciplinary artist selected to attend the Watermill Center Summer Program.

A passionate advocate for young artists and an inspiring mentor to many, Johnny dedicated his career to elevating voices, championing authenticity, and blending tradition with experimentation in the theater. Proud of his Mexican-American heritage and the vibrant culture of the borderlands, he wove that identity into the stories he told and the students he uplifted. Deeply inspired by Robert Wilson—Founder and Artistic Director of the Watermill Center—and his boundary-pushing approach to performance, Johnny encouraged his students to take creative risks and tell stories rooted in their lived experiences. This scholarship continues his legacy by supporting artists committed to preserving culture, reimagining storytelling, and bringing forward underrepresented perspectives through their work.

Johnny Joe Trillayes Memorial Scholarship

The Johnny Joe Trillayes Memorial Scholarship honors the life and legacy of Johnny Joe Trillayes—an extraordinary director, educator, and storyteller from the southernmost tip of Texas—by providing financial support to a multidisciplinary artist selected to attend the Watermill Center Summer Program.

A passionate advocate for young artists and an inspiring mentor to many, Johnny dedicated his career to elevating voices, championing authenticity, and blending tradition with experimentation in the theater. Proud of his Mexican-American heritage and the vibrant culture of the borderlands, he wove that identity into the stories he told and the students he uplifted. Deeply inspired by Robert Wilson—Founder and Artistic Director of the Watermill Center—and his boundary-pushing approach to performance, Johnny encouraged his students to take creative risks and tell stories rooted in their lived experiences. This scholarship continues his legacy by supporting artists committed to preserving culture, reimagining storytelling, and bringing forward underrepresented perspectives through their work.

About Johnny

Johnny Joe Trillayes
1990-2024

Johnny was known for his immense talent, incomparable humor, and brilliant creative mind. Johnny undoubtedly touched the lives of many as a loving family member, an irreplaceable friend, actor, director, and teacher.

As a 2012 graduate of St. Edward’s University in Theatre, Johnny was an ardent advocate for elevating the standard of theater in South Texas schools. In his role as a high school director, he not only made multiple impressive appearances at the UIL State Competition but also clinched the prestigious 2021 5A State Championship. Collaborating with his co-directors at Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Southwest Early College High School, Johnny led PSJA ECHS to secure two consecutive UIL 5A Theatre Team State Championships, marking a historic milestone as the first time in PSJA ISD history that a school triumphed with a state title in a one-act play. Johnny’s dedication to pushing boundaries in the theatrical realm left an indelible mark on both his students and the broader artistic community.

Meet Robert Wilson

Robert Wilson produces both original and traditional repertoire works all over the world. His stage productions incorporate a wide variety of artistic media (including dance, movement, lights, sculpture, music, and texts). He has collaborated with numerous high-profile writers and musicians including Heiner Müller, Tom Waits, Susan Sontag, Laurie Anderson, William Burroughs, Lou Reed and Jessye Norman.

He has also left his mark on repertoire classics such as Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape (Spoleto, 2009; Holland Festival, 2015), Madame Butterfly (Paris Opera, 1993), Pelléas et Mélisande (Salzburg Festival, 1997), Brecht and Weill’s Threepenny Opera (Berliner Ensemble, 2007; Théâtre de la Ville, 2009), Jean de la Fontaine’s Fables (Comédie-Française 2004), Homer’s Odyssey (Athens, 2009), Goethe’s Faust (Berliner Ensemble, 2015), La Traviata (Landestheater Linz, 2015), and L’Incoronazione di Poppea (Milan’s La Scala, 2015). More recently, he directed Il Trovatore at the Teatro Regio in Parma, Turandot at the Teatro Real in Madrid, and Otello at the Baden-Baden Festival.

The work of Robert Wilson is also firmly anchored in the fine arts. His sketches, paintings and sculptures have been exhibited all over the world. He is the founder and the artistic director of the Watermill Center, a multidisciplinary experimental art laboratory dedicated to collective creation which brings together New York’s leading professionals and young artists.

His work has been honoured with an array of prestigious awards including a Pulitzer Prize, a Premio Ubu, an Olivier Award, and a Golden Lion from the Venice Biennale. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, as well as the German Academy of the Arts.

The Scholarship

About The Summer Program at Watermill Center

The International Summer Program is an exceptional residency that brings 20 artists together for four weeks at The Watermill Center.

Participants are invited to develop new works alongside emerging artists and established creative professionals from various countries and disciplines. They exchange ideas, share practices, attend workshops, and collaborate on projects in a communal and experimental environment that encourages them to push the boundaries of contemporary creative practice. Participants also have opportunities to work with Founder/Artistic Director Robert Wilson on workshops, rehearsals, and installations.

The program culminates in a festival of works developed during the residency, alongside works by renowned artists across dance, visual arts, theater, music, and performance art.

During the program, artists are immersed in an extensive collection of resources, including The Watermill Center Collection, the Library of Inspiration, and ten acres of landscaped grounds and sculpture gardens.

Donate Today

To learn more about the Johnny Joe Trillayes Memorial Scholarship
and how you can get involved, click the link below.

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