Tracy Hudak

Tracy Hudak lives in Ventura with her husband John Lacques and their daughter, Ruby.

Hudak initially studied Medical illustrator at Ohio State University, where she became a publicity writer for the arts as well. As a student painter at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the early 90's, the culture wars and the unstoppable first Gulf War forced an awakening of purpose, and her art practice evolved into street performance and public ritual. During that time, she worked as a writer for art spaces that boldly inserted themselves into the argument over art's role in society, such as Randolph Street Gallery in Chicago and Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica.

In Los Angeles, she became an actor, director, playwright, and co-founder of two award-winning theater companies, Wolfskill Theater and Zoo District Theatre. Both companies staged vivid plays in non-traditional spaces throughout downtown LA, playing an active role in its revitalization by giving audiences access and connection to the forgotten urban core of their city.

As a writer and director, Hudak's passion is site-specific physical theatre that is developed by an ensemble and enlists the audience as a co-creators in its performances. As the artistic director of The Lysistrata Project LA at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, Hudak brought 20 theatre companies together to perform a "First Amendment Bacchanalia" of the ancient comedy as part of a global act of theatrical dissent against the invasion of Iraq. She directed the premier of Joy Gregory's, Dear Charlotte, a lyrical play about the Brontës, which went on to the New York Fringe Festival. She staged her first play, Imprint, as a site-specific haunting of four women from Los Angeles history trapped in the waiting room of the LA Times archives. Most recently, she created the "Kids As Creators Theatre Lab," where youth work collaboratively as an ensemble to write, stage, build sets, compose live music and perform their own original works.

To fund her theater habit, Hudak formed the consulting firm, Biz Designs, where she designs and implements customized financial and business management systems for small businesses and creative professionals.

Since moving from LA to Ventura in 2006, Hudak has served as the Executive Director of Bell Arts Factory, an arts and community center on the Westside of Ventura. As the Arts Impact Director for downtown Oxnard, Hudak was charged with galvanizing artists and arts organizations to help revitalize the area and created the Art Pub happy hour and newsletter and initiated Art Beat, the monthly art walk. She also recently served as a producer of the 2012 Ojai Wordfest, which celebrates the literary riches of the Ojai Valley.