The Catalyst Award

Biography 
Susana Tubert is a multi-faceted and forward-thinking executive creative leader with vast knowledge of 
all aspects of entertainment and extensive experience developing immersive experiences, stage 
musicals and atmosphere shows, multimedia and fireworks spectaculars, parades, pop-up exhibits, 
festivals, character celebrations, and special events, among others. 
 
In her current role as Creative Director of Disney Live Entertainment at the Disneyland® Resort in 
Anaheim, California, and at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawai‘I, Susana Tubert provides 
creative leadership to Live Entertainment teams of show directors, writers, designers, choreographers, 
and composers on a wide range of projects, large and small. Starting with the initial ideation of a 
concept, Susana oversees development from the page to the stage of all Live Entertainment products 
and also participates in strategic planning sessions at Disneyland® Resort. She has also partnered and 
collaborated on projects with Walt Disney Imagineering and The Muppet Studio. 
 
Since joining The Walt Disney Company in 2013, Susana and her teams have premiered many new 
signature entertainment products at Disneyland® Resort that bring to life the stories and characters 
featured in a multitude of live action and animated films and shows produced by The Walt Disney 
Studios and Walt Disney Television. Susana’s creative vision has led to highly successful offerings at the 
Disneyland® Resort, including: 2022 refresh of Main Street Electrical Parade, Together Forever - A Pixar 
Nighttime Spectacular, Tale of the Lion King, Celebrate Gospel, Pixar Fest, Disney Festival of Holidays, 
Disney ¡Viva Navidad!, Oogie Boogie Bash, Princess Elena’s Grand Musical Arrival, Guardians of the 
Galaxy: Mission Breakout, Plaza de la Familia, A Musical Celebration of Coco, Lunar New Year 
Celebration, Disney Food and Wine Festival, Mickey’s Pop-Up, Frozen Fun, The Disneyland Resort 
Diamond Celebration, and refresh of the Jungle Cruise attraction, among others. 
 
To actively foster and influence a culture of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Disney, Susana has actively 
participated in and contributed to The Walt Disney Company’s Creative Inclusion Council founded by 
former CEO Bob Iger; Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Council led by former WDI President Bob Weis; 
Inclusivity Action Plan and Story and Content Advancement; and to the Live Entertainment Advisory 
Council led by David Lightbody, SVP Disney Live Entertainment. In addition, she collaborates on internal 
and external special events initiated by Public Affairs and Resource Diversity Groups, including PULSE, 
WIN, HOLA, and COMPASS. 
 
Prior to joining Disney, Susana worked for over 30 years in the Entertainment Industry, principally as a 
national theater director of award-winning plays and musicals that premiered at theaters in NYC and 
across the nation. Susana's vast experience includes playwriting, screenplay writing, journalism, and 
directing on the daytime drama The Guiding Light as well as writing, producing and directing Gypsy Girl, 
a short film that premiered at the New York International Latino Film Festival. 
In 2005, she co-founded the Latino International Theater Festival of New York, Inc. and brought to life 
the non-profit organization’s mission and vision through its vibrant signature citywide program 
TeatroStageFest. As the Executive Director of the organization, Susana played a multifaceted role 
overseeing programming, fundraising, marketing and producing. During the course of eight years, 
Susana curated groundbreaking theatre, music, dance and puppetry productions from New York, Latin 
America, the Caribbean, and Spain, along with year-round panels, readings, and master classes for 
emerging artists and college students. Young audiences in underserved communities experienced 
TeatroStageFamily shows for the first time and bilingual playwriting workshops for high school students 
culminated with a citywide competition. 
 
In addition, Susana produced two festival tours to Latin America. The first took twenty-seven New York 
based Latinx music, theater and dance performers to São Paulo, Brazil, and the second one toured a 
Mexican production featured at TeatroStageFest to Colombia, Argentina and Brazil. Susana also coproduced a four-city tour of the same production throughout the U.S. 
TeatroStageFest was adopted by Mayor Bloomberg as an Official Event of the City of New York, and 
Susana was recognized multiple times, including as recipient of Governor Paterson’s Bobby Capó 
Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to New York State Arts and Culture. 
Susana was a Guest Director at Dartmouth College, New York University and twice a Guest Artist in Toni 
Morrison’s Atelier at Princeton University. She is a member of the Directors Guild of America and the 
Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. Originally from Argentina, Susana lived in New York City 
from 1980 until 2013, when she relocated to California with her husband to work at The Walt Disney 
Company. 
 
Proudest Career Moment:  
One of my proudest career moments involved crafting the dramaturgical arc and symphonic structure of a new multimedia and fireworks show; the first spectacular ever assigned to me as Creative Director at Disneyland. On opening night, as members of our Disney Live Entertainment team and I expectantly stood side by side on Main Street USA, our guests’ reactions to "Together Forever - A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular" filled our hearts with joy and pride. For me, however, two extraordinary moments took my breath away that night and, to this day, continue to stand apart from the rest of the show.  During the Coco story beat, the unexpected reveal against the night sky of our unique marigold bridge made from fireworks transported the audience into the immersive Land of the Dead. Festive skeleton mariachi musicians and folklórico dancers projected onto the façade of the Main Street shops were joined by dimensional characters from Coco that suddenly popped up on the rooftops of the buildings. When Miguel reached the end of his song, our guests spontaneously punctured the air by joining him in a final guttural “grito”. In that instant, our Mexican-American guests symbolically claimed Main Street USA for the first time as their own. Stories matter.  The second moment took place at the end of a very touching montage of Carl’s and Ellie’s love story from the film Up.  When Carl’s iconic little house flew over the castle tied to a bunch of colorful balloons, Together Forever paid tribute to those chance encounters by unlikely Pixar characters who embark on great adventures, overcome adversities together, and in doing so, forge everlasting bonds. Time and time again this little poetic scene from Up prompted our guests to have an emotional response to the show.   I am so proud of the caliber of collaboration that took place between all the team members working in different mediums who came together to take audiences on an unforgettable journey. And I will always cherish the day when our Pyrotechnic Designer turned to me and exclaimed, "I get it! You want to do Theater in the sky!”   
 
Fun Fact about Susana: 
I love a good creative challenge! When development of an entertainment project seems too easy, I oftentimes feel that this is the time to dig deeper and inspire others in our team to do the same. If we can all agree to float on a raft down an imaginary “river of the unknown”, we will invariably arrive at creative discoveries that are far more interesting, and oftentimes more brilliant, than the low hanging fruit that we might have initially settled on. I thrive in this space of uncertainty because this is where that little voice on my shoulder mischievously whispers, “What if …” 

Favorite Part about your job?  
My favorite part of the job is creating new opportunities for entertainment products that reflect the diversity of voices of our guests and Cast Members, and the rich cultural narratives that the film and television studios at The Walt Disney Company continue to produce. In my eyes, success is defined by our ability to develop attractions and park shows and other experiences – large and small – that are both, culturally authentic and uniquely Disney. From “Tale of the Lion King” to “Disney ¡Viva Navidad!”, “Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession”, “Disney Festival of Holidays”, “Warriors of Wakanda” and so much more, I see Live Entertainment as a draw bridge that drops and invites audiences of all backgrounds to cross into new territories that may be foreign to them. Once they are there, the emotional connection they will make with the universal heartbeat of the experiences will tear down any previous perception of a cultural divide. Eventually, when our guests cross the bridge and head back home, they will hopefully recognize that they’ve been transformed. To me, this is the true Disney Magic that I aspire to contribute to so that Disneyland’s Culture of Relevancy continues to evolve for many years to come.