SAN FRANCISCO: Theatre Bay Area, in partnership with the RHE Charitable Foundation, has announced Sarita Ocón as the recipient of the 2016 RHE Artistic Fellowship Award. The award was established to enable artists to focus on special avenues to advance their career with a $10,000 cash prize. Ocón, an actor and visual artist, will be presented the award at the 2016 Theatre Bay Area Awards Celebration on Dec. 5. In addition, she will also receive a year-long mentorship.

“I am thrilled to have Theatre Bay Area partnering with the RHE Foundation to present this award to Sarita Ocón,” said executive director Brad Erickson in a statement. “RHE is dedicated to advancing the careers of outstanding Bay Area artists like Sarita, and we at Theatre Bay Area are honored to be working with RHE to support artists and advance theatre in our region.”

Ocón, who is based in Oakland, Calif., has acted in productions at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, BRAVA Theater Center, California Shakespeare Theater, Golden Thread Productions, PlayMakers Repertory, San Francisco Playhouse, ShadowLight Productions, Shotgun Players, and Teatro Visión. In addition, Ocón is a company member of HERO Theatre, the Ubuntu Theater Project, and is a cofounding member of the Bay Area Latino Theatre Artists Network.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to be awarded the 2016-17 RHE Artistic Fellowship,” said Ocón in a statement. “As a theatre artist and activist, my work has been guided by three principles: the belief in the power of the human spirit, art as a catalyst for social change, and art as a tool for civic engagement. With support from the RHE Charitable Foundation and Theatre Bay Area, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to deepen my practice and further my career, while being an active leader in the field.”