Spotlight On
March 1, 2006
Organization Name: GALA Hispanic Theatre
Founded: 1976
Contact Person: Rebecca Read, Managing Director
Address: P.O. Box 43209, Washington, DC 20010
Phone: 202/234-7174
Fax: 202/332-1247
E-mail: info@galatheatre.org
URL: http://www.galatheatre.org/intro.html
Mission:
GALA (Grupo de Artistas LatinoAmericanos) Hispanic Theatre preserves, promotes and celebrates the art, cultural heritage
and history of the largest minority group in the United States while building bridges between Latino and non-Latino
communities through the powerful medium of the performing arts.
Through its programs, GALA forges cultural ties between English-speaking and Spanish-speaking communities; fosters communication between different socio-economic groups/sectors in the region; and makes theater accessible to underserved audiences, particularly youth and seniors.
Background:
In 1976 there were few theater companies in DC producing or creating works in Spanish and none that were
engaging English speaking audiences with bilingual translations. At the same time a wave of immigrants from South America
arrived in DC and needed a place to create and express their aesthetic, social and political views and to share their culture.
Hugo Medrano, an Argentine director and actor, and Rebecca Read, a New York born dancer and Latin
Americanist, founded Grupo de Artistas LatinoAmericanos, a company of visual artists, performing artists, and Spanish
language media. Their vision, which continues today, was to create a permanent place to honor and celebrate Latino arts
and theater.
Since its founding GALA has produced over 100 productions, ranging from classical Spanish theater to
contemporary Latin American works; presented outstanding performing artists from Latin America, Spain, and the U.S.;
developed and produced original plays by Latino youth and community residents; and toured with bilingual educational
programs for elementary and high schools.
GALA has been widely recognized at the local, national, and international
levels, having participated in numerous theater festivals and symposia in New York, Miami, Argentina, Venezuela,
Costa Rica, El Salvador and Mexico.
Current Programs:
GALA’s artistic program includes an annual season of classical and contemporary Latino and Spanish theater, performed in
Spanish with simultaneous English interpretation, attended by a diverse audience of over 10,000; youth performances of
spoken word and poetry; puppet theater and cultural programs for young audiences; and
co-presentations with the Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum and with Washington Performing Arts Society.
Funding Needs:
GALA Theater needs funds for general operating support to continue presenting professional
bi-lingual productions, and to maintain it youth initiatives.
The "Spotlight On" highlights the
activities of a different 501(c)3 nonprofit organization
serving the Metropolitan Washington, DC community.
The selection of organizations for the "Spotlight
On" is based on criteria such as programmatic
interests, geographic focus, and size, to ensure
the broadest possible representation of the region's
nonprofit sector.
If you'd like to see your NPO in the "Spotlight,"
e-mail a description of your organization, following
the above format, to dclibrary@foundationcenter.org,
with "Spotlight Submission" in the subject line.
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