About

Puerto Rican theater icon and movie star Miriam Colón founds The Puerto Rican Traveling theater in New York City as a touring company, looking to highlight the tradition of Latino and Puerto Rican playwrights and bring theater to Latino communities in New York.

The Oxcart had been produced in both Puerto Rico and New York in Spanish in 1953, two years after it had been written by René Marques. On December 19, 1966, it re-opened in English (translated by Charles Pilditch) at New York’s Greenwich Mews Theatre. The success of this production, directed by Lloyd Richards and with Miriam Colón playing the young lead, paved the way for the creation of the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre one year later. (The Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre Company: The First Ten Years. Rosa Luisa Márquez.)

Supported by a joint sponsorship from Mayor Lindsay’s Summer Task Force Program and the Parks Department, Colón began by touring a production of The Oxcart through various neighborhoods, often to audiences who had never seen theater before. “At the press opening on August 8th, Mayor Lindsay joined an audience of 1,200 at the Carver Amphitheatre on 102nd Street, between Park’ and Madison Avenues in New York City. (Márquez – p.71)

“The production then toured fourteen locations in Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens in a self-contained bus and a flat-bed truck with drop-down side wings that extended into a stage.” (Márquez – p.71)

In 1969 the company founds The Training Unit – providing theater training to young actors. Classes included Acting, Voice and Movement. The Unit became the premiere place for Latino actors to train professionally in New York.

With the acquisition of a small in-door locale on 18th street in New York City in 1972, the PRTT began to address two areas of concern: a laboratory theatre in which new plays could be tested and a training unit to offer theatre courses to minority students. Thirteen plays were produced by the Laboratory Theatre between 1972 and 1976, several of which were later chosen for the summer touring season.

After the first tour of The Oxcart, the company continued touring and producing theater. Highlights of the first 15 years include

• La Farsa del amor compradito by Luis Rafael Sánchez, directed by Pedro Santaliz; (1968)
• Winterset by Maxwell Anderson, directed by Ramon Gordon; (1968)
• Crossroads by Manuel Méndez Ballester, directed by Roberto Rodríguez Suárez; (1969)
• Los títeres de Cachiporra by Federico García Lorca, directed by Jorge González; (1969)
• The Golden Streets by Piri Thomas, directed by Miriam Colón; (1970)
• El maleficio de la mariposa by Federico García Lorca, directed by Norberto Kerner; (1970)
• A Dramatized Anthology of Puerto Rican Short Stories directed by Pablo Cabrera; (1971)
• The Passion of Antígona Pérez by Luis Rafael Sánchez, directed by Pablo Cabrera; (1972)
• Pipo Subway no sabe reir by Jaime Carrero, directed by Jaime Sánchez; (1972)
• Noo Yall by Jaime Carrero, directed by Pablo Cabrera; (1973)
• The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit by Ray Bradbury, directed by Alba Oms; (1974)
• Piri, Papoleto and Pedro by Piri Thomas and directed by Pablo Cabrera; (1975)
• Eleuterio the Coquí adapted from the Tomás Blanco short story by Miriam Colón, Rosa Luisa Márquez and Pablo Cabrera (1976).
• Simpson Street by Eduardo Gallardo; (1979)

After a year of negotiations with the administration of then NYC Mayor Beame, in May of 1976, the company acquires a four story firehouse on 47th Street and begins renovations to make it it’s permanent home.

Pregones Theater is born. Founding members include: Victor fragoso, Rosalba Rolon, Luis Meléndez, David Cromett, Sandra Rodríguez, Elba Lugo.

Pregones moves to Longwood Avenue in The Bronx. Pictured above, the company rehearsing for its production of High Noon Al Mediodía, directed by Ted Hannah.

Pregones begins what would become a long lasting relationship with ex-basketball star and South Bronx community leader “Father” Roberto Morales, by producing TIEMPO MUERTO in the basketball court of Father Morales’ episcopal parish at St. Marys in The South Bronx.

Afro Caribbean poetry and music spectacle BAILE CANGREJERO premieres at Pregones Theater in The Bronx, conceived and adapted by Jorge Merced, musical direction by Ricardo Pons, and directed by Alvan Colón Lespier. A new slate of musicians join Pons as members of Pregones Ensemble: Waldo Chavez (bass), Alberto Toro (flute) and Desmar Guevara (keyboard).

BAILE CANGREJERO goes on to become one of the company’s most performed productions, with over 300 performances, three summer tours and three re-stagings.

Jorge Merced in the 1996 production of El bolero fue mi ruina, based on the short story Loca la de la locura, by Manuel Ramos Otero. Adapted to the stage by Merced with Rosalba Rolon. Directed by Rolón.

Bomber Jackets by playwright Rob Santana premieres at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater to great acclaim.

WHO KILLED HECTOR LAVOE premieres at the PRTT. Written and directed by Pablo Cabrera, based on a story by David Maldonado. Starring Domingo Quiñones as Hector Lavoe.

NEON BABY is an original Pregones Theater production, conceived and directed by Jorge B. Merced. Inspired by the life of b-boy and muse Juan Rivera, and the book “Queer Latino Testimonio, Keith Haring, and Juanito Xtravaganza: Hard Tails” by Arnaldo Cruz Malavé.

Music and Lyrics by Desmar Guevara & Jorge B. Merced. Book by Ricardo Pérez González. Choreography by Richard Rivera. Set and Costume Design by Harry Nadal. Lighting Design by Lucrecia Briceño.