By ARNALDO J. LÓPEZ We have always known that the joy of live arts doesn’t exist only within the walls of the theater. And yet, the hard facts of pandemic and physical distancing put our knowledge, feelings and experience to the test. How to balance the conflicting mandates of “Stay home, save lives!” and “The…
For March Is Music 2014, Pregones/PRTT honorary ensemble member Danny Rivera, together with world-class jazz-tango fusion quintet MonkTango, led by Konrad Adderley, and the fiery yet light as air dancers of Diego Blanco and Ana Padrón, stole our breath and our hearts! The number highlighted here, “El día que me quieras” (The Day You Love Me), is a classic tango song popularized by the great Carlos Gardel, and also featured in his 1935 Paramount Pictures film of the same name.
Hailed by critics as “the quintessential Boricua play,” El Apagón / The Blackout has been performed to standing ovations in more than 30 U.S. cities, as well as in Puerto Rico, Canary Islands, Holland, and Slovakia. The segment shown, “De mi corazón” (Of My Heart), from the 2014 Off-Broadway run with Jorge B. Merced and Flaco Navaja, is a typically playful and musical example of Pregones/PRTT’s “No 4th Wall” style.
With the input of artists and audiences of all ages, Brides (2008) bridged cultures, geographies, languages, and performance styles to say something provocative about an experience that continues to touch the lives and loves of women the world over. Lead artists were Rosalba Rolón of Pregones/PRTT in NYC, Mia Grijp of Sering Vzw in Antwerp, Viera Dubačová of Divadlo z Pasáže in Banská Bystrica, and writer Anna Grusková in Bratislava.
¡Guaracha! (2019) is our fresh musical adaptation of one of the most enduring works of contemporary Puerto Rican literature: La guaracha del Macho Camacho (Macho Camacho’s Beat) by maestro Luis Rafael Sánchez. “Politics, protest and pleasure in a disco swirl,” raved The New York Times. In the segment shown, “La vida es una cosa fenomenal” (Life Is A Phenomenal Thing), a colossal afternoon traffic jam turns into celebration when the hit song of the moment shakes everyone out of their daily worries.
FREE ONLINE – Second Session through May 1 – The Raúl Juliá Training Unit and Beyond Workshop Series is now on Zoom! Join other aspiring and practicing artists in daily classes and conversations sure to keep you in tip-top shape through quarantine. Classes imparted by seasoned theater professionals with Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off Broadway, film and television credits. Join as often as you like, dare to go beyond. — GET DANCING TODAY!
FREE ONLINE – Playing Now for Limited Time! – 4th edition of Pregones/PRTT’s 21 Islands Film Fest is online for free streaming and bursting with visual pizzazz! 51 short films from around the world organized into 5 fun-packed festival Groups including a special showcase just for Children and Families. Winners include multiple Festival Jury Prizes and Audience Choice Awards. — WATCH NOW!
The Marchers / Los manifestantes (2015), a joyous cabaret theater assemblage of protest songs and visionary poems from around the world. The segment shown, “A mi me gustaría” (I Would Like It If), is a musical setting of Cambridge-based puertorriqueña Yara Liceaga Rojas’ poem “No es el final, yet”—done in the style of a new Puerto Rican danza.
FREE ONLINE – Choice Replays! LONGPLAYS – The artists of Pregones/PRTT have been making stellar live theater for decades. Since March 2020, we’ve been digging up standout moments and personal anecdotes to share with you and yours at home! This November, our Latinx acting & music ensemble shares 3 favorites productions from its archives online and on cable television: EL APAGÓN on NOV 6, THE RED ROSE Anniversary Concert feat. Danny Rivera on NOV 13, and THE MARCHERS on NOV 20. — SAVE THE DATES!
APPLICATIONS CLOSED. The Raúl Juliá Training Unit & Beyond Workshop Series is a 6-week interdisciplinary performing arts training workshop at the pre-professional level, imparted by seasoned theater professionals with Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off Broadway, film and television credits. April-May workshop culminates in public performances of Shakespeare’s TITUS ANDRONICUS! Acting, dancing, and music curriculum taught by artists of R.Evolución Latina and Pregones/PRTT. Requires both online application and in-person audition. — FREE ENROLLMENT.