BY ROSALBA ROLÓN
Few things are as exciting for a theater company as planning for a new theater Season each year! Around this time, our arts world enters a New Year’s celebration of sorts. We work on our wish list ahead of the Summer, we plan, and build our menu, leaving room for an occasional surprise.
For us at Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, a new Season offers a mix of opportunities including: 1) premiering brand new works and reimagined classics from our original repertory; 2) offering a glimpse of upcoming productions in development; 3) presenting a broad range of guest artists; 3) partnering with other arts organizations to dive into joint adventures; and 4) sharing space with other artists and theater companies to expand training and space-sharing opportunities.
One of my favorite parts is raiding our treasure chest! That moment when we dig into the wealth of works our theater company has created over the decades. We are determined to bring some of our most relevant work to the surface. We want both longtime audience members who’re familiar with Pregones/PRTT’s ensemble plays and musicals, and a new generation of theatergoers to witness the magic of productions that remain as relevant today as when first performed, say, 30 years ago. It’s always a hard choice. Because once you open the treasure chest, there’s so much to choose from! We make sure the choice is thematically and aesthetically relevant. Why this production? Why now?
OUR 2025-2026 SEASON – TREASURE CHEST UNLOCKED!
We feel the vibe! Our dynamic 2025-2026 Season is now set to unfold at Pregones Theater in The Bronx and Puerto Rican Traveling Theater in in Manhattan’s Times Square/Broadway District.
Our first Season announcement is out, and three choice and cherished repertory pieces lead the way: Baile Cangrejero (1990),The Wedding March (1991), and a concert version of Torched! (2022). I am working closely with artistic colleague Jorge B. Merced to ensure these beloved company jewels sparkle and dazzle again like the first time! And in the spirit of “something old, something new,” we also offer a first look at Dulcineas, a new work in progress inspired by the women of Don Quixote, which I am thrilled to be creating alongside composer and Pregones/PRTT Musical Director, Desmar Guevara.
Another encore run of interactive forum theater play Burned, written by Alejandra Ramos Riera for our ongoing Abrazo/Embrace initiative; stellar recurring collaborations with The Sol Project and R.Evolución Latina; and a special two-header from guest resident company Anonymous Ensemble, are among other highlights sure to keep our doors swingin’!
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!
What’s a season at Pregones/PRTT without our legendary MARCH IS MUSIC series, Lobby Exhibits, Bronx Film Wednesdays and 21 Islands International Short Film Festival, realized in collaboration with BronxNet! Shout out to fellow artists Alvan Colón Lespier, Desmar Guevara, and Melisa Ramos, for their respective curatorial contributions that make these multi-artist related programming possible!
AH! MUCH MORE!
Our international exchange with companies in other parts of the world continues. This year we had the pleasure of hosting Carlos Martin and María López Insausti, co-Directors of Teatro del Temple/Teatro de las Esquinas, in Zarazoga, Spain. A weeklong intensive workshop based on the poetry of Federico García Lorca, the workshop was offered to professional Actors, in Spanish, and presented before a select group of guests at PRTT. It was an evening we will remember for a long time. In return, we will visit Zaragoza next Summer, to impart a theater workshop for our colleagues’ theater company in Spain. We also continue to build momentum around the presentation of some of Pregones/PRTT repertory works in other cities in the U.S.
THANK YOU!!
It is no secret that the arts, and many other sectors around the country are experiencing challenges, at the national and local levels. We thank our audiences, neighbors, supporters, funders, and public officials that continue, without pause, to support the work of Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, and the work of hundreds of organizations, artists and cultural workers in our City and around the country.
And to the Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater Staff and Board, GRACIAS SIEMPRE!!
Read our 25-26 season announcement press release
Illustrations by Karina Cruz Ortiz.