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May 19 to June 12, 2022

A People Ignited — More stories from the Bronx fires!

Pregones/PRTT’s acting and music ensemble’s fresh take on the Bronx fires.

TORCHED! speaks to the now legendary era of the Bronx fires during the 1970s, lifting stories of survival to lay bare the infamies of the arson-for-profit business. Alternating from past to present and pulsing to salsa and hip hop sounds, the show is part investigative theater and part poetic fiction – delivered by Pregones/PRTT’s Latinx ensemble cast of ten actors/musicians. Conceived and directed by Pregones/PRTT Artistic Director, Rosalba Rolón, with original music by Pregones/PRTT Musical Director, Desmar Guevara, this new work foregrounds human stories often swept under the rug.

TORCHED! pays tribute to real people who fought back, who continue to want to set the record straight, who continue to research, give testimony, and unmask ugly truths behind the fires. With this production, we join the generations of Bronx artists and activists shining light on this period of our history. TORCHED! invites audiences to tap into living networks of popular resistance, storytelling, music, and triumph,” says director Rosalba Rolón, a US Artists Fellow and Doris Duke Artists Award recipient who serves as Pregones/PRTT’s Artistic Director.

Rolón developed TORCHED! over five years and consulted with historians, theater makers, scholars, and activists who jointly helped lay the groundwork for TORCHED!. “Everything came to a head during the long and thankfully productive months of pandemic when a revolving roster of ensemble artists helped give the production its current musical form, says Rolón. “They all share in its triumphs. TORCHED! is so much about reclaiming a shared history and about giving credit where credit is due.”

TORCHED! is Pregones/PRTT’s first fully staged in-person production since 2020, and everyone is thrilled to greet a live audience again!

Performed in English and Spanish with titles.
Duration: 85 minutes. No Intermission.

2022 CREATIVE TEAM Ensemble Actors: Christin Eve Cato, John Cencio Burgos, José Joaquín García, Claudia Ramos-Jordán, Pat D. Robinson, Nyseli Vega. Ensemble Band: Álvaro Benavides (bass), Anthony Carrillo (percussion), Desmar Guevara (keyboard and tapes), Camilo Molina (drums). Director & Book: Rosalba Rolón. Music Director: Desmar Guevara. Lighting Designer: Lucrecia Briceño. Costume Designer: Harry Nadal. Projections Designer: Eamonn Farrell. Sound Designer: Milton Ruiz.

COMMUNITY ADVISORS, COLLABORATORS, SOURCES: Joe Conzo Jr. (photographer hailed for capturing the birth of hip hop), Caridad De La Luz (performer, HBO Def Jam alum), Elena Martínez (folklorist), Elba Cabrera (cultural activist, educator), Edwin Pagán (film/media artist, activist), Clara E. Rodríguez (author and scholar, Latin Looks: Images of Latinas and Latinos in the U.S. Media), Petr Stand (historian, urban planner, architect), Vivian Vázquez Irizarry and Neyda Martínez (filmmakers and educators, Decade of Fire).

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In-person performances at PREGONES THEATER (575 Walton Avenue in The Bronx)

This event is open to the general public. COVID-19 visitor safety protocols remain in place including proof of full vaccination and use of face mask over nose and mouth at all times. Purchase your tickets early; seating is limited. Use online Box Office link at the top of this page.

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Lead Artists:

ROSALBA ROLÓN, Artistic Director of Pregones/PRTT, is an accomplished actor, director, and dramaturg specializing in the adaptation of literary and non-literary texts for stage performance with live music. Distinctions include United States Artists Fellowship, Ford Foundation Visionaries Fellowship, Doris Duke Artist Award, and Creative Capital Award (with Paul Flores and Yosvany Terry). Rolón’s numerous theater credits include We Have IRÉ with Paul Flores, Betsy! with Roadside Theater, Dancing In My Cockroach Killers with Magdalena Gómez, The Harlem Hellfigthers On A Latin Beat based on the Puerto Rican presence in the all-Black 369th Regiment of the US Army, El bolero fue mi ruina adapted from a story by Manuel Ramos Otero, Quíntuples by Luis Rafael Sánchez, and many others. She is a member of The American Thatre Wing’s Tony Awards Nominating Committee.

DESMAR GUEVARA, Resident Composer and Musical Director of Pregones/PRTT, is a recognized champion of new music idioms in Latin jazz, a composer of experimental and non-traditional music for live theater and film, and an in-demand pianist with numerous concert, touring, and recording credits. He is founding director of chamber jazz ensemble Taller Sicá, founding member of Afro Puerto Rican ensemble Viento de Agua, and has collaborated with many musical luminaries including Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Tito Nieves, Xiomara Fortuna, Andy Montañez, Soledad Bravo, and Danny Rivera. Recent premieres include Grados Inefables, which delves into the esoteric symbolism and philosophies of Freemasonry, co-commissioned by arts presenters in New York, Colorado, and California.

More About Pregones PRTT – Click To Open

Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater (aka Pregones/PRTT) is a multigenerational performing ensemble, multidiscipline arts presenter, and owner/steward of bilingual arts facilities in The Bronx and Manhattan. Our mission is to champion a Puerto Rican/Latinx cultural legacy of universal value through creation and performance of original plays and musicals, exchange and partnership with other artists of merit, and engagement of diverse audiences.

COVID-19 Visitor Safety Info – Click To Open

Per current Key to NYC mandate, all visitors must show valid proof of vaccination against COVID19 prior to gaining entry to Pregones/PRTT’s Bronx and Manhattan theaters. We also require audience members to wear a face mask at all times. By submitting an RSVP or asking for entry to our events, you agree to abide by these rules.

FULL VACCINATION: To gain entrance under the Key to NYC public mandate, patrons must have received both rounds of a the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Acceptable proof of vaccination must clearly indicate which make of vaccine was received.

VACCINATION PROOF
To be presented with matching government-issued I.D., valid documents of vaccination status include:

  • NYS Excelsior Pass
  • NYC COVID Safe App
  • CDC Vaccination Card
  • NYC Vaccination Record
  • Proof of overseas vaccination

FACE MASKS
Mask must be worn at all times in the building.  Masks must cover nose and mouth.  Masks should fit snuggly against the sides of the face.

CHILDREN under 12 years old will not be allowed in the venue for this event.

For additional information, please visit the City’s Key to NYC website here: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-vaccines-keytonyc.page

Our Esteemed Funders – Click To Open

This program is also made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. For a full list of our funders, visit www.pregonesprtt.org.

Directions to Pregones Theater in The Bronx – Click To Open

Pregones Theater
575 Walton Avenue 
(b/w 149th & 150th Streets)
The Bronx, NY 10451

Trains # 2, 4, 5 to 149th Street & Grand Concourse

For more information call us at 718-585-1202

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Event Details

  • Location

    Pregones Theater in The Bronx
    575 Walton Avenue

  • Date & Time

    May 19 – June 12, 2022
    Thu-Sat @ 8:00PM
    Sun @ 3:00PM

  • Collaborators

    Written & Directed by
    Rosalba Rolón

    Music by
    Desmar Guevara

    FEATURING:
    Christin Eve Cato
    John Cencio Burgos
    José Joaquín García
    Claudia Ramos-Jordán
    Pat D. Robinson
    Nyseli Vega
    Álvaro Benavides
    Anthony Carrillo
    Camilo Molina