MISIÓN: Pregones Theater is a Bronx-based ensemble whose mission is (1) to create and perform original musical theater and plays rooted in Puerto Rican/Latino cultures, and (2) to present other performing artists who share our twin commitment to the arts and civic enrichment. The company is proud owner of a professional performing arts facility on Walton Avenue, south of Yankee Stadium, in the heart of the burgeoning South Bronx Cultural Corridor.
LABOR: Pregones Theater is widely recognized as a leading Latino arts producing and presenting organization. In the early 1980s, we were among only a handful of professional artists creating arts programs for low and moderate income Bronx residents. We were then, and remain now, in the vanguard of a renovation that is still underway. Since launch of a new 130-seat theater in 2005, Pregones has deepened its role as incubator of new works and leader in arts-based community development.
Pregones Theater is home to a vital network of professional Latino actors, musicians, dancers, writers, directors, designers, and technicians. Working as an ensemble, this group of artists has since 1979 produced close to 70 premieres and presented more than 200 visiting artists. We are known for mining connections between theater and popular culture, for creating plays with dynamic visual and rhythmic character, and for galvanizing new generations of artists and audiences.
Our award-winning repertory makes use of literature, music, dance, and other creative expressions by migrants of Spanish, Indigenous, and Afro Caribbean background. Our productions are developed and performed in both Spanish and English. The use of dual-language titles and bilingual printed matter ensures the widest possible reach.
PROGRAMAS:
MAINSTAGE: acclaimed and growing repertory of mostly musical theater works created, developed, and performed by Pregones’ Latino ensemble.
PRESENTING: multi-disciplinary, multi-ethnic presenting program featuring performances, workshops, and public dialogues in both stand-alone and residency formats.
EDUCATION: performances, workshops, public dialogues, mentorships, and volunteer opportunities for youth and adults, also in stand-alone and extended formats.
TOURING: harboring performance and artistic residency engagements and collaborations at the local, national, and international levels.
CONTRIBUCIONES:
Growing repertory of distinctly Latino musical/dramatic theater works;
Nurturing and development of a professional and multi-generational ensemble of Latino artists;
Original methodology for adaptation of literary and extra-literary materials for stage performance;
Record of productive and lasting intercultural, multi-state, and international collaborations;
Dynamic implementation of community-based outreach in Spanish/English;
Distinctly Latino model for arts strategic planning and professional theater management;
Ongoing contribution to Bronx cultural and economic development.
RECONOCIMIENTOS:
New York State Council on the Arts Primary Cultural Institution Designation, New York State Governor's Arts Award, multiple NYC Mayor and Bronx Borough President Recognitions, Duke/Mellon Leading National Ensemble Theatre Designation, Otto Award for Political Theater, Center for Puerto Rican Studies 1st Arts & Humanities Award, numerous NY HOLA Latino Actors and ACE Hispanic Critics Awards, inclusion in Digital Video Library of the Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics at NYU, and inclusion in NYC Cultural Facilities cohort of The Ford Foundation's Supporting Diverse Arts Spaces initiative, among many others.
Pregones in 1981 with La Colección.
Standing: Heriberto Mateo, Julio Santana,
Rosalba Rolón, Alvan Colón-Lespier.
Sitting: Roberto Lugo, Sandra Rodríguez,
Luis Meléndez.
Photo by Pablo Delano
