GALA Hispanic Theatre’s Artistic Director Gustavo Ott proudly announces its 2024/25 Season, Beauty and Rebellion. “This season features sharp and entertaining works,” states Ott, “that will uplift us while introducing our audiences to the most important discussions of today—the liberating role of dreams, the desire for justice, resistance to power, the complexities of identity, the environmental threat, and the devastating effects of xenophobia.”
The season spans works “from a hilarious comedy about love and refuge, to a contemporary version of a Spanish classic about resisting tyranny, to a bilingual children’s musical with a young Frida, and a show exploring Latin America’s Spanish, Black, and Indigenous heritages,” continues Ott.
“And finally, two special gifts—a work by an emerging playwright about a family’s racial and intergenerational prejudices as they face a war with a major corporation, and closing the season, an immersive bolero cabaret with broken hearts and impossible but delicious loves.”
“Rooted in our identity, our theater cannot ignore its ability to inquire with grace and courage into the nature of power,” affirms GALA’s Artistic Director. “This will be an inquisitive, lively, and endearing season, with impeccable productions of high artistic quality, linking GALA with the best artists from Latin America, Spain, and the United States.”
MAINSTAGE SEASON PRODUCTIONS
LAS 22+ BODAS DE HUGO – The 22+ Weddings of Hugo (WORLD PREMIERE IN SPANISH)
By Gustavo Ott (Venezuela) | Directed by José Zayas
September 5 – 29, 2024
In Spanish with English surtitles
Why in the world does Hugo, a quiet postal clerk, keep getting married? Based on a true story, The 22+ Weddings of Hugo by Gustavo Ott is a raucous tale of “a beautiful crime” that delves into several themes of our day, from empathy and immigration, to love in times of hatred, and the universal need to find refuge in a place, person or a feeling. This play won the 2018 Marius Gottin Award for non-Francophone plays from the Écriture Théâtrale Contemporaine Caraïbe.
FUENTEOVEJUNA (U.S. PREMIERE)
By Lope de Vega (Spain), version by Juan Mayorga | Directed by José Luis Arellano
February 6 – March 2, 2025
In Spanish with English surtitles
Fuenteovejuna, perhaps Lope de Vega’s most performed work, addresses the people’s right to rebel against the abuse of power. Written in 1613 and based on real events, it tells the story of the commander of the town of Fuente Ovejuna, Fernán Gómez de Guzmán, subjects the citizens to the rigors of an arrogant, corrupt, and ruthless government. But when they find that power really resides in the citizens, women lead a rebellion, taking up arms, and confronting authority with the battle cry of “What is Fuenteovejuna? The
whole town, together!”
SUCEDE HASTA EN LAS MEJORES FAMILIAS – Choke (WORLD PREMIERE)
By Emilio Infante (Mexico/USA) | Directed by Rebecca Aparicio
April 24 – May 18, 2025
In Spanish with English surtitles
Esperanza Guerrero and her husband Gonzalo have worked hard all their lives to give an opportunity to their daughter, Cassandra, a professional who now lives in New York. But a medical problem unleashes intergenerational and racial conflict in the Guerrero family. A confrontation that runs parallel to an environmental battle with a big corporation. With humor, this work portrays today’s American society from the perspective of one of the most exciting young playwrights of the Latino community, the Californian Emilio Infante.
BOTIQUÍN DE BOLEROS DE COLUMBIA HEIGHTS – Columbia Heights Botiquín (U.S. PREMIERE)
By Rubén León (Venezuela)
June 11 – 29, 2025
In Spanish with English surtitles
This musical mosaic regales us with the stories and anecdotes of the clients who attend the reopening of the “Columbia Heights Bolero Bar.” A cabaret-style immersive musical featuring famous boleros, a beloved genre shared across the region from Mexico to the Caribbean to South America. During the show, the audience participates with their own stories of broken hearts.
DANCE, FILM & PERFORMANCE
FUEGO FLAMENCO XX (20th Annual Flamenco Festival)
Honorary Producers: Lynne and Joseph Horning
November 7 – 24, 2024
Featuring U.S. and international artists in an expanded three-week festival!
SPAIN FLAMENCO ARTS & FEDERACIÓN DE COMUNIDADES
ANDALUZAS CENTRO ESPAÑA (FECACE) (Spain)
SER.RANA (DC PREMIERE)
Created, choreographed & performed by Sonia Franco
November 7 – 10, 2024
Ser.Rana is an experience that transforms the art of movement and sets dance free. It is like the unceasing flow of a river inside you, transforming your body through Flamenco. The original music and minimalist esthetic of dance create a close connection between artist and audience, uncovering deep emotions.
FLAMENCO APARICIO DANCE CO. (USA)
TITLE TBD (WORLD PREMIERE)
November 15 – 17, 2024
A new Flamenco masterpiece choreographed and directed by visionary artist Edwin Aparicio in honor of the 20th anniversary of the Festival he co-founded. and a troupe of local and international Flamenco dancers. Witness a spectacular display of raw passion, movement, fiery zapateo, and rhythm from the best of Aparicio’s repertoire.
MARC LÓPEZ & MONSERRAT MARTÍNEZ (Spain)
INTIMATE FRIENDS OF FLAMENCO (WORLD PREMIERE)
November 22 – 24, 2024
In this intimate show, Marc and Ana, friends since their years as teens reminisce and enjoy the music that has been a part of their lives and continues to resonate with them today. They are joined in their journey through Mediterranean music by Montserrat Martínez, a Cuban dancer with graceful lines and impeccable style. An evening of three distinct personalities, all united by the beauty of music.
GALA Film Fest: Latin American Innovation (Films TBA)
December 4 – 8, 2024
All films in Spanish with English subtitles
Discover a new era in Latin American cinema as emerging young directors offer their unique perspectives on critical issues. Enjoy Q&As with artists and experts, receptions, and much more. This year we offer a unique opportunity to attend a live performance of the play Fátima y el Parque de la Fraternidad (Cuba) following the screening of the film by the same name on December 7, presented by Latino Art Beat, Chicago.
EL CANUTO DEL ROCK (WORLD PREMIERE COMMISSIONED BY GALA)
Created & performed by Quique Avilés (El Salvador) | Directed by Abel López
December 13 – 15, 2024
Canuto, an old Salvadoran rocker from Mount Pleasant in Washington, DC, has a radio show where he only plays the music he loved as a teenager. Suddenly, reminiscences of the past take him on a journey to his childhood and back in time, to the painful time of war in Central America. With humor and lightheartedness, this autofiction journey merges rock with the music of Canuto’s ancestors, connecting him to his roots.
GALita – BILINGUAL PROGRAMS FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES
FRIDA LIBRE (WORLD PREMIERE OF BILINGUAL VERSION)
Book and lyrics by Karen Zacarías
Music by Deborah Wicks La Puma
Directed by Elena Velasco
October 12 – 26, 2024
Alex may seem like a quiet, shy boy, but he secretly holds big ideas inside his head. He wants to be a luchador (wrestler) and defeat bad guys in the ring. His life changes when he meets brave and colorful Frida, an unusual girl who dreams of being a doctor so she can help people. Inspired by the childhood of legendary Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, Frida Libre is an uplifting story featuring delightful songs that explore the meaning of friendship, bravery, and transformation.
FLAMENCO EN FAMILIA
November 16, 2024
Sara Jerez and Richard Marlowe lead an interactive performance with castanets, fans, and zapateo demonstrations for children and the entire family. FREE!
LA FIESTA DE LOS REYES MAGOS – Three Kings Day
January 5, 2025
Join us for our annual Three Kings Day Celebration! This festive end to the holiday season will feature the timeless story of the Magi, performances by local musicians and dance troupes, a street parade, and a gift for every child. FREE!
ÉRASE UNA VEZ… ¡Y DOS SON TRES! – Once Upon a Time…And Two Are Three! (U.S. PREMIERE)
By Manuel Champoseaux (Dominican Republic)
March 17 – 30, 2025
More than 500 years ago, what we are today began to be created. Our language, our skin, our blood, our unfinished struggle, began in that initial encounter that gave birth to Latin America. Today we pay tribute to those original cultures that fused, and intermingled to achieve what we are today. Spain, Africa, and Pre-Columbian America are revealed through their stories, full of magic and popular spirit.
PASO NUEVO YOUTH PROGRAM
Under the direction of artist Chris Ríos, GALA’s FREE after-school youth program offers bilingual training in drama, movement, writing, and technical theater to youth ages 14 to 19. Students create new, original works and perform for the public in the Fall, Spring, and Summer. The Summer showcase will be Thursday, August 1, 2024, at 7 pm; the Fall/Winter showcase will be Wednesday, December 18, 2024, at 7 pm; and the Spring showcase will be Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 7 pm. Paso Nuevo is the winner of the 2012 National Arts and Humanities Youth Arts Program Award.
GENERAL INFORMATION
SCHEDULE: Mainstage season productions are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm. For other performance times, visit http://www.galatheatre.org or call (202) 234-7174. All schedules are subject to change.
TICKETS: Single tickets to mainstage productions are $48 for Thursdays and Sundays and $50 for Fridays and Saturdays, while regular tickets to all Flamenco performances are $50. Tickets for military, seniors (65+), teachers, and student 25+ are $35; tickets for students Under 25 are $25; and tickets for groups of 10 or more people are $35 each. Community Night tickets for main stage productions are $20 and Noche de GALA tickets (including a post-performance reception with the artists) are $55 each. Tickets for the Fall and Spring public performances of GALita are $10 for children and $12 for adults. To purchase tickets, visit www.galatheatre.org or call (202) 234-7174.
LOCATION, PARKING & METRO: GALA Theatre is located at 3333 14th Street NW, Washington, DC. Discounted parking of $4 is available in the secure Giant parking garage directly behind the theater. The entrance is located on Park Road and Holmead Street, NW (you must validate your parking ticket at the theater lobby). GALA is located one block north from the Columbia Heights Metro station (Green/Yellow Lines).
FOR MORE INFORMATION, call (202) 234-7174 or visit www.galatheatre.org.
