Teatro En El Verano Presents La Mancha

Providence, RI: Rhode Island Latino Arts (RILA), in association with Trinity Repertory Company, announces the seventh year of its bilingual community theater program Teatro en El Verano (Theater in the Summer). This year’s production is La Mancha, translated and adapted by Brown/Trinity Rep alum Marcel Mascaró and directed by RILA Artist-in-Residence Catia. The production runs July 15 – 24 at La Galería de Pueblo in Central Falls, with a final performance on July 28 at Waterplace Park in Providence. All performances are free, open to the public, and appropriate for all ages. More details can be found at www.trinityrep.com/lamancha. 

“It’s good to be back working alongside Trinity Rep and providing bilingual performances for our Latino audiences after two years online,” RILA Executive Director Marta V. Martínez said. “Hosting the shows at La Galería del Pueblo is a significant step as we continue to build RILA’s theatrical programs, and we’re pleased that Trinity Rep will continue to offer their resources.”

About The Show
Don Quixote loses himself inside his books, but desperately yearns for the adventure he reads in his stories of knighthood. To the dismay of his family, he sets off to make his imagination a reality with the help of his next-door neighbor, Sancho. Wrapped in tin foil with his loyal “squire” Sancho at his side, they go on a journey unlike any Don Quixote could have imagined. As the story unravels, families find themselves on the precipice of discovering something they thought they had lost long ago.

Teatro en el Verano originally planned to stage an adaptation of Don Quixote in the summer of 2020, and later in the summer of 2021, but these were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, excerpts from the script were performed virtually via Zoom. La Mancha is the in-person culmination of over two years of work.

"Multiverses are part of the zeitgeist right now, with that in mind I’d say I’ve seen La Mancha in every timeline and universe possible,” Director Catia said. “La Mancha has been in the works for many years now, since before COVID, and I have always been attached to the project in one capacity or another. So when I got approached this year to direct, I said yes because this universe will get it La Mancha! With this timeline being plagued with COVID, a lot of projects and stories have not received closure, but I’m very excited to say Don Quixote will finally get his."

Catia is a RILA artist-in-residence and a Burbage Theatre Company resident artist. At Trinity Rep, she recently appeared as Rosaura in Sueño. She will work with a creative team including Daria-Lyric Montaquila (assistant director), Jaimy Escobedo (costume designer), Polly Feliciano (production manager), and Alex Tawid Di Maggio (stage manager). The cast also consists entirely of local Latinx actors, including Jordan William Cardona, Leandro “Kufa” Castro, Alexander Crespo-Rosario, Nina Giselle, Victor Machado, Ayrin Ramirez Peguero, and Marina Tejada.

Performance Schecule:
Admission is free and no registration is required.
Friday, July 15
Saturday, July 16
Sunday, July 18
Friday, July 22
Saturday, July 23
Sunday, July 24
Thursday, July 28 – special performance at Waterplace Park in Providence

For a Spanish-language version of this release, please contact Marta V. Martinez at marta@rilatinoarts.org. 

Rhode Island Latino Arts
Rhode Island Latino Arts (RILA) is the state’s oldest Latino arts and culture nonprofit organization that celebrates the art, history and heritage of Rhode Island Latinos. RILA is made up of a network of Latino arts organizations, individual artists and projects and advocates for inclusion and the building of bridges between Latinos and non-Latinos. Since 1992, RILA has organized and promoted local activities around National Hispanic Heritage Month every year from September 15 - October 15. For more information, visit www.rilatinoarts.org. 

Trinity Repertory Company
Rhode Island’s Tony Award-winning theater, Trinity Rep has created unparalleled professional theater for and with its community since its founding in 1963. Trinity Rep strives to facilitate human connection and has been a driving force behind the creativity that fuels and defines the region for more than 50 years. 
Trinity Rep is committed to reinventing the public square and inspiring dialogue by creating emotionally-stimulating live productions that range from classical to contemporary and innovative education programs for all ages and abilities. Its annual production of A Christmas Carol has brought families together for more than four decades and made memories for over a million audience members. For more information, visit Trinity Rep's website at www.TrinityRep.com.