ARTISTIC MISSION

Welcome/Bienvenidos

LATEA’s founding members Nelson Tamayo, Mateo Gomez, and Nelson Landrieu first saw the potential of this old but beautiful building in 1982; since then The Latin American Theater Experiment & Associates (from here referred to as “LATEA” which also means the torch) was born and has been the home of the artistic pursuit and dreams of many Latino and avant-garde theater artist in New York City.

 En el año 1982 Nelson Tamayo, Mateo Gomez y Nelson Landrieu fueron los primeros en reconocer, que en este precioso y viejo edificio habia el potential para crear un nido en donde poder desarollar sus propios talentos teatrales, asi comos los talentos y los sueños de  artististas que buscaban experimentar sin ser limitados.  Es asi como nace El Teatro Latino Americano Experimental & Asociado (referido de aqui en adelante como LATEA)

Ask anyone how they feel about LATEA when they first walk into our space and they will tell you “I love the space.”  “It has a vibe that welcomes your spirit the moment you walk through the door.”  That Spirit has been forged by the work of artist that year after year have walked through our doors with the desire to become proficient at their craft. Artist that have put their heart and soul into the work they have produced.

Preguntele a cualquier persona que entra a “LATEA” como se siente cuando entra a nuestro espacio o a nuestro hogar?   Le diran “Yo amo ese espacio.” “Hay una energia en LATEA un espiritu que hace que uno se sienta bienvenido desde que se  pasa entre nuestras puertas.”   Ese espiritu a sido furgido al sudor del trabojo de artistas los quales año tras año han entrepasodo nuestro teatro con el deseo de ser expertos y profesionales en sus carreras artisticas y en el processo an dejado un padacito de su alma y su Corazon en nuestra sala, con cada obra que se a realizado en nuestra tarima.

Our theater stage has been home to quite an impressive list of artist here are just a few: Actor and Lawyer and Civil Right’s activist Ilka Tanya Payan, Teatro Pregones,  Vaso de Leche, Caicedo Productions, Teatro SEA,  Soñadores Productions, Jaradoa Theater, Karate Kid The Musical, Academy Award nominee Jose Maria Rivera, Hola Award winning Playwright Candido Tirado, Obbie Award Winner Carmen Rivera, Director and Producer Cyn Rossi, Director Jessie Mojica, Author, Film Maker Jerry Rodriguez, Tony Nominee de’ Adre Aziza, Dark Knight Star Monique Curnen, Daily News columnist andbudding playwright Robert Dominguez, Executive Producer of Teatro Stage Fest Susana Tubert and  that’s just to name a few.  The list is as long and as bright as the New York City Skylight.

Como muestra de esta maravilles aqui hay una pequeña lista del talento que se ha presentado en nuestro teatro:  Actor, Abogada, y Activista Ilka Tanya Payan, Teatro Pregones,  Vaso de Leche, Caicedo Produciones, Teatro Sea, Soñadores Produciones, Teatro Jaradoa, El Musical “Karate Kid”, Nominado para el galardon Oscar autor Jose Maria Rivera, Galardonado  autor del premio HOLA Candido Tirado, Galordonada Autor del premio OBIE Carmen Rivera, Autor, Director, y Productora Cyn Rossi, Director Jessie Mojica, Autor y Director Jerry Rodriguez, Nominada para el Galardon TONY Actor de’ Adre Azisa, Actor en la pelicula mas vista en las historia del cine Americano “Batman The Dark Night” Monique Curnen,  Autor y periodista en el periodico New York Daily News Robert Dominguez, Productora Ejecutiva del Teatro Stage Fest, Susana Tubert.   Estos es tan solo una pequeña mustra del talento que se a desarollado sobre los años en nuestra  tarima.

LATEA was founded in the principle that no one could define or tell us as Latinos what roles we could or could not play.  No one could tell us that because we were Latino that we could or could not produce a particular work of art; along this amazing journey now in its 26^th season, we are still fighting casting battles,  social issues, and taking the time to make our selves and our audience aware that life matter’s in all it strange wonder as it was the case when we produced the play “La Lechuga” ,which garnered our executive director Nelson Landrieu an ACE award for best director, the play asked a family how do we deal with euthanasia. The same was done by our senior Artistic Director Mateo Gomez this year when he Directed the piece “En las manos de Dios” a play that examines the role of religion in the subjugation of the poor. “Remembering Ray” produced by Anthony Aponte was a medley of scenes of the work of celebrate award winning play Wright Reinaldo Povod, author of “Cuba and his teddy bear” while the piece was on Broadway and it reflected many of the horrors and passions of life in the lower east side for Puerto Ricans in the late seventies and eighties it wasn’t until it was produced at LATEA and directed by Veronica Caicedo that cast was actually Latino. The play garnered an HOLA award for actor Rhina Valentin.

Teatro LATEA  a sido fundado bajo el principio de que nadie tiene derecho a limitar o a definer como nosotros podemos of devemos presentar nuestras historias o imagines. Es decir que la cultura Latino Americana y Americana Latina es rica y diversa y con tantas variedades y colores que es impossibledecir  esta es la uniqua o verdadera representacion de nuestra cultura.  Durante esta tremenda trajectoria que entra su 26 temporada, todavia estamos luchando batallas sobre asuntos sociales y tomando el tiempo para educarnos nosotros mismos al igual que a nuestra audiencia.  Por ejemplo cuando nuestro director ejecutivo Nelson Landrieu fue Galardonado con el premio ACE como por su direcion de la obra venezolana “La Lechuga” una obra la cual nos hace pensar como una familia decide el valor de la vida de unos de sus miembros en un estado vegetal.  Tambien tenemos como ejemplo el trabajo de la directora Veronica Caicedo nuestra Gerente general con la obra “Recordando a Rei.” La obra fue producida por Antonio Aponte y es una presentacion de escenas escritas por su amigo y celebrado autor Reinaldo Povod el autor de “Cuba and His Teddy Bear” tambien el autor mas joven producido en Broadway; mientras que sus obras poderosas las cuales reflejan la passion y los horrores de la vida en bajo este de manhattan para los Puertoriqueños durente los años 1970’s y los 1980’s fueron producidas en Broadway; no fue has que la obra fue producida por Aponte e Caicedo y presentada en el teatro LATEA que el elenco de la obra fue completamente latino. La Obra le galardo un premio HOLA a la Actriz Rhina Valentin.

Entonces Palante, we continue to define and redefine ourselves on our terms at LATEA.  In doing so we invite the best of all of that amazing creative energy from all walks of life to join us in the experiment that is life.  We now tackle Shakespeare and have garnered awards for our work, we present a solo performers festival “The One” and artist have traveled from as far as Spain, and others yet told their stories of humanity and struggle about life in India, the life of Frida Calo, what it means to be a Graffiti Artist, Or their “ Man-child Dilemma” in choosing the army rules over moms rules.  This year we will embark on a bilingual playwright’s festival “Asi Somos.”  We are in a multigenerational and multi-lingual cross roads some of are forgetting how to speak and write in Spanish and I for one would love for my grandmother to come and see theater in the language she understands and so we are charging and rewarding new playwrights with the responsibility to not only write in our English language, but also in our home language.

An old friend once asks me “why did I not speak Spanish more often?”  I answered because “I did not have to, everyone I knew spoke English.” I return asked her “why did she?”  She answered “It is how I communicate with the people I love the most!”  I was pleasantly disarmed.  It taught me that just when you think you have all the answers someone or something comes along let’s you know there is still a lot to learn. 

We are still growing and still learning and we welcome you to continue to grow and learn with us.  Estan bienvenidos a nuestra casa los esperamos con los brazos abiertos.

Entonces Palante, LATEA continua iluminando el camino de su trajectoria  en sus propios terminos y asi continuamos en esta trajectoria nosotros  invitamos a toda esa maravillosa energia creativa de todas las esquinas del mundo y que unidos seguiromos intentando de descubrir este experimento llamado la vida.

LATEA ahora esta experimentando con el trabajo de William Shakespear en ingles. Tambien hemos presentado el festival “The One.”  Este Festival busca lo major de las representaciones de teatro con artistas trabajando el monologo. En el processo hemos eschado historias sobre Frida Calo, El tachar murallas, y el dilemma de un joven que al querer salir de la casa de mama termino en el ejercito en la primera Guerra en Iraq.

Este año embarcamos el Festival “Asi Somos” un festival de obras bilingues eso es decir estamos buscando material escrito y presentado en ingles y en español. 

Hemos echo este llamado por que asi como crecemos en populacion y generaciones en los estados unidos debemos de mostrar nuestra maestria en el lenguaje de nuestra nueva patria, pero no podemos olvidar nuestras racies.  Es importante que esos parientes los cuales amamos con todo nuestro Corazon puedan disfrutar de nuestro esfuerzo artistico.  Es importante que recordemos que cuando se  maestrea el lenguaje se la fundamental manera de enterder como se maneja la experiencia  de ser  humano.

Estan bienvenidos a nuestra casa los esperamos con los brazos abiertos.

LATEA  

DEMOGRAPHICS

We are based in the ever-changing Lower East Side (LES) of Manhattan. the area has a total population of 197,138. Latinos comprise 27% of the population, Asians 48%. The Lower East Side has a critical mass of low income people with moe that 23% living in poverty and with household median income of less than $26,00.

The dominant emigrants are still Latinos and Chinese, a change from the 1880's when the Lower East Side was the center of Jewish immigration life. Twenty-eight percent of the LES population is less than 25 years of age.

This is a look of our immediate area. It is important to note that LATEA's productions and programs serve the diverse New York city-wide community, targeting mostly the Puerto Rican/Latino group of people, increasingly integrating and adapting to demographic changes in our immediate neighborhood.

We serve an estimated 15,000 persons annually, an incremental increase based on last two years performance. Figures are based on services provided through theater performances & productions, including music & dance.