Founded in 1982 Teatro LA TEA is one of New York's premier and reputable Latino theaters run by well-known professional actors who are committed to fostering, preserving and promoting the richness of their cultural heritage. It's  leadership dedication led to the founding  of the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center, the theater's quarters.

Home, and  the starting point for many of today's screen, stage, television and radio personalities, LA TEA has served as the base for several emerging Latino theater groups operating in the Big Apple. It is a unique place with opportunities for Latino and non Latino talent.

LA TEA has helped strengthen and advance the understanding of the contribution made by Latinos in the United States by providing:

ARTISTIC MISSION

We have four program focus areas: In-house Productions, Youth Initiatives, Visiting Artist Program, and Touring. Our Tamayo Art Gallery provides visual affordable exhibit space.

BACKGROUND

Established in 1982 La Tea is one of New York's premier and highly regarded Off-Off Broadway Latino Theaters. It was founded and operates under the direction of two well-known professional stage, film and television actors who are committed to providing opportunities to New York's emerging and professional artists, especially Latinos who would otherwise not have the resources or affordable physical facilities to exhibit their works and talents. As arts advocates, La Tea's founders took the initiative of providing much needed leadership to secure and safeguard the continued use of their city-owned property, a struggle that led to the creation of the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural & Educational Center where the theater is housed.

It's Mission is to foster, preserve, promote and maintain the history, literature, cultural values and heritage of the Latin American people, including the Caribbean. To educate North American audiences and the general public of the contributions made by Latinos and to demonstrate the universality of beliefs that bind us all together as universal human beings. It is of the philosophy that the arts should not be for nor by a privileged few, but available to working class people and men from all walks of life.

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 La Tea'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.

OUR YOUTH INITIATIVES are noteworthy. The project's premise is that art is an educational instument. Students are recruited from local schools and engaged in academically focused after-school programs. They are taught to write the script for and stage their own play based on life experences, usually with a social theme. The project involves schools, teachers, parents and neighborhood people. It has demonstrated to be, per student evaluation, and enjoyable anddesirable program resulting in high retention rates. We also collaborate with Teatro SEA (Society for the Educational Arts) in presenting children and puppet theater in our space.

OUR VISITING ARTIST PROGRAM encourages cultural exchange with groups from countries like Puerto Rico, Mexico, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Columbia, and USA based groups. The interations between the two regions allow for innovative works and the exchange of ideas and the development of our creative talent.

As pert of its continuing collaborative initiatives the theater housed numerous local, national and international dance and theater festivals. In fiscal year 2004-2005, it housed, for the third consecutive year, both the "Songs From Coconut Hill" a New Works Latino Playwrights Festival, and in collaboration with Caicedo Production, "What's in a Word", a program established to provide teenagers and opportunity to develop their reading, writing and communication skills through their interaction with peers and professional artists. The program includes workshops and concludes with a showcase of both the individuality of today's youth and providing adult and peer mentorship.

Also in collaboration with Caicedo Production, The "One Festival" is in it's third successful year. Solo artists from around the country (Minnesota, Washington, DC, California and tri-state area) and abroad (Spain) compete in front of demanding audiences as performers, musicians and as writer's. Finalists get a monetary reward and are allowed a stage production in La Tea's annual season.

Another exciting initiative, also in it's third consecutive year is the Shakesperean experimental work with a multi-racial cast. This series is conducted in collaboration with Sonadores Productions. In 2006 "Hamlet" was presented to sold-out young audiences and adults,prompting us to repeat similar performances with a presentation of "Othello" in May 2007 and the presentation of "Macbeth" in 2008. Shakespeare will never be viewed the same!

We also co-produced several works with groups such as Pregones, Teatro I.A.T.I., Theatro Circulo, LEFT Theater, and Artificio Theater, among others.

Increasingly, LA TEA is playing a key role in supporting the works of new and young Latino independent filmmakers by offering: casting assistance, affordable rehearsal and shooting space and special screening of new works.

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.