Teatro del Pueblo @RILA • Teatro en El Verano

Teatro en El Verano is Rhode Island’s only bilingual traveling theater company, bringing vibrant performances to Latino neighborhoods across the state since 2016. Our plays are bilingual adaptations of well-known classics like Romeo & Juliet, Don Quixote, and The Great Gatsby, reimagined with Latino voices and culture at the heart of the storytelling. With an all-Latinx cast, we make theater accessible, engaging, and reflective of our communities—performed in parks and public spaces where audiences can experience live theater in English and Spanish. Look for us en tu barrio and enjoy and celebrate culture, language, and storytelling.

Teatro en El Verano returns this summer, with a newly adapted version of La Broa’ — the one and only play that premiered on the stage at Trinity Rep in 2024. The stories are based on oral histories collected by Marta V. Martínez and brought to the stage by playwright Orlando Hernández. Inspired by the stories that shaped Broad Street and the early Colombian families rooted in Central Falls, this production (which we’re calling La Broa’ en tu barrio) is in line with our goal in 2026 of celebrating the voices, histories, and everyday heroes of Rhode Island’s Latino communities.

Orlando Hernández, Playwright

Marta V. Martínez, Community Oral Historian

Lorraine Guerra, Director

Open Auditions

Seeking six non-union actors. All genders are welcome. Actors must be 18 or older. Actors should be fluent in English and/or Spanish. There are many levels of fluency, so whatever level of Spanish/English speaker you are, we want to see you!

Please prepare two monologues (or poems) in Spanish, English, or a mix.

You may also perform one minute of a song, piece of music, or a beat (there will be no accompanist, so you will have to provide your own backup or sing a capela). Please have fun with each of your pieces! We want it to be a joyful experience!

If you can’t make the in-person audition, you may also submit a video audition no later than March 1, 2026.

Questions? Contact Gabriela (Gabi) López Ruiz at gabi@rilatinoarts.org

La Broa’ en tu barrio auditions Call Backs are March 3rd starting at 4:30pm

Reserve a slot by E-Mailing this address: auditions@rilatinoarts.org. Each audition slot should last about five minutes. In your email, please offer a time block of 30 minutes.

Please E-Mail a copy of your headshot before you arrive at your audition.

Six total performances. Show opens July 3 and closes August 2. Stipend for each actor is $2,000.

Roles Available:

Doña Rosa, 60s, Afro-Dominican woman. Born and raised in the DR, comes to New York in the 1940s and makes her way to Rhode Island. She opens the first Hispanic grocery store in the state. Also plays her younger self, ROSITA. Hilarious, stubborn, kind, secret prankster. Spanish-dominant.

Toño, Puerto Rican man. Married to Doña Rosa’s. Quiet, supportive; romantic just under a tough exterior. Also plays Matías, Puerto Rican who works in politics with Pedro. Expert shit-talker. English and Spanish.

Carlos, Puerto Rican man, born and raised in New York in the 60s, comes to Rhode Island in the 70s. Drops out of college and gets involved in activism. Earnest, devoted, easily fired up.

Pedro, Afro-Dominican man, born and raised in the DR, comes to RI by way of NY in the 70s. Religious, committed to the fight for dignity and political power. Becomes the first Dominican to run for political office in the state. Also plays Chama, one of the first Colombian textiles workers who comes with Pacheco. Quiet, gruff, doesn't like to open up. English and Spanish.

Pacheco, Colombian man, first comes in the 1960s to work in the textile mills in Central Falls. Loves music and people. Always playing guitar. Opens the first Hispanic record store in the state. Spanish-dominant.

Yolanda, Guatemalan woman, first comes to RI in the 60s to work in a nursing home. Builds a career in healthcare and healthcare activism. Resourceful, short-tempered, brave. Spanish-dominant.

Teatro en El Verano | Opens July 3

Find us also in Central Falls, Pawtucket, the Southside Cultural Center, & Woonsocket. We will return to Broad Street for closing night. More details to come.

La Broa’ en tu barrio opens on July 3d, at the onset of Independence Day weekend and will offer a contemporary reflection on Rhode Island’s 250-year history by centering stories that unfolded long after 1776. Rooted in oral histories from Latino communities, the play explores migration, memory, language, food, and everyday acts of belonging that have shaped the state’s neighborhoods and cultural life.

Presented outdoors on Broad Street—where many of these stories began—this summer’s production invites the public to consider independence not as a single historical moment, but as an ongoing, lived experience, reimagined by each generation. As part of the RI250 commemoration, La Broa’ en tu barrio expands the narrative of Rhode Island’s past while pointing toward its future.

Teatro en tu barrio

As always, Teatro en El Verano will be traveling to the neighborhoods where our audiences live, gather, and feel at home. Performances will be outdoors, they're family-friendly and open to everyone. Marta will be at each event this summer with mic in hand, so be prepared to share your story with her!

Stay tuned for the full summer performance schedule—and be sure to look for us en tu barrio.

As a prelude to our summer production of La Broa', A Living History Tour on Broad Street is scheduled for Sat. April 18 from 4-6pm. Cost: $10 per person. You must register to attend. Go here for details ➤

There are two designs: The La Broa' ♥️ T-shirt (pictured above-right) features sites you will see on one our our Barrio Tours of Broad Street (aka La Broa'). The second tee design (pictured above-left) was worn by cast and crew during the 2024 premier on the main stage of Trinity Rep of the La Broa'. The play is based on Marta's book Nuestras Raíces which is also for sale.

T-Shirts: $22 S-M-L-XL and $25 XXL
Latino History Book: $23

Buy La Broa' T-Shirt or Latino History Book

This summer, as we celebrate 10 years of outdoor teatro, we are inviting our community to help sustain this beloved tradition with a $5 suggested donation when you attend on of our performances. This is the first time we have asked for support of this kind, and every contribution—no matter the amount—helps us continue bringing free, bilingual theater to the neighborhoods that inspired it. If you’d like to give in advance, you can do so by clicking the yellow button below and entering the amount of your donation.

Please know: you will never be turned away. Donations are completely optional, and you are welcome to contribute on site if that’s easier for you. We will have someone available to accept donations by credit card, Venmo, CashApp, or cash during performances.

Click the link above to donate now. You will have the option to adjust the amount once the window pops up. You can also send your donation via Venmo or CashApp. Be sure to write La Broa' donation on the subject line.

If you choose to attend our closing night Gala, please click below to purchase your $100 ticket

Teatro en El Verano | Opening Night

Start Date:

2026-07-03T18:30:00EDT

Location:

Galería del Pueblo, 209 Central St. Central Falls, RI

Event Description:

See Event

Teatro en El Verano | RAIN DATE

Start Date:

2026-07-05T18:30:00EDT

Location:

Galeria del Pueblo, Central Falls, RI

Event Description:

Teatro en El Verano #2

Start Date:

2026-07-07T18:30:00EDT

Location:

RWPark Broad Street, Providence RI

Event Description:

Teatro en El Verano | #3

Start Date:

2026-07-14T18:30:00EDT

Location:

Southside Cultural Center, Providence RI

Event Description:

See Event

Teatro en El Verano #4

Start Date:

2025-07-21T18:30:00EDT

Location:

Payne Park, Pawtucket, RI

Event Description:

Teatro en El Verano #5

Start Date:

2026-07-28T16:00:00EDT

Location:

Woonsocket, RI

Event Description:

HAVE YOU SEEN THE SHOW? Please take time now to fill out our survey. The results will help us collect information for a future grant. Once you fill out the survey, you may choose to be entered to a drawing for tickets to a play and other door prizes. To be eligible for the drawing, please submit no later than August 3, 2025.

Survey & Drawing