'Rebirth of a Queen'

"Congratulations on being an honoree! We look forward to celebrating your fierceness and powerful way of being in the world; reading the kind and wonderful words that your nominator sent us has filled us with hope that our community will continue to persevere because of womyn like you!" -- Carmen Mojica, program director, Casa Atabex Ache - The House of Womyn's Power, the Bronx




Tomorrow I will proudly be among the honorees at this event that celebrates women who are empowering communities and overcoming obstacles in their personal and professional life. It is appropriately titled the "Rebirth of a Queen."

The event is Casa Atabex Ache's 7th Annual Womyn Warriors Awards Ceremony & Celebration, and it will be from 6 to 10 p.m. tomorrow at Casabe Houses, 150 East 121 Street, East Harlem. 

If you want to attend, contact Monique De La Oz at mdelaoz@gmail.com for tickets, which are $25 in advance, $35 at the door. 

The Union and Reunion of the Puerto Rican Diaspora

For more information, info@diversityfoundation.net.

Community Calendar 

A conference focusing on the future of the Puerto Rican community in New York in the 21st Century


Where:

1199 SEIU United Healthcare

Workers East Union

310 West 43rd Street

New York, NY 10036

When:

Saturday, April 28

From 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Confirmed Participants

Jaime Estades, Founder - Latino Institute

Rafael Fantauzzi, President/CEO -

National Puerto Rican Coalition

John Hernandez, President, Doral Asset Managers

Joe Ithier, Partner - El Partners

Felix Matos, President - Hostos Community College

Robert Montemayor, Professor - Rutgers University

Jose Luis Rodriguez, President- HITN-TV

Brunilda Sanchez, Sr. Prtneship Specialist - US Census

Free Complimentary

Continental Breakfast

and

Full Puerto Rican Style Lunch

with Registration

PRTT Playwrights Unit Fest

Community calendar

The Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre proudly presents:

The 2012 Playwrights Unit Festival of Readings and Insight Series 18

Readings* of new plays from the Professional Playwrights Unit:

Thursday, May 3, 8 p.m.

Mine of Crystals, by Mario Golden

An ex-prostitute’s death creates a desperate sense of absence in her only son.

Monday, May 7, 8 p.m.

Negative is Positive, by Christy Smith

HIV testing turns a couple’s marriage completely upside down.

Thursday, May 10, 8 p.m.

When the Sunset Explodes, by George E. Joshua

Jacob, a man of African descent, questions his decision to have fought in

The Revolutionary War, on the side of The British.

Monday, May 14, 8 p.m.

Perfect Pearls, by Mirandy Rodriguez

Torn between family obligations and her heart’s desire, a young woman must decide if the man she’s about to marry is the right one, or if is she’s in love with another man.

A special presentation from the Beginners/Intermediate Unit:

Tuesday, May 22, 8 p.m.

Scenes and monologues by Selina Hernández, Patricia Martinez, Carlos Mendoza, Cindy Sanabria, Fayma Stewart, María Teresa Silva, Michelle Torres, Caridad del Valle, Judith Vega, and Griselle Vera.

And, as part of Insight 18:

Tuesday, May 8; and Tuesday, May 15, 8 p.m.

Birmingham Reunion, by George E. Joshua

It's the turbulent summer of 2008. While a black man and white woman wage a fierce battle for an unprecedented presidential nomination, Arthur Holtzman, a longtime political and social activist, struggles to keep his 20 year interracial marriage afloat. Neglect, mistrust and resentment, rooted in the traumatic crucible of American apartheid and slavery, may prove too formidable an opponent.

Directed by Mario Golden and Andreas Robertz

With Charles Black*, Bill Blechingberg*, Jen Danby*, Jai Raphael, R. David Robinson*, and Ozzie Stewart

*Member, AEA

And coming soon, a play presentation from the Musical Theatre Unit.

FREE. No reservations needed!

Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre

304 West 47^th Street (between 8^th and 9^th Avenues)

New York, NY 10036

*All readings will be followed by a discussion with the playwright, moderated by a member of New York City’s theatre and arts community.

Doors open 1/2 hour before.

source: PRTT

From Menudo to Evita, Ricky Martin Shines

By Rita J. Egan

I was in the sixth grade when friends and I prepared a skit around the music of the Broadway play Evita. I'm not quite sure how we came up with the idea, but I do remember the commercials and how badly I wanted to go to New York City and see the play.
I never did get a chance to see the original, and grew up to be a teenager who was a huge fan of the group Menudo. Through the years, I also became a great admirer of Ricky Martin.

Imagine how excited I was when rumors began circulating in 2010 that Martin was up for the part of Che in the Broadway revival. I waited in anticipation for the day I would finally see Evita.
Finally on March 24, my friend Silvia and I had the opportunity to catch one of the preview performances. It was the matinee and unfortunately Elena Roger (Eva Peron) doesn't perform Saturday matinees, but the show was a good one just the same. The scenery was breathtaking, and the ensemble numbers were exhilarating.
Christina DeCicco did a nice job as Evita, but it was Rachel Potter, Juan Peron's mistress, who left me teary-eyed after she sang "Another Suitcase in Another Hall." There's sweetness in her voice that I'm sure will touch many theater-goers as well as leave many lasting impressions. Michael Cerveris’s portrayal of Peron was perfectly understated relaying the message of how this powerful man was overshadowed by his charismatic wife.
And then of course, there was Martin. The character Che serves as a narrator of the story as well as Eva Peron's conscience of sorts. Many times Che observes the scenes from the sidelines. You would think a star such as Martin would be a distraction, but somehow he moves seamlessly along the edges when needed. And when it's time for Che to take center stage, Martin moves gracefully from observer to star. It seems the role was made for him, incorporating his talents for singing and dancing. During the number "High Flying Adored," where he sings of Eva achieving success at such a young age, Martin seemed to easily relate to the lyrics.
Martin also cleverly delivers Che's lines. He seemed to handle them with an ease that had the audience catching the sarcasm and chuckling with him.
With it being a preview, it seemed that there were a few kinks that needed to be worked out, but I'm sure nothing that the talented actors haven't already handled. As for Martin’s fans, they have all of 2012 to catch their favorite performer shining on Broadway as Che.
Rita Egan is a contributing writer to PRSUN. A freelance writer, check out Rita's columns in the Smithtown Patch at http://smithtown.patch.com/search/articles?cat=1998198867&contributor=70720. Rita’s email is rje229@gmail.com.

Evita is playing on Broadway. For more information, visit http://evitaonbroadway.com.

(Photo of Rita Egan posing in front of the poster of Ricky Martin (Che) outside the Marquis Theatre.)

'Decolonization Model for America's Last Colony: Puerto Rico'

Reading corner

Angel Collado-Schwarz will hold a reading and discussion Tuesday, April 10, of his new book "Decolonization Model for America's Last Colony: Puerto Rico," released this month and published by Syracuse University Press. You may know him as the founder and chairman of the Fundación Voz del Centro, a cultural nongovernmental organization, and producer and host of the radio program La Voz del Centro, and author of four books including Voces de la Cultura 1, 2 and 3, and Soberanías Exitosas. 

Through a series of interviews and newspaper columns, he examines six countries similar in size to Puerto Rico that have successfully navigated a course to sovereignty: Singapore, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, Estonia, and Slovenia. From the press release: "Collado-Schwarz chronicles the political history of each country, the ways in which each achieved sovereignty, and what lessons can be applied to Puerto Rico. With cogent analysis and carefully reasoned arguments, this book will reopen the national dialogue in the United States about the future of Puerto Rico."

The book event in New York City is Tuesday, April 10, 2012, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Syracuse University Lubin House, 11 East 61st Street, Manhattan.  It is open to the public.


For more info and podcasts on the Voces de Cultura books and more recent interviews on Puerto Rican and Caribbean history and culture, go to http://www.vozdelcentro.org/

The South Bronx Trail to Launch in Hunts Point

Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education and Dancing in the Streets will launch The South Bronx Culture Trail (TRAIL) with There is No Place Like Casita: Alumni & Community Celebration on April 26th at 7:00 pm at Casita Maria, located at 928 Simpson Street in the Hunts Point section of the South Bronx.  The South Bronx Culture Trail is a two-year initiative that engages artists, scholars, and community members in developing a physical and virtual trail connecting known and lesser-known sites that played a significant role in spawning the rich cultural history of the South Bronx.

There is No Place Like Casita: Alumni and Community Celebration is the event that officially launches The South Bronx Culture Trail.  It will bring together community members, Casita alumni, or “Casita Kids,” and friends of Casita Maria, Dancing in the Streets, and members of the New York community for a dance party with great music from The South Bronx Culture Trail All Stars: Dave Valentin, Orlando Marin, Angel Rodriguez, Bobby Sanabria and Dr. Willie Rodriguez, and DJ GrandWizzard Theodore. The public will be invited to share their South Bronx story at the TRAIL’s interactive maps. This event is free for everyone and it is made possible thanks to the support of The Rockefeller Foundation’s Cultural Innovation Fund - which is the major supporter of the Trail - with additional support from Con Edison.

The Honorary Chairman of There is No Place Like Casita: Alumni and Community Celebration

is Marta Rivera, a former Casita Kid who was awarded a 2011 PASEsetter Award for her efforts as Program Director at Casita Maria for over 20 years.  Through her work at Casita Maria and as a community leader, Marta Rivera has made a difference in the lives of thousands of children and youth in the South Bronx. “It is an honor to be the Chairman of There is No Place Like Casita, an event that will bring together the community through the arts and engage community members in developing The South Bronx Culture Trail”, explained Rivera.

Between April 26^th and October 2013, Casita Maria and Dancing in the Streets will gather recommendations for culturally significant sites for the Culture Trail. In 2012 the first leg of the Culture Trail will concentrate on Hunts Point and Longwood between E. 152nd St. to the south, Southern Boulevard to the east, E. 167^th St. to the north, and Prospect Avenue to the west.  There will be a significant focus on Casita Maria’s legacy in the neighborhood, and specifically on Casita Kids’contributions to the cultural legacy of the South Bronx. The TRAIL includes the gathering, documentation, and dissemination of historical research and the oral histories of the South Bronx residents. Upon TRAIL’s completion in 2013, all video, audio, photographic, and written documentation of The South Bronx Culture Trail project will be donated to public institutions, such as City Lore, The Bronx Music Heritage Center, the Bronx Historical Society, and others.

source: Casita Maria press release


NOTE: If you have a press release about news, cultural and community events that you think would be of interest to our PRSUN readers, email clarisel(at)puertoricosun.com for consideration. 

Puerto Rican Culinary Arts

Featured community event

Do you love your rice and beans? Are you passionate about your Puerto Rican food? Check out this event that puts a spotlight on Puerto Rican Culinary Arts.

“El amor entra por la cocina: Cooking and Cultural Identity amongst Puerto Rican Women Living in New York”

A multi-media presentation based on a research project about culinary traditions of the Puerto Rican Diaspora conducted by Dr. Nilsa Rodríguez-Jaca in 2010. She interviewed over twenty senior women of our community who have lived in New York City for at least two decades and recovered their stories about food consumption and sharing, and also how this has helped them to maintain a sense of community and cultural identity for over sixty years. Guests Deborah Quiñones (the Coquito Contessa) and Chef Julio Rodríguez will also share their culinary experiences. FREE

Puerto Rican Culinary Arts

Thursday, April 4^th – 6-8:00 p.m.

Hunter College, 68^th & Lexington Avenue

Centro Conference Room 1442

East Building, 14^th Floor

If you have any questions or wish to RSVP contact Evelyn Collazo at evelyn.collazo@hunter.cuny.edu or call 212-396-6545.