Awards season is not over just yet! The Talía Awards, the highest honor awarding excellence in the Performing Arts in Spanish, presented by the Academy of Performing Arts of Spain (AAEE) are back.
This year, within the 34 categories of the Talía Awards, one category will award Latino and Hispanic productions in New York: “Award for the Best Contemporary Hispanic Performing Arts Production in New York”
This year, for the second time, the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute led the Selection Committee comprised of journalists, professors, and practitioners within the field of the performing arts who provide their unique and astute perspectives in determining a winner.
The Committee is supported by honorary members who strongly support Hispanic theater in New York City: the Consulate General of New York and the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute.
This award, in addition to giving visibility to current Hispanic productions, will help foster the interest in developing future Hispanic productions in New York.
This year, the nominees are:
The Red Rose
Produced by Pregones/PRTT
The Red Rose pays tribute to Afro/Black Puerto Rican writer and activist Jesús Colón. Arriving in New York City as a stowaway youth in the winter of 1917, Colón went on to become a popular chronicler of the Puerto Rican migrant experience and one of its enduring icons. The production narrates his fateful meeting with undercover FBI agent Mildred Blauvelt, and their subsequent face-off before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1959.
What the jury says: The theatrical discourse that the director assembles is stimulating due to its fragmented occurrences and temporal jumps. Of course, the lively music composed by Desmar Guevara exudes Latin rhythms and incorporates the lyrics of both Rolón and the renowned performer Danny Rivera into the progression of the scenes.
Radojka “Si te mueres, te mato”
Produced by Repertorio Español
Gloria and Lucía are caretakers of Radojka. They’re in a dire situation upon discovering the octogenarian’s passing. This unexpected news transforms their lives, leading them to do the impossible to “keep her” alive. A contemporary comedy with all the elements to make you laugh and ponder… What would you do to keep your job?
What the jury says: A funny and somewhat improvisational comedy featuring four actors, with the three actresses (as per a brief preamble) switching roles from production to production. The excellent performance, humorous and lively dialogue, along with the clever conclusion, leads to an enjoyable theatrical experience.
Quarter Rican
Produced by Pregones/PRTT
A fast-talking new hip hop musical about the ins and outs of new parenting, mixed heritage, and what makes or breaks your child’s Latinx identity. 30-something Danny visits the local kids’ playground —super cute baby in tow— and engages in hilarious banter and park bench philosophizing with another parent. The conversation is peppered by wild asides with Daniel’s superlative and musical alter egos, MC Plátano and the Beatboxer.
What the jury says: A theatrical revelation that satisfies the most discerning musical taste due to its aesthetics, rhythms, performances, and, above all, the profound themes it addresses. Few productions achieve such a perfect symbiosis by integrating their constituent elements.
The award ceremony will take place on April 22nd at the Teatro Español in Madrid.
