The People's Theatre, with a focus on immigrant stories, opens in Inwood
A new performing arts venue with a focus on immigrant stories is open in Upper Manhattan.
The People's Theatre now has its first permanent home in more than 15 years, thanks to help from theater legends from the neighborhood, like Lin-Manuel Miranda.
The People's Theatre, formerly The People's Theatre Project, welcomed New Yorkers Tuesday into a 19,000 square-foot space in Inwood. Inside, New Yorkers will find two theaters, studios, and rehearsal space for dance, theatre, and music.
It's all part of The People's Theatre: Centro Cultural Inmigrante. Construction began on the project in 2023, but the organization has been teaching and performing the arts across New York City since 2009, especially in Inwood and Washington Heights.
One theater in the venue is named after Miranda's late uncle Ernesto Concepción Senior, whom Miranda calls a "prolific actor and producer." He was also the founder of the Actors Guild in Puerto Rico. His nephew would go on to produce boundary-breaking plays like the box office smash historical rap-a-long "Hamilton" and "In The Heights," which follows a tightknit Hispanic and Latino community.
"Just like theater, it took many to collaborate to get to today's happy moment, a home where artists and audiences can come together in community to tell their stories, share them across generations, and ensure that the immigrant experience remains a key part of the city's cultural storybook," Miranda said.
The People's Theatre was first founded by Mino Lora with her husband and fellow theatre artist Bob Braswell, who said they hope a physical space is a testament to future generations that immigrants and their stories belong in New York City.
Lora immigrated to New York City from the Dominican Republic in the early 2000s.
"It's saying we belong no matter what you say, what you believe, how you see us. We know who we are. We are proud of who we are," Lora said.
Its first show, a bilingual story called Guac about a father grappling with loss, will open Sept. 25.
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