Artists Announced 6th Annual 48HOURS IN…EL BRONX

Kicking off 2025, Harlem9, partners with Pregones/PRTT for the 6th time to celebrate Bronx Healing through the poetry of NuYorican Poet’s Café Executive Director, Caridad De La Luz a.k.a. “La Bruja” on Sunday, February 23, at 6pm and 8:30pm. 

The previously announced date of Sunday, February 9, 2025 was changed due to the Super Bowl. This 2025 festival is the 1st of the year, following a 2024 season that included frequent partner Pregones/PRTT and new partner, Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge in July of 2024.  

The “48Hours in... festivals bring together six playwrights, six directors, and 18 actors. This year’s El Bronx playwrights will be charged to write a new 10-minute play inspired by the poetry of Caridad De La Luz.  

The “48Hours in...festivals bring together six playwrights, six directors, and 18 actors. 

The six playwrights are Dominic Colón (THE CORPS - Netflix), Julissa Contreras (“Vámonos” - INTAR), Antonia Cruz-Kent, Pablo Garcia Gamez, Alejandra Ramos Riera, and Justin Santory

The six directors are: Diana Chery-Ramírez, Adriana Gaviria (SOL Project), Daniel Irizarry, Fernando Vieira, Gineiris Syphertt, Gama Valle

The 18 actors are: Maria Cedeno, Cesar Cova, Ernesto Cruz-Barriga, Jorge Donoso (At The Wedding - Lincoln Center/LCT3), Wilson Hernandez, Luis Herrera, Felix Hiciano, Tiffany Iris, John Venegas Juarez, Aamira Martínez, Nicolle Marquez, Zahydé Pietri, Claudia Ramos-Jordán, Angela Reynoso, Arisael Rivera, Luis Rivera Figueroa, Thalia Romina, and Gabriela Saker

This year’s El Bronx playwrights will be charged to write a new 10-minute play inspired by the poetry of Caridad De La Cruz. 

“For this year’s festival, we draw inspiration from six of Caridad’s poems, each offering a distinct lens on themes of empowerment, perseverance, and cultural identity.” Pregones PRTT Associate Artistic Director, Jorge Merced continues, “These works reflect her dynamic voice and deep connection to the Bronx and its people. From the rhythmic introspection of ‘Me and Mic’ to the unapologetic truths of ‘W.A.P.’, each piece serves as a springboard for new and exciting theatrical expressions. Her words invite us to see the Bronx not just as a place of struggle but as a cradle of healing, where art, storytelling, and community converge.”

Other poems include: America, The Bronx, If Anybody’s Interested, The Oldest Poem.

A whirlwind 48-hours of play creation will culminate with two live performances on Sunday, February 23, 2025 at 6 PM and 8:30 PM. Participating artists will be announced soon. Tickets are available at www.pregones.org [LINK: https://bit.ly/elbronx-tix-25] . Patrons will be able to purchase tickets for $35 in advance online. Tickets will also be available at the door for $45. The performances will take place at Pregones/PRTT, located at 575 Walton Ave, Bronx, New York.

Belynda M’Baye continues as Stage Manager, and is also an Associate Producer. Harlem9 Associate Producer, Dolores Pereira will return for the 48-hour weekend.  

In 2019, the OBIE Award-Winning collective succeeded in gaining a national audience when they produced “48Hours in...™El Bronx” with Pregones / PRTT, “48Hours in...™Detroit” with Detroit Public Theatre, “48Hours in...™Dallas” with Shades of Brown Theatre, and “48Hours in...™Holy Ground” in Winston-Salem at The National Black Theatre Festival in partnership with NC Black Rep. The collective celebrated their 10th Anniversary with a digital festival in 2020 and forged a partnership with Harlem Stage and the Lortel Foundation for Consequences in 2021.

Since 2011, Harlem9 has commissioned Black playwrights to tell their stories in the annual “48Hours in...™Harlem” play festival.  For over a decade, the producers have continued to highlight and uplift writers, directors, and actors at various points in their careers, including Jocelyn Bioh (School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play, Nollywood Dreams, Russian Doll), Brandon Michael Hall (The Mayor, God Friended Me), Dominique Morisseau (Ain't Too Proud—The Life and Times of the Temptations, Skeleton Crew), Tonye Patano (Weeds), Tonya Pinkins (Madam Secretary, Gotham), Aurin Squire (Good Fight, Evil), Marcel Spears (The Neighborhood, FAT HAM) and Benja K. Thomas (Bootycandy, FAT HAM).

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