CHASE 2010 Latino Cultural Festival Presents Carlos Varela 8/8

Queens Theatre in the Park (QTP)'s Chase 2010 Latino Cultural Festival, taking place from July 29 to August 8 at Queens Theatre in the Park, presents Carlos Varela on Friday, August 6, 2010 at 8pm. The performance takes place at the Queens Theatre in the Park, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Flushing, NY. Tickets are $30 the day of, $25 in advance, and $23 for multi-show performances. For reservations please call the Box Office at 718-760-0064 or visit www.queenstheatre.org.

This is the 14th year of the festival, which features 12 additional events, including music, dance, comedy, spoken word, film, and family-friendly performances, such as concerts by Leon Gieco, a pop-folk musician who has been called the Argentine Bob Dylan, and singer Susana Baca, who has been instrumental in the international popularity of Afro-Peruvian music.

With his powerfully captivating voice and six-man electric band, Carlos Varela will rock your socks off one minute, and break your heart the next! Often compared to Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, Varela is one of the most popular and provoking singer-songwriters in Cuba. His beautiful melodies combine traditional salsa and "cha cha cha" with international folk and pop music, and his poetic, socially-conscious lyrics have been hailed by The New York Times as "literary songwriting at its best!" A rocker and a troubadour, Carlos Valera is an artist of serious political vision and extraordinary musical gifts! Appropriate for ages 15 and up.

The complete Queens Theatre in the Park's Chase 2010 Latino Cultural Festival schedule:
Thursday, July 29, 2010 - Contra Tiempo, Urban Latin Dance Theatre
Friday, July 30, 2010 - YOMO TORO Y Los Latino Del Son, Special Guest "El Topo",Music
Saturday, July 31, 2010 - FREE - Pistolera - Moona Luna, Music
Sunday, August 1, 2010 - Tango y Vida, Music and Dance
Tuesday, August 3, 2010 - Alejandro Caceres Dance Company
Wednesday, August 4, 2010 - FREE - Film - Al otro lado
Wednesday, August 4, 2010 - FREE - Open Mic Night / Bonafide Rojas
Wednesday, August 4, 2010 - FREE - Milonga - Los Chantas Tango Quartet
Thursday, August 5, 2010 - Leon Gieco - opening act Claudia Acuña, Aquiles Baez and Lucia Pulido
Friday, August 6, 2010 - Carlos Varela, Music
Saturday, August 7, 2010 - Jorge Velosa and Los Carrangueros, Music
Sunday, August 8, 2010 - Susana Baca, Music

"The Chase Latino Festival is the Theatre's signature program. It represents everything our Theatre strives to be in terms of reflecting and celebrating the cultural legacies of the communities living in our Borough, and inviting international, national and local artists to showcase their work at our venue. Despite the severity of the economic situation, this Festival continues to flourish, due in large part to its many supporters and sponsors, and of course, the curatorial vision of the Festival's artistic director, Claudia Norman, who has brought over 200 companies and artists to perform at the Festival since its inception in 1997," said Jeffrey Rosenstock, Executive Director of Queens Theatre in the Park.

"As the only multidisciplinary Latino festival in New York, we always seek to represent - in 9 days- the diversity of Latino and Latin American culture. I think it's important to bring artists to the US from abroad as well as local artists and expose audiences to past, present and future through live performances. This year's schedule includes the contemporary voices (dance commission, young poets from the boroughs, film), the traditional and popular forms (tango, milonga, urban dance, comedy troup), the legends (Yomo Toro, Leon Gieco, Susana Baca, Jorge Velosa) , and the new generation of singers and songwriters (Carlos Varela, Pistolera, Lucia Pulido, Claudia Acuña, Aquiles Baez)," said Claudia Norman, Artistic Director of the festival.

In 1997, Queens Theatre in the Park founded the Latino Cultural Festival with the Latin America Cultural Center of Queens to celebrate the contributions of Latin American artists to New York's cultural life. Queens Theatre saw that a rising number of Latinos were calling Queens home and adopted an artistic vision that was at once local and global. Through the Festival's performing arts programs, Queens Theatre could better serve the changing community with artistic programs that were relevant and could resonate throughout the community.

Under the leadership of Claudia Norman, Festival Artistic Director since 1999, QTP highlights Spanish, African and Caribbean influences, presents rich folk traditions, and spotlights a range of popular and cutting edge artists. By amplifying new voices and showcasing classic heritage, she has transformed a modest cabaret series into the nation's largest and most important Latino multi-disciplinary cultural festival, featuring music, theatre, dance, film and family productions, as well as visual art exhibitions. Many of the participating Central and South American artists now make the Festival their exclusive NYC engagement. This once local effort to better serve Latino audiences has become a major cultural attraction in the northeast.

The Festival is sponsored by JP Morgan Chase, Time Warner Cable, Con Edison and DELTA.

Tickets are available:
* Online at www.queenstheatre.org.
* By phone at 718-760-0064, Tue-Sat, 120in.
* In person at Queens Theatre in the Park, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Flushing, NY.

Queens Theatre in the Park is located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Flushing, NY.
By Subway: Take the 7 train to Mets-Willets Point stop. Exit and turn left after passing through turnstile, walk downstairs on the parking lot side and follow the theatre shuttle signs. Take free trolley to the Theatre. Trolley runs for one hour before and after all performances.
By Car: Take the Grand Central Parkway to exit 9E (from Manhattan) or 9P (from Long Island) and follow the signs for the Theatre. Free parking in adjacent lot.

About Queens Theatre in the Park
Queens Theatre in the Park is committed to presenting performing arts that provide audiences with the highest quality work. QTP also produces new plays, with a concentration on up-and-coming directors and playwrights. QTP has broadened the experience of its core audience to include works by under-recognized artists from around the world and works that tap into the diverse communities of Queens.

Queens Theatre in the Park is located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the New York State Pavilion designed for the 1964 World's Fair by Philip Johnson. The Pavilion was converted to a theatre in 1972 and was operated by various organizations until 1985. QTP was officially established in 1989 with the full support of the community and the Queens Borough President. After a $4 million renovation that brought full ADA compliance, the Theatre officially opened to the public in 1993 in a facility that allows it to stage productions equal to those of any Off-Broadway house in Manhattan in its 464-seat main stage theatre and its 99-seat Studio Theatre. What was then a small cabaret-style theater with an operating budget of under $500,000 has transformed itself into a major performing arts center with exhibition galleries with a projected operating budget of $3.5 million for FY10.

QTP became an independent nonprofit in 1997. It is a member of the Cultural Institutions Group receiving support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. The Theatre presents and produces 300 performances annually. QTP serves 100,000 people annually who reflect the rich demographics of its community population. Currently 75% of the Theatre's constituency is from Queens. In addition to its own season, QTP frequently provides its space for use by community arts organizations and local promoters.

QTP is soon to complete a $23 million physical transformation of the Theatre with funding provided by Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, The Council of the City of New York and the Mayor. This major capitalinvestment has added a 75-seat cabaret performance space with a full service cafe and kitchen facility; created a dramatic new 3,000 square foot lobby/reception area; provided new visitor amenities and improved the facility's accessibility. These improvements will transform Queens Theatre in the Park into a destination for the residents of the Borough and beyond.

Queens Theatre in the Park events are made possible with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Chase Latino Cultural Festival is sponsored by Chase, Delta Air Lines (the official air line of Queens Theatre in the Park) and Con Edison. Media Sponsors of the Latino Cultural Festival are Time Warner Cable of New York City, The New York Times, El Diario and Telemundo.

Funding for the Chase Latino Cultural Festival 2010 has been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, The New York State Council on the Arts, and The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Additional funding has also been provided by Bloomberg, Harkness Foundation, Jerome Robbins Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, The New York Community Trust / Lila Acheson Wallace Fund for the Arts, RBC Wealth Management, The Shubert Foundation and the Arts & Business Council of New York.

For more information, visit www.queenstheatre.org.