Sol Project Announces Second Annual SolFest: A Latinx Theater Festival

The Sol Project, the national theater initiative dedicated to amplifying Latinx voices and building a body of work for the new American theater, is proud to announce dates for the second annual SolFest: A Latinx Theater Festival, produced in partnership with Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater (Pregones/PRTT). The festival will run from June 17 - 19 at PRTT (304 West 47th Street, New York, NY 10036).

"We are grateful to partner once again with the venerable Pregones/PRTT for our second year of SolFest," stated Adriana Gaviria, Producer of SolFestand founding member of The Sol Project. "This year's festival promises dynamic work that responds directly to events of our time. Our gifted playwrights have crafted stories that elevate the Latinx experience through pivotal decades and call into question identity, love, gender and the nature of evolution itself."

SolFest will feature new work by three Latinx playwrights: The Mother of Henry by Evelina Fernández directed by José Luis Valenzuela on Monday, June 17; Franklin Ave by Darrel Alejandro Holnes directed by Melissa Crespo on Tuesday, June 18; and The Wild Inside by Cusi Cram directed byAdriana Gaviria on Wednesday, June 19. Presentations on Monday and Tuesday will begin at 7pm with a pre-show mixer followed by the reading at 7:30pm. The Presentations on Wednesday will begin at 7pm with a 30-minute special musical performance followed by the reading. Writers will receive 15-20 hours of rehearsal, culminating in a public sharing of their work each evening. Unlike traditional new work festivals, writers will choose up to 90 minutes of material to share at the end of their process. Each night will include a celebration and toast to each writer.

The festival will also include a special musical theater performance from Pregones/PRTT's forthcoming ensemble production La Guaracha, adapted byRosalba Rolón from the classic Puerto Rican novel La guaracha del Macho Camacho by Luis Rafael Sánchez, on Wednesday, June 19 at 7pm.

Rosalba Rolón, Artistic Director of Pregones/PRTT and member of The Sol Project's Honorary Board stated, "Opening the doors of our late Miriam Colón's venerable Off-Broadway theater to fellow artists from around the nation is beyond thrilling! We look forward to a week of focused creative energy, congratulate this year's deserving SolFest featured playwrights, and take pride in joining with our acting and music ensemble on closing night!"

Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater (Pregones/PRTT) is a multigenerational performing ensemble, multidiscipline arts presenter, and owner/steward of bilingual arts facilities in The Bronx and Manhattan. Our mission is to champion a Puerto Rican/Latinx cultural legacy of universal value through creation and performance of original plays and musicals, exchange and partnership with other artists of merit, and engagement of diverse audiences. Pregones was founded in 1979 when a group of artists led by Rosalba Rolón set out to create and tour new works in the style of Caribbean and Latin American colectivos or performing ensembles. Established as a Bronx resident company five years later, Pregones remains in the vanguard of an arts renaissance radiating throughout and beyond The Bronx today. Spurred by stage and film icon Miriam Colón, PRTT was founded in 1967 as one of the first bilingual theater companies in all the U.S. It is credited for nurturing the development of hundreds of Latinx theater artists, legitimating creative connections throughout the Spanish-speaking world, and pioneering models for genuine and lasting community engagement. Following merger in 2014, our New York season plays a decisive role in empowering underrepresented artists and audiences to claim a place at the front of the American theater. Rosalba Rolón, Artistic Director. Alvan Colón Lespier and Jorge B. Merced, Associate Artistic Directors. www.pregonesprtt.org

The Sol Project is a national theater initiative dedicated to producing the work of Latinx playwrights in New York City and beyond. Founded by Artistic Director, Jacob G. Padrón and driven by an artistic collective, The Sol Project works in partnership with leading theaters around the country to amplify Latinx voices and build artistic homes for artists of color. Through the writers we champion, Sol aspires to create a bold, powerful, and kaleidoscopic body of work for the new American theater. The Sol Project launched with the world premiere of Alligator by Hilary Bettis in collaboration with New Georges, followed by the New York premieres of Seven Spots on the Sun by Martín Zimmerman (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater) and Oedipus El Rey by Luis Alfaro (The Public Theater). Last fall, The Sol Project partnered with Yale Repertory Theatre to produce the world premiere of El Huracán by Charise Castro Smith. The artistic collective is: Claudia Acosta, Adriana Gaviria, Rebecca Martinez, David Mendizábal, Julian Ramirez, Joey Reyes, and Laurie Woolery. Brian Herrera is the Resident Scholar. Stephanie Ybarra is the Resident Dramaturg. Our partners include: Atlantic Theater Company, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Cara Mía Theatre Company, LAByrinth Theater Company, MCC Theater, New Georges, New York Theatre Workshop, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Playwrights Horizons, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, The Playwrights Realm, The Public Theater, WP Theater and Yale Repertory Theatre. www.solproject.org

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