Washington, DC - GALA proudly concludes its 42nd season with the DC premiere of Dancing In My Cockroach Killers, a bilingual musical with texts by award-winning Magdalena Gómez, music by Desmar Guevara, and conceived and directed by Rosalba Rolón. A co-production by GALA Theatre and Pregones Theater/PRTT of New York, Dancing In My Cockroach Killers will run June 7 through July 1, 2018 at GALA Theatre, 3333 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20010. Parking is available at a discounted rate in the Giant garage on Park Road, NW.

 Dancing In My Cockroach Killers is an explosive mix of texts and music that delivers the full range of Gómez’s rhythmic realism, boundless hope, and rollicking humor. Facing real life challenges with courage and flair, her characters are inspired by family, friends, and Latino icons as varied as Lolita Lebrón, Joe Cuba, and Iris Chacón.  From its no-nonsense Why I Lost the Popularity Contest, to the heart stopping Fuego en la cocina, to the funny and rousing Madre de bomba, Dancing In My Cockroach Killers will have you dancing and finger-snapping in self-recognition.

 Dancing In My Cockroach Killers will be performed in English and Spanish, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm. The Noche de GALA and Press Night is Saturday, June 9, 2018 at 8 pm, This production is made possible in part with generous support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT/POET 

 Magdalena Gómez is a playwright, poet, essayist, and co-founder and Artistic Director of Teatro V!da in Springfield, MA. Her most recent play, ERASED: a poetic imagining of the life of Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, is a finalist (as of this writing) in the national Latinx Theater Commons competition, and Perfectamente Loca/Perfectly Insane was a winner in 2015. Ms. Gómez’s poetry collection, Shameless Woman, was published in 2014 by Red Sugarcane Press, NYC, and is included in Latin@ studies syllabi throughout the U.S. Her poems, essays and plays have also been published by the Massachusetts Review; University of Illinois Press; Callaloo; Los Angeles Times; Ollantay Theater Journal; and Skyhorse Publishing, among many others. She received a 2018 New England Public Radio’s Arts and Humanity Award, and in 2010 was named a National Endowment for the Arts Master Artist by Pregones/PRTT, where she has been a  collaborator ever since.   ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

 Rosalba Rolón (Director) is Artistic Director of Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, with venues in The Bronx and in Manhattan’s Broadway District. She is an actor, director and dramaturg specializing in adaptations through ensemble work for musical theater and plays. Some of her work includes Dancing In My Cockroach Killers and Harlem Hellfigthers On A Latin Beat. Collaborations include Betsy! with Appalshop’s Roadside Theater/KY and Brides-with theaters in Belgium and the Slovak Republic. She is an appointed member to the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Citizens Committee for NYC Cultural Plan; a United States Artists Fellow; and is a faculty member of the Leadership Institutes of the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) and the Association of Performing Arts Professionals.  She serves on the boards of directors of NALAC and United States Artists. 

 Featured in the stellar ensemble are Christin Eve Cato, Yaremis Félix, Caridad De La Luz, Jesus E. Martínez, Omar Pérez, and Krystal Pou, and musicians Nicky Laboy on percussion and David Lowe on bass. 

 Desmar Guevara is composer, musical director, and will be on keyboard. Lighting design is by resident designer Christopher Annas-Lee, who designed En el tiempo de las mariposas and Don Juan Tenorio, received a 2016 and 2018 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lighting Design for Yerma and In The Heights en Español, and is a 2017-2018 Princess Grace Award winner. Costumes are by Harry Nadal, who designed for GALA’s DC-7: The Roberto Clemente Story and Choreography is by Paulete Beauchamp. Ártemis López is Stage Manager. Production Manager is Lena Salins, and Devin Mahoney is Technical Director. Hugo Medrano is Producer.

ABOUT GALA AND PREGONES/PRTT

GALA (Grupo de Artistas LatinoAmericanos) Hispanic Theatre is a national center for Latino performing arts in the nation’s capital. Since 1976 GALA has promoted and shared the Latino arts and cultures with a diverse audience, created work that speaks to community today, and preserved the rich Hispanic heritage for generations that follow.  By developing and producing works that explore the breadth of Latino performing arts, GALA provides opportunities for Latino artists, educates youth, and engages the entire community in an exchange of ideas and perspectives.

 Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater (PRTT) is an award-winning acting and music ensemble, multi-disciplinary arts presenter, and owner/steward of bilingual arts facilities in the Bronx and Manhattan. The company champions a 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. The PRTT season offers extraordinary opportunities for arts access and participation to New York City residents and visitors alike. pregonesprtt.org 

 TICKET INFORMATION

 Regular tickets are $45 on Thursdays through Sundays. Tickets for students, military, seniors (65+), and 30 and Under are $30. Additional discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. To purchase tickets, call 202-234-7174 or visit www.galatheatre.org.

FOR TICKETS: Call (202) 234-7174, or visit www.galatheatre.org