The Bridgeport Caribe Youth League (BCYL), an organization focused on supporting the growth and development of disadvantaged children in Bridgeport’s Hispanic community, is presenting a performance of “La Gringa,”the longest running Off-Broadway play performed in Spanish, as a fundraising endeavor on Sept. 16 at Bridgeport’s Klein Memorial Auditorium.
Written by Carmen Rivera, “La Gringa”tells the story of a young woman born and raised in New York City who visits her extended family in Puerto Rico for the first time. Despite having defined herself as Puerto Rican, the protagonist finds herself considered a gringa (an American), which launches exploration of the themes of identity, family, and how we relate to our loved ones.
“She discovers her roots and in the process her misconceptions are transformed, and she learns that being Puerto Rican is a matter of heart and spirit,”said John Torres, BCYL’s co-founder and executive director.
Although the play is specifically about a Puerto Rican family, Torres said that the themes should appeal to people of all Hispanic heritages who live in the area. While much of the dialogue is in Spanish, Torres said that real-time translation of the dialogue will be shown on supertitle screens, enabling English-speaking viewers follow the play fully.
“This is being put on not only for the benefit of the youth but also the parents and the community at large,”Torres said. “This is really a family-oriented play, and it is great for the parents and the youngsters, many of them are born here and are now second- or third-generation Americans who have never been able to visit the island. This is a way to make a connection with the richness of our culture, our history, and the wonderful sense of family that we have.”
Torres also stressed “La Gringa”has a local resonance.
“I think the message is important because if you look at Connecticut, if you look at Fairfield County, and if you look at the United States of America, the diversity that exists from all different nationalities is just unbelievable,”Torres said. “I think when people get to witness and learn not only about their own culture, but also about others they will be more compassionate and understanding of others.”
Torres was also excited to bring the play to Bridgeport since BCYL offers arts and culture programming when possible.
“One of the things that we had to pause because of the pandemic was our theater workshop,”Torres explained. “We are going to bring the kids participating in the next theater workshop to watch the play with their families.”
While tickets for the off-Broadway production ran as much as $63 for prime seating at the storied Repertorio Español in Manhattan, the Klein presentation is only $25 per ticket, with 20% of the already discounted tickets going to one of 11 local nonprofits supporting the local Hispanic community.
