Latino Theatre Initiatives began in December 2009 as an effort to increase the presence of Latino Theatre at UTPA and in the surrounding region. Our goal is to celebrate and make use of the bilingual and bicultural knowledge that many UTPA students and local communities possess; to create theatre that challenges participants to grow and mature as artists, while producing the kind of work that is i
n urgent demand locally, regionally, and nationally. Past projects include Spanish-language children’s plays which have toured to elementary schools, public libraries, colleges, an arts festival and a history museum; over the past fifteen months, these plays have reached over two thousand children! And over thirty actors, musicians, designers and other staff and crew members have participated! A critically-acclaimed, award-winning documentary on the lives of children along the U.S. – Mexico border was also produced by some LTI members and associated artists; it has been performed in New Orleans (November, 2010), Chicago and Evanston, IL, at Northwestern University (July, 2011), and at the famous Living Theatre in New York City (August, 2011); this play has prevailed in competition at national and international festivals and has developed a small, national following.
