Stories of Our Ancestors • Historias de Nuestros Antepasados: Theatrical Monologues

FAIN: GA-274024-20

Rhode Island Latino Arts (Providence, RI 02907-1353)
Marta V. Martinez (Project Director: May 2020 to October 2021)
Marta V. Martinez (Project Director: October 2021 to present)

A series of community conversations and archival story collection with members of the Latino community in Rhode Island.

Nuestras Raices @Rhode Island Latino Arts (RILA) has been collecting the community history by organizing a series of community conversations (pláticas, or the Spanish word for “to talk or chat”) with members of the Latino community in Rhode Island. With a Challenge grant from the NEH, we were able to purchase equipment that allowed us to scan documents, film/record stories and then file them in our archives. During this phase, we are seeking funds to continue our very successful community pláticas and story collection. These stories will become source material for the creation of a series of dramatic readings/monologues based on the transcripts of the pláticas. In partnership with Trinity Repertory Company, the monologue/stories will be presented during our 6th season of Teatro en El Verano, in the summer of 2021. Additionally, the oral histories may become a full play and added to Trinity Rep's season calendar on a date to be determined in 2022.