Paso Nuevo, GALA’s Youth Program, is proud to present live Los riesgos de una mujer inmigrante (The Risks of an Immigrant Woman), an original play with music written, performed, and
produced by Paso Nuevo students on Friday, December 17, 2021 at 8 pm at the GALA Hispanic Theatre, 333314th Street NW, Washington DC. Los riesgos de una mujer inmigrante is performed in Spanish with some English. Admission is free, but patrons must follow our COVID safety practices listed below. Additionally, the students have prepared a special episode for their podcast series Creatividad Latinx – El amor no se encuentra (Love Cannot Be Found). This new episode in Spanish will also premiere on December 17 as part of the final works created by Paso Nuevo for the Fall session and will be available on Spotify, Soundcloud, and Apple Podcasts.

In the play Los riesgos de una mujer inmigrante, Dani dreams of becoming an actress, but the profession is forbidden for women in her home country. Determined, she emigrates to the United States, where she is also barred from the industry. After enduring seemingly endless abuse from men, Dani takes her fate into her own hands once again and decides to dress as a man in order to pursue her dreams. The podcast El amor no se encuentra follows a young man named Edwin who lives a lonely life. Unloved by everyone, including his own family, the loneliness takes a devastating toll on his mental health. When he meets a special girl, his life is changed forever as he finally learns what it means to love and trust another person.

Guided by their teaching artists during the Fall session, Paso Nuevo students learned creative writing, acting, physical theater, movement, instruments, singing, makeup, light and sound design, and music composition and lyrical writing. All of this knowledge has poured into the two new pieces that speak about the students’ past, present, and future through their own desires, dreams, and self-discovery.

“This Fall’s works are priceless,” states Paso Nuevo Program Director Francisca Tapia, “because they offer us not one, but two new stories entirely created by youth — from the script to the lyrics. Both pieces are a reflection of the students’ imagination, memories, and perceptions about what our society needs today.”

Paso Nuevo is made possible with generous support from the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs, the Inter-American Development Bank, International Monetary Fund, Rotary Club of Washington DC, OST Learn 24, the Nora Roberts Foundation, and Wells Fargo.

ABOUT PASO NUEVO
The Paso Nuevo Youth Program is GALA’s free, year-round program offered to students between the ages of 14 and 19 that involves the teaching of all aspects of the theatrical process, from conception to technical direction and marketing. This bilingual, inclusive theater education program provides a safe environment in which youth can explore issues of identity and cultural differences, articulate their values, increase self-esteem, and gain skills that will enhance their academic performance and future career opportunities.

COVID-19 SAFETY PRACTICES
All patrons are required to wear a mask at all times. Audience members ages 12 and up must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test (taken within 96 hours prior to showtime) to be admitted to the theatre.