WHO WE ARE.
MISSION & HISTORY.
GALA (Grupo de Artistas LatinoAmericanos) Hispanic Theatre is a National Center for Latino Performing Arts in the nation's capital. Since 1976, GALA has been promoting and sharing the Latino arts and cultures with a diverse audience, creating work that speaks to communities today, and preserving 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 the Latino artist, educates youth, and engages the entire community in an exchange of ideas and perspectives.
Enjoy this video about who Hugo Medrano was as a spouse, a father, and an artist who contributed to the uplifting of Latino communities locally, nationally, and internationally throughout his life.
Argentine-born Hugo Medrano, who came to Washington after spending five years directing and acting in Spain, was working for Teatro Doble, a bilingual children’s theater, where he met Rebecca Read, a dancer. Teatro Doble was Washington’s only theater catering to a Spanish-speaking audience, and Hugo saw a great need for a legitimate Spanish-speaking theater to fill this cultural void.
With GALA's very first play, La Fiaca by Argentine Ricardo Talesnik, Hugo and company confirmed what they already suspected: Washington was ripe and ready for a Hispanic theater.
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GALA Hispanic Theatre moved into the historic Tivoli square in 2005 and has maintained Hispanic and Latino/a/x culture in the heart of Columbia Heights.
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Hugo Medrano passed on May 22, 2023 at age 80. He was the longest-serving Producing Artistic Director in the Washington, DC area with 47 years of serving at GALA Theatre. His legacy will live on.
To learn more about GALA's history, click here.
Read our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Statement here.
For GALA's production history, click here.
Learn more about the Abel López Leadership Award in Latino Arts here.
STAFF.
Click here to read GALA staff bios.
Hugo Medrano
Co-Founder
Delbis Cardona
Artistic Associate
PASO NUEVO
TEACHING ARTISTS.
Gabriel Mata | Iván G. Navas | Chris Ríos | Melissa Strova
BOARD OF
DIRECTORS.
ADVISORY
BOARD.
Cristina King Miranda | Chair | ViAjolote Travel & Cultural Experiences/Independent cultural consultant and producer
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James Patrick Kiernan | Vice Chair | Organization of American States (retired)
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Jason León | Treasurer | Diversified Search
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Janet López | Secretary | M&T Bank
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Mario Acosta-Vélez | Verizon
John Fitzgerald-López
Teri Gálvez | Paradigm Event Management
Guillermo García | Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management
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Sonia Gutiérrez | Community Capital/Former CEO-Founder of Carlos Rosario International Charter Public School
Juan Jara | City National Bank
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Syddia Lee-Chee Murillo | Energetica Group, LLC
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Abel López | ex-officio | GALA's Associate Producing Director
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Angela Manso | Independent Consultant
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Juan Gabriel Medrano | Giant Pharmacy
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In Memoriam: Hugo Medrano | ex-officio | GALA's former Producing Artistic Director
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Cecilia Mencia | Founder & Editor in Chief, DC Trending Magazine
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Art Moran | Nextstar Media
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Gustavo Ott | ex-officio | GALA's Artistic Director
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Rebecca Read Medrano | ex-officio | GALA's Executive Director
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Dr. Barbara Tenenbaum | Library of Congress (retired)
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Tracy Wood | KWDB FM 101, Oak Harbor WA
Joseph Eldridge | American University (retired)
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Janet Farrell | M&T Bank
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Miryam Gerdine | Health and Human Services
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Peter Hakim | Inter-American Dialogue, Chair Emeritus
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Joseph Horning III | Horning Brothers
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Dorothy P. McSweeny | DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities
(Chair Emeritus)
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Héctor Torres and Jay Haddock | Capital Hotels & Suites (retired partners)
LITERARY ADVISORY BOARD.
Nilo Cruz | Playwright & Director, Miami, FL
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Luis Salgado | R.Evolución Latina, Director & Choreographer, New York, NY
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Stephanie van Reigersberg | U.S. State Department (retired)
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José Zayas | Director, NYC
AWARDS.
GALA has been recognized for its contributions to the Hispanic arts at the local, national, and international levels. Most recent awards include:
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2025 Helen Hayes Awards, HELEN category
Outstanding Lighting Design – Hailey LaRoe - The Palacios Sisters
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2024 Victor Shargai Leadership Award
Awarded by Theatre Washington to GALA's Executive Director Rebecca Medrano for her outstanding service and creative leadership towards the strengthening of the Washington, DC-area theatre community.
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2023 Resiliency Award
Awarded to GALA Hispanic Theatre by Washington Business Journal.
2023 Helen Hayes Awards, HELEN category
Outstanding Production in a Musical – GALA Hispanic Theatre - On Your Feet!
Outstanding Direction in a Musical – Luis Salgado - On Your Feet!
Outstanding Choreography in a Musical – Luis Salgado - On Your Feet!
Outstanding Musical Direction – Walter "Bobby" McCoy - On Your Feet!
Outstanding Costume Design – Jeannette Christensen - On Your Feet!
Outstanding Lighting Design – Christopher Annas-Lee - On Your Feet!
Outstanding Media/Projections Design – Patrick Lord - On Your Feet!
Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Musical – Fran Tapia - On Your Feet!
Outstanding Lead Performer in a Musical – Gaby Albo - On Your Feet!
Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Play – Evelyn Rosario Vega - La casa de la laguna (The House on the Lagoon)
Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical – GALA Hispanic Theatre - Revoltosa (The Troublemaker)
For a full list of awards, click here.