ARTS FOR YOUTH.
Paso Nuevo is GALA's free, year-round program offered to students between the ages of 14 and 19 during Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. This is a bilingual, inclusive theatre education program incorporating acting training, playwrighting, and mentorship. Students can earn community service hours, receive performance stipends, go on field trips, and train for future employment and leadership opportunities.
Paso Nuevo offers singing, acting, stage makeup, music and guitar, podcast production, web series production, and much more!
Participating students have had the opportunity to perform at The Kennedy Center, Shakespeare Theatre Company, The DREAM Project, and The White House.
To register for the Winter/Spring 2022 Paso Nuevo cohort, click here.
For more information, email pasonuevo@galatheatre.org and follow Paso Nuevo on Instagram: @pasonuevotheatre
PASO NUEVO PRESENTS:
RISKS OF AN IMMIGRANT WOMAN
On Friday, December 17, 2021, Paso Nuevo presented their original show for the Fall 2021 cohort, Risks of an Immigrant Woman. Directed by Francisca Tapia and presented in Spanish with some English, this play is about a teenager who dreams of becoming an actor, but the profession is closed and forbidden for women in her home country. Determined, Dani emigrates to the US, where she is also barred from the industry and endures seemingly endless abuse from men... Taking her fate into her own hands, Dani will dress as a man and pursue her dreams.
This show is appropriate for ages 12 and up.
Listen to the Soundtrack here!
LOS PAPELEROS
On Thursday, August 5, 2021, Paso Nuevo presented Los papeleros by Isidora Aguirre, which explores power, exploitation, inequality, and violence against women. This musical production, presented in Spanish and English, was the final work of the Summer 2021 cohort.
Enjoy!
A STAGED READING
Curious about the impact that the pandemic has had on our Paso Nuevo youth? We share with you the live staged reading in Spanish of two plays by Paso Nuevo students that was presented live at GALA on Friday, May 21, 2021. The plays "Un sueño nunca encontrado" (A Forever Lost Dream) and "El violista maldito" (The Damned Violinist) were written in the early days of the pandemic and explore issues of mental health the youth battle every day.
CREATIVIDAD LATINX
NEW EPISODE COMING SOON!
This special episode, LOVE CANNOT BE FOUND, 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. Stay tuned for the announcement about the release!
Overcoming the challenges of social distancing in COVID-19 times, Paso Nuevo students worked in a hybrid format to create Creatividad Latinx, a series of podcasts in Spanish.
In the first season of Creatividad Latinx, Paso Nuevo students provide stark and refreshingly candid portraits of their lives, cultures, families, cultures, and migration to the U.S. El Violinista Maldito (The Cursed Violinist), an original play is presented in segments throughout the season.
In season 2, Paso Nuevo shares a compilation of original works, including poetry, a play written by the students, and a very special episode about climate change and what we can do as a community to combat the issue (sponsored by Pepco-Exelon).
Listen on Soundcloud, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts now!
EXPLORA DC
In a hybrid format, Paso Nuevo student-artists write, produce, and direct a series of videos to welcome Spanish-speaking recent arrivals to the D.C. area.
