Felicitaciones LYLC Youth Theater Project!!

Felicitaciones to all the students who participated in the first ever LYLC Youth Theater Project!! They worked hard all week, meeting for intensive workshops every day after school and for several hours of dress rehearsal on Saturday before the 4p show. In only a week, these 11 students, many of whom had never acted before, created a compelling half-hour performance around the fallacy of the American Dream for communities of Color in general and for immigrant youth in particular. “The American Dream Revisited / El Sueño Norte Americano,” an original piece written and performed by the youth participants under the guidance of local & nationally renowned performance artist Jose Torres-Tama, explored issues of limited educational and professional opportunities as well as discrimination based on race, ethnicity, language ability, and documentation status faced by immigrant youth in our city and nation.

Forty diverse community members attended Saturday’s performance,  which was followed by an awards ceremony for participants and a reception. Participants in the inaugural LYLC Youth Theater Project include: Alejandro from Adams Middle, Yolanda from International High School, Grace from Esperanza Charter, Joceline from Gretna Middle, Katherine, Astrid and Marta from West Jefferson High, Alejandro from International School of LA, Noahble from Dr. MLK Charter for Science and Technology, and Noelia &  Loany from Grace King High. Congratulations, LYLC!!

Much thanks to The Jazz and Heritage Foundation and to the Amerigroup Corporation for your generous support, this project would not have been possible with out them!

All week, LYLC youth have been working hard on the first ever Latino Youth Theater Project with local performance artist Jose Torres-Tama, and THIS Saturday, April 14^th, at 4p, they’ll show off the fruits of their labor at the project’s Final Performance. The Performance will take place at the Shadowbox Theatre, located at 2400 St. Claude Ave, New Orleans 70117. Performers range in age from 12-18yrs old and hail from middle and high schools across Orleans and Jefferson Parish. They also represent countries across Central America and the Caribbean. Be sure to come out Saturday to meet these aspiring young performers and to see their wonderful show: El Sueño Norte Americano / The American Dream Revisited.

Many thanks to the folks at the Jazz & Heritage Foundation and the Amerigroup Corporation for their generous support; without them this project would not have been possible