Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre

The Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre (PRTT) was founded in 1967 following the highly successful run of the English-language production of THE OXCART, René Marqués' classic drama of Puerto Rican migration. The play was directed by acclaimed director Lloyd Richards and starred Miriam Colón Valle, the late Raúl Juliá, and Lucy Boscana. Realizing that such a professional production was not accessible to most of the families from economically disadvantaged communities, Ms. Colón Valle, the PRTT's Founder and Artistic Director, made the decision to present the play free of charge in New York City streets with funding secured from then Mayor John Lindsay. This initial summer production helped launch the Spanish bilingual theater movement and led to the creation of a major cultural legacy for the State of New York and the U.S. Many Latino theaters exist in cities across the nation today inspired by the pioneering efforts of the PRTT.

The PRTT's lasting impact is felt in 39 years of continued theater programming and audience development, including the introduction of new and significant Hispanic voices to the professional theater mainstream; a unique, culturally diverse model for playwright development and enrichment; cultivation of an awareness of the theater as a viable career for economically disadvantaged youths; and year-round Spanish and English language offerings through the company's four flagship programs:

Mainstage
Summer Tour
Raúl Juliá Training Unit
Playwrights Uni

An American Parody! Now at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater in collaboration with the creators of Forbidden Broadway.