Thalia’s mission is to celebrate and promote the vibrancy and diversity of Hispanic/Latinx culture and heritage with unique productions of theatre, music and dance.
Thalia’s artistic journey has paralleled the growth of the Hispanic community in New York, especially in Queens. Established in Sunnyside, Queens in 1977 by actress and director Silvia Brito, Thalia Spanish Theatre was founded to serve the cultural needs of the borough’s diverse and rapidly growing Hispanic population, which now numbers nearly one million from every Spanish-speaking nation in the world.
Initially, Thalia was dedicated to preserving and promoting zarzuela, a unique form of Spanish musical theatre that combines operatic singing with dialogue. The popularity and success of their zarzuela presentations were so great that by 1985, Thalia began producing its own zarzuelas. The response was overwhelming, leading Thalia to make zarzuela a permanent feature of their annual season. EL DIARIO/LA PRENSA aptly named Thalia “the cathedral of zarzuela in our community.”
In 1994, Thalia faced challenges as city, state, and federal grants began to shrink due to relentless government budget cuts. It became clear that diversifying its programming was necessary for Thalia’s continued growth and viability. Instead of focusing solely on plays, musicals, comedies, and folklore shows from Spain, Thalia expanded its repertoire to include programs tailored to reach all the Latin American groups, reflecting the diverse heritage of Queens’ Hispanic community.
In 2000, the theatre transitioned from founder Silvia Brito to her successor Angel Gil Orrios, a Spanish director, producer, writer, and designer with an extensive career that includes work with the National Theater in Spain, the National Theatre Company of Guatemala, Lincoln Center, the Cultural Center of Spain, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Madison Square Garden, and other renowned venues. He has directed, produced, and designed hundreds of productions in theater, dance, music, opera, and other performing arts. Known for his concept of the “total theatre experience” – a fusion of text, music, dance, and visual arts – he brings the stage to life in a dynamic way.
In his first year as Artistic Director, Orrios drew on his rich and accomplished history to premiere musicals with bilingual casts, offering alternating performances in Spanish and English. Thalia has also commissioned high-quality English-language translations to attract students, educators, and audiences of diverse backgrounds. Thalia’s bilingual productions now reach and engage non-Hispanic audiences as well.
Programs
Today, Thalia Spanish Theatre is committed to creating programming that offers opportunities for Hispanic artists, is relevant to its community, and brings diverse audiences together. Thalia’s seasons feature a variety of original productions: Bilingual World Premieres and American Premieres of plays by emerging and established Spanish, Latin American, and Hispanic/Latinx authors, performed on alternate days in English and Spanish; original Hispanic/Latinx dance musicals; and Folklore Shows featuring music and dance from Latin America and Spain. Every June, the theatre presents the THALIA FREE OUTDOORS FESTIVAL, offering free concerts in Sunnyside’s local park. Thalia Spanish Theatre also provides low-cost bilingual Theatre/Movement/Dance Workshops for children, acting/producing workshops for adults, and bilingual Hispanic/Latinx Dance workshops for youth, beginners, and seniors.
Each year, Thalia presents approximately 90 performances to an audience of over 6,000 at the theatre, and another 1,000 through touring productions. Since its inception, Thalia has produced more than 245 plays, musicals, zarzuelas, and Folklore Shows, winning 249 Awards for Artistic Excellence. These awards include the Mayor’s Award for Arts and Culture, the New York State Governor’s Arts Award, Encore Awards from the Arts and Business Council, a Latin Grammy, multiple ACE Awards (Association of Critics of Entertainment) — the equivalent of a Latin Tony — HOLA Awards (Association of Latin Actors), LATA Awards (Latin Alternative Theater Awards), and ATI Awards (Artistas de Teatro Independiente).
Internationally, in Madrid in November 2022, Thalia’s Artistic Director Angel Gil Orrios received the 2022 Gold Medal from the Academia de Artes Escénicas de España, awarded to the Alliance of Teatros Latinos NY, led by Thalia Spanish Theatre and eight other Hispanic theaters. On March 27, 2023, International Theater Day, Thalia Spanish Theatre’s Bilingual World Premiere of “Life Lessons/Lecciones de Vida” by Eduardo Galán, produced and directed by Angel Gil Orrios, received the first International 2023 Talia Award from the Academy of Performing Arts of Spain for the “Best Production of Performing Arts in NY by a Contemporary Hispanic/Latinx Author.
