GALA Theatre to Launch 51st Season With Political and Community-Driven Programming
Artistic Director Gustavo Ott leads the Spanish-language company's upcoming Washington, D.C. season.
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Gustavo Ott, GALA Hispanic Theatre's Artistic Director, has announced the theatre's 51st season, which 'reflects the anxieties swirling around us, a solid artistic, theatrical, and literary offering, but also a political and influential one, conceived from within our community during one of the most defining moments for the Spanish language in this country.'
'We'll journey from the power of art to save the world in Garbo to Eva Luna confronting the fears of her age and era. From the legend of Pancho Villa and the value of memory in battle, to fortitude in the face of adversity in No One Writes To The Colonel. We will retell The Odyssey from a classroom in Takoma Park and return to the Columbia Heights Botiquín/Bar, this time with mariachi music and stories rooted in our community, from the 1991 uprising in Mount Pleasant to the resistance of our neighbors in DC against the barbarity of ICE,' assures Artistic Director Ott. 'GALA's season, in the face of despair, offers hope in the best of our culture, drawing themes from contemporary life and infusing them with the idea that, deep down, this is nothing more than the beginning of a new beginning.'
Garbo: El actor que salvó al mundo (Garbo: The Actor Who Saved The World) - MAINSTAGE
By Gustavo Ott (Venezuela)
Directed by Carlos Celdrán
September 3 - 27, 2026
WORLD PREMIERE
In Spanish with English surtitles
A frustrated theatre dreamer becomes one of World War II's most brilliant double agents. Using performance, illusion, and audacity, he builds an elaborate deception that helps mislead the Nazi regime. A cinematic, metatheatrical adventure about imagination as resistance—and art as a weapon.
Pancho Villa y los niños de la bola (Pancho Villa and The Children of the Revolution) - GALita
By Antonio Zúñiga (Mexico)
Directed by Mauricio Pita
October 17 - 31, 2026
US PREMIERE
Bilingual
An old man, a young man, and a child revisit the Mexican Revolution, resurrecting Pancho Villa through memory, corridos, and myth. As history blurs with folklore, a new portrait emerges—of a revolutionary who understood the power of storytelling.
XXII FUEGO FLAMENCO FESTIVAL
22nd Annual Flamenco Festival
Honorary Producer: Lynne Horning
November 5 - 22, 2026
Featuring U.S. and International Artists in an expanded three-week festival!
SPAIN FLAMENCO ARTS (Spain)
La velada
Created, choreographed & performed by Marta Gálvez
November 5 - 8, 2026
DC PREMIERE
In this show, tradition meets a contemporary vision, and the memory of those who danced before flows through every movement, celebrating their journey, legacy, and love. Dance appears as a place of passage — the past breathes into the present, what is inherited transforms, the body holds experience, and each gesture finds its place in the now.
FLAMENCO APARICIO DANCE CO. (USA)
Entre dos sombras
November 13 - 15, 2026
WORLD PREMIERE
Choreographed and directed by visionary artist Edwin Aparicio, a tribute to Paco de Málaga and Ana Martínez who ignited DC's Flamenco scene in the late 1970s.
FLAMENCO EN FAMILIA
November 14, 2026
Sara Jerez, Richard Marlow, and guest dancers introduce the origins and history of flamenco and several traditional Spanish dances. Come practice palmas, zapateo, and learn about the use of castanets, fans, and traditional and contemporary flamenco instruments. FREE for children and families!
CRISTINA CAZORLA (Spain)
Danzas solemnes
Created, choreographed & performed by Cristina Cazorla
November 20 - 22, 2026
A journey through the most elegant and racial dance from different places in Spain. A representation of the classic and iconic music by J. Rodrigo, C. Debussy, J. Turina, and P. Luna, among others.
GALA FILM FESTIVAL: LATIN AMERICAN INNOVATION
Lineup & schedule TBD
December 2 - 6, 2026
All films in Spanish with English subtitles
Six contemporary films by emerging directors and a classic from the Mexican Golden Age. Join us for exclusive talkbacks with producers, artists, directors, and experts, and receptions after the screenings.
NUEVA ERA: NEW PLAY FESTIVAL - STAGED READINGS
December 11 - 13, 2026
WORLD PREMIERE
In English and Spanish
Three Latino Plays Stage Reading Events, including new and unproduced works.
La fiesta de los Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day) - GALita
January 3, 2027
Join us for our annual Three Kings Day Celebration! This festive end to the holiday season will feature the timeless story of the Magi, performances by local musicians and dance companies, a neighborhood street parade, and a gift for every child. FREE!
Eva Luna - MAINSTAGE
By Isabel Allende (Chile)
Adapted by Caridad Svich
Directed by José Zayas
February 4 - 28, 2027
In Spanish with English surtitles
Born into poverty, a fearless young woman reinvents herself amid political upheaval and improbable love. Sweeping, sensual, and defiant, this adaptation of Isabel Allende's novel follows her rise from invisibility to influence—and her refusal to let the world define her fate.
La Odisea contada como sea (The Odyssey, Any Which Way) - GALita
By Francisco Pedreira (Argentina) | Music by Elena Zago
Directed by Juliana Morales
March 13 - 20 & March 27 - April 1, 2027
WORLD PREMIERE ADAPTATION
Bilingual
A professor accidentally walks into the wrong class and must teach The Odyssey from memory and the help of a Janitor. What begins as panic turns into a wildly imaginative adventure, as desks become ships and classrooms transform into epic battlegrounds. A joyful celebration of creativity under pressure.
QuinTango
April 2 - 3, 2027
Five virtuosic musicians ignite the stage with contemporary chamber tango—blending classical precision, rhythmic fire, and bold storytelling. Sensuous, playful, and fiercely expressive, this electrifying performance reimagines tango for today.
El coronel no tiene quien le escriba (No One Writes To The Colonel) - MAINSTAGE
By Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia)
Directed by Gustavo Ott
April 29 - May 23, 2027
WORLD PREMIERE ADAPTATION
In Spanish with English surtitles
For 15 years, a retired colonel waits for a pension that never comes. Sustained by dignity and a fighting rooster left by his son, he endures. A spare, poetic portrait of resilience, hope, and quiet resistance.
Botiquín de Mariachis de Columbia Heights (Columbia Heights Mariachi Bar) - MAINSTAGE
By Jaime Chabaud (Mexico)
June 16 – July 3, 2027
WORLD PREMIERE. COMMISSIONED BY GALA
In Spanish with English surtitles
Inside a neighborhood bar pulsing with rancheras, heartbreak and resistance share the spotlight. Blending live mariachi music with local history and heroes, this immersive experience celebrates Columbia Heights' resilience, community pride, and the power of song as social justice.
PASO NUEVO YOUTH PROGRAM
Under the direction of artist Chris Ríos, GALA's FREE after-school youth program offers bilingual training in drama, movement, writing, and technical theater to youth ages 14 to 19. Students create new, original works and perform for the public in the Fall, Spring, and Summer. The Summer showcase will be Thursday, July 30, 2026; the Fall/Winter showcase will be Wednesday, December 16, 2026; and the Spring showcase will be Wednesday, May 19, 2027. Paso Nuevo is the winner of the 2012 National Arts and Humanities Youth Arts Program Award.
GENERAL INFORMATION
SCHEDULE: Main stage season productions are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm. Columbia Heights Mariachi Bar runs Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm. For other performance times, visit www.galatheatre.org or call (202) 234-7174. All schedules are subject to change.
TICKETS: Single tickets to mainstage and Flamenco performances are $50 Premium Center, $45 Orchestra Standard, $35 Orchestra Value, and $25 Balcony Value; $35 Seniors (65+), Military, Teachers, and Groups (10+); $25 25 and Under; Noche de GALA: Chosen ticket price + $5 (per person). Tickets for the GALita performances are $10 for children and $12 for adults. Tickets to the film festival are $10 each, and tickets to additional programs vary per show. To purchase tickets, visit www.galatheatre.org or call (202) 234-7174.
LOCATION, PARKING & METRO: GALA Theatre is located at 3333 14th Street NW, Washington, D.C. Discounted parking of $4 is available in the secure Giant parking garage directly behind the theater. The entrance is located on Park Road and Holmead Street, NW (you must validate your parking ticket at the theatre lobby). GALA is located one block north from the Columbia Heights Metro station (Green/Yellow Lines).
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