Pa'lante Theatre Company Tours CALLING PUERTO RICO to Four Connecticut Cities

Pa’lante Theater Company (PTC), Connecticut’s first and only Afro-Latine Black Box theater company, has announced a four-city tour of Connecticut of playwright Juan Ramirez Jr.’s Calling Puerto Rico: For the Island and to Hope. After a highly successful debut in February in Waterbury, the Pa'lante company is taking the show on the road with engagements scheduled in New Haven, Bridgeport, Hartford, and a return to Waterbury during the months of October and November 2023.

The drama about a Puerto Rican family grappling with the effects of Hurricane Maria both on the island and in New York is directed by Pa'lante Founder and Artistic Director Rafael Feliciano-Roman. Calling Puerto Rico received its world premiere in February 2023 at the award-winning Seven Angels Theatre.

Calling Puerto Rico Tour Dates & Locations

Friday, October 6 & Saturday, October 7 at 7pm

Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, CT

Tickets: $20

Saturday, October 21 at 8pm

Klein Auditorium in Bridgeport, CT

Presented in conjunction with Bridgeport Caribe Youth Leaders

Tickets: $25

Friday, November 3 & Saturday, November 4 at 7pm

Cabaret on Main in East Haven, CT

Presented in conjunction with Puerto Rican Festival of New Haven.

Tickets: $30

Friday, November 17 at 7pm

Autorino Hall at The Bushnell in Hartford, CT

Presented in conjunction with CICD.

Tickets: $28.50

Tickets for the Waterbury, Bridgeport and New Haven engagements are on sale now at palantetheater.org. The Hartford engagement will be on sale September 28 via the Pa'lante website.

About Calling Puerto Rico

In New York City, Joel is an amateur radio operator who has not been out of his attic apartment for about a year. He gets news about Tropical Storm Maria and the potential it has to harm Puerto Rico. Worried, he decides to reach out over the radio to a man he hasn’t spoken to in a long time: his grandfather, Aníbal.

Playwright Juan Ramirez, Jr. states, “My play is meant to do exactly what the title suggests, a calling to my people. The only way to present this play is with love. Pa'lante Theater Company acts on this same mission, because 'Pa'lante' means to go forward and that's exactly where our stories need to go. Meeting Pa'lante Artistic Director Rafael Feliciano-Romano for the first time was like discovering a brother you never knew you had, but your heart was always aware of. I am forever in support to anyone that actively chooses to uplift my community, especially by establishing a welcoming home. Hope to see you there. The doors are open.” 

About the Cast and Creative Team

Juan Ramirez, Jr. is an internationally-produced, award-winning playwright, monologist, screenwriter, actor, director, filmmaker, producer and poet. Whether writing about larger-than-life characters with relatable problems or relatable characters with larger-than-life problems, his work seeks out truth. You can find his work on Stage Agent, New Play Exchange and Amazon self publishing. He also has monologues on MonologueBank. As a screenwriter and TV writer, he has scripts in various genres, from drama to horror to half-hour comedies and one hour dramas.

The cast is comprised of five actors, each of whom are making their respective Pa’lante Theater Company debuts: Rabel Bueno as Joel, Fior Rodriguez as Melosa, Jeffrey Rossman (2016 BroadwayWorld.com Nominee for Best Actor in a Play) as Anibal, Victoria Gentile as Debra, and Cameron Hudson as Rolan.

Calling Puerto Rico is helmed by Rafael Feliciano-Roman, who is also the Artistic Director and Founder of Pa’lante Theater Company and Waterbury's Afro Caribbean Cultural Center. This is Rafael's directorial debut, although he has acted and served in the production side of several regional theater productions throughout the country.

Joining Feliciano-Roman on the creative team are Costume/Scenic Designer Zelest Caraballo, Company Manager & Sound Designer Angelica Huertas, Tour Coordinator and Props Master Elisa Ocasio, and Stage Management by Alanna Ferrazzi.