La Guagua 47 Will Perform in Concert at Esperanza Arts Center's Arte En Las Calles Neighborhood Summer Series ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Esperanza Arts Center will present the first in-concert presentation of Alba Martínez's new musical, La Guagua 47, performed by the La Guagua 47 Community Chorus and Band. Hosted by Rumba 106.1 FM's Johanny Rodriguez, La Guagua 47 in Concert is the centerpiece of Arte en las Calles, EAC's annual outdoor community arts festival in Hunting Park. This event is free and open to the public on July 25.

Taking place along SEPTA's Route 47, the bus at the heart of Martínez's story, La Guagua 47 in Concert is an official preview of both the Philadelphia Theatre Company's 2027–2028 season world premiere and EAC's VOCES Series, which this year spotlights dance and music from Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Latin American diaspora.

Inspired by a real 1985 ride on the Route 47 bus, La Guagua 47 follows 15-year-old Lucía, who leaves behind everything she loves in Puerto Rico when her father's factory closes and her family moves to Philadelphia. Isolated and invisible in her Titi's apartment, she discovers the SEPTA 47 bus, which carries her into a neighborhood where strangers help her see her new world differently.

In La Guagua 47, salsa, bolero, bachata, bomba, and reggaetón dance and music meet contemporary musical theater, with words and lyrics in English and Spanish. La Guagua 47 is a one-of-a-kind community cultural production that tells a universal story of migration, belonging, and finding home in one another.

Now entering its fifth year, Arte en las Calles is Esperanza Arts Center's annual outdoor neighborhood summer series, featuring live performances, activities for children and families, Latin food, music and dancing, and a local merchant fair and vendor marketplace. This year's marketplace includes food and beverages by Helados Chupi Chupi, Chef Ana's Kitchen, and Los Cuatro Soles; artwork by Raul Coellar and Neryna Perez; handmade goods by Venbisu; and community activities hosted by Esperanza Cyber Charter School, Esperanza College, The Franklin Institute, and Transit Forward Philly.