Teatro Latino del Pueblo @RILA • Teatro en El Verano

Teatro en El Verano | 2025

Meet the Playwright

Jesús I. Valles (they/them) is a queer Mexican immigrant, educator, and writer-performer from Cd. Juarez/El Paso and a 2023 graduate of the Brown-Trinity MFA program.

Jesús is the winner of the 2023 Princess Grace Award in Theater, the 2023 Yale Drama Series (Bathhouse.pptx), and the 2022 Kernodle Playwriting Prize (a river, its mouths). Their work has been produced by Latino Theatre Co., ZACH Theatre, and The Flea, with development support from institutions like The Kennedy Center, Manhattan Theatre Club, and The Playwrights’ Center.

As a poet, Valles has received fellowships from Canto Mundo, Lambda Literary, and Tin House, and is currently a member of New Dramatists’ class of 2031.

Jesús is writing an adaptation of Faust by Goethe with the tentative title of ¡Qué Diablos Fausto?!

Now in its 10th season Teatro en El Verano is produced by Rhode Island Latino Arts in partnership with Trinity Repertory Company.

Past Performances | Our History

Stacks Image 65172 — **Adapted by:** Dustin Thomas
**Directed by** Marcel Mascaró
**Cast:** Mariana Villa Jaramillo, Catia, Magnolia Sanchez, Michael Green Jasson Deleon, Natan Rodrigues Ferreria, Ashley Aldarondo, Ramon Hernandez, Christopher Depina, Betsy Montes. *Click here* to watch a video, created by Alberto Genao.

2024

Stacks Image 65319 — **Directed and adapted by:** Marcel Mascaró As we made our way out of quarantine, we brought back *La Mancha* and hosted all performances at our outdoor space behind *La Galería* @RILA, in Central Falls for a limited run.

2022

Stacks Image 65733 — **Adapted by:** Catia
**Directed by** Kufa Casto

**Cast:** Alexis Elisa Macedo, Nina Giselle, Marylenny Severino: Lia Lockhart, Jasson Deleon, Ramon Hernandez, Ruarí Morrison, Natan Rodrigues Ferreira. *Click here* to watch a video, created by Alberto Genao.

2023

Stacks Image 64714 — **Directed and adapted by:** Marcel Mascaró
*Teatro en el Verano* originally planned to stage an adaptation of *Don Quixote* in the summer of 2020, and later in the summer of 2021, but these were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, excerpts from the script were performed virtually via Zoom.

**Cast:** Leandro (Kufa) Castro, Orlando Hernández, Maritza Martell, Ricardo Nogueras, Arturo Puentes, Catia Ramos, Marina Tejada

2020-2021

Stacks Image 64727 — **Director:** Tatyana-Marie Carlo
**Translation/Adaptation:** Orlando Hernández

**Cast:** Rudy Ru, Kufa Castro, James Kane, Marcel Antonio Mascaró, Ricardo Nogueras, Magnolia Perez, Arturo Puentes, Alison Russo, Jennifer Sanchez, Lindsey Steinert

2018 | La Tempestad (The Tempest)

Stacks Image 64722 — **Director:** Tatyana Maria-Carlo
**Translation/Adaptation**: Kufa Castro

**Cast:** Alfie Antillón, Rudy Cabrera, Robelis Cruz, Lorraine Guerra, Marcel Mascaró , Victor Neto, Arturo Puentes, José Ramírez, Catia Ramos, Emily Rodríguez, Ashley Soto

2019 | Tanta Bulla (Much Ado)

Stacks Image 64732 — **Co-Directors:** Tyler Dobrowsky and Marcel Mascaró

2017 | Romeo & Juliet

Stacks Image 64742 — ***Just Like Us,*** a play written by Karen Zacharias, was performed during a time when Donald Trump was threatening to remove DACA status for undocumented young people. The play reading was facilitated by Trinity Rep Resident Actor, Joe Wilson, with a talk-back afterwards, led by Marta V. Martínez.

2015 | Just Like Us

Stacks Image 64737 — **Director:** Tyler Dobrowsky
**Bilingual Adaptation:** Saúl Ramos

2016 | Romeo & Juliet

Stacks Image 64747 — Talk-back following *Hunchback of Seville* play directed by Taibi Magar.

2015 | Hunchback Talk-Back

Stacks Image 64757 — First trip which launched the partnership between RILA and Trinity Rep to meet with artistic staff at Cleveland Public Theater and their Latino theater counterpart.

2015 | Teatro Público de Cleveland

Stacks Image 65311 — **Theatricizing Oral History:** Class on turning family stories into theatrical monologues, taught by Marta V. Martínez & Rebecca Noon

2015 | Theatricizing Oral Histories Class

RILA receives support from these local and national foundations:

La Casa de Los Vejigantes | @Rhode Island Latino Arts

La Casa de Los Vejigantes @RILA is a flexible Black Box space, and now the home of Teatro Latino del Pueblo | Rhode Island. It is located on the premises, behind La Galería del Pueblo, 209 Central St., Central Falls, RI 02863

Teatro en El Verano

Look for us en tu barrio

Teatro en El Verano | 2025

Meet the Playwright

Past Performances | Our History

RILA receives support from these local and national foundations:

La Casa de Los Vejigantes | @Rhode Island Latino Arts