Teatro Yerbabruja

Teatro Experimental Yerbabruja Inc.
IndustryTheatre, art
Founded1989; 36 years ago (1989) in Puerto Rico
FounderMargarita Espada-Santos
Headquarters17 Second Avenue, Bay Shore, NY.
Number of locations
1
Area served
Long Island, NY.
Key people
Members8 board members, 4 volunteers
Websiteteatroyerbabruja.org
Footnotes / references
https://www.nytimes.com/ https://www.newsday.com

Teatro Experimental Yerbabruja Inc., commonly referred to as simply Teatro Yerbabruja, is a theater, performing arts, and visual arts nonprofit organization, headquartered in Bay Shore, New York, most known for its activism on Long Island regarding Hispanic, Latino, Black, and other BIPOC communities.

History

Teatro Experimental Yerbabruja Inc. was founded in November 1989 in Puerto Rico by Aurelio Lima, Jacqueline O'Neil, and Margarita Espada, a Puerto-Rican artist, educator, and activist[1] After Espada's immigration to New York in 2004, Espada prompted Yerbabruja's expansion to Long Island, due to “the lack of spaces for Latinx artists to create, present and offer artistic programming to the community of color on Long Island.”

The company was named after the Yerbabruja, a plant with 'healing remedies' that thrives even in adverse conditions, that primarily grows in Puerto Rico and the wider Caribbean.[2]

Performances

In 2009, Espada and Yerbabruja oversaw the play, “What Killed Marcelo Lucero?,” a play that explored the social and political reasons for the tragic killing of undocumented immigrant Marcelo Lucero in Patchogue, NY. by four Long Island teens. This play was part of a theater exhibition regarding hate crimes towards Hispanic and Latino immigrants on Long Island.[3][4][5]

Events

Teatro Yerbabruja manages the Long Island Puerto Rican and Hispanic Day Parade, which takes place in Brentwood annually. Yerbabruja began overseeing the event in 2011, after they championed funding and a revival of the event, after the parade was almost cancelled due to lack of funding..[6]

Yerbabruja's headquarters is located at 17 Second Avenue, Bay Shore, NY. which is the historic site of the Bay Shore Hose Company No. 1 Firehouse. Teatro moved into this location in 2018, and promptly bought the property in September 2023, from the South Side Restoration Group.[7][8][9]

References

  1. ^ drfrances (2021-12-20). "Margarita Espada: Teatro Yerbabruja, a Conduit for Change". First Online with Fran. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  2. ^ drfrances (2021-12-20). "Margarita Espada: Teatro Yerbabruja, a Conduit for Change". First Online with Fran. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  3. ^ Downes, Lawrence (2009-11-26). "Opinion | A Theater Illuminates an Immigration Battlefield". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  4. ^ "'What Killed Marcelo Lucero?'". Garden City, NY Patch. 2010-03-30. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  5. ^ Hesson, Ted (2011-04-27). "Tense But Respectful Dialogue as Killer's Father Speaks at "What Killed Marcelo Lucero?"". Long Island Wins. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  6. ^ "Revived parade to celebrate Hispanic roots". Newsday. 2012-05-15. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  7. ^ Newsday, Mary GregorySpecial to (2019-03-30). "New Bay Shore arts center is a creative outlet". Newsday. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  8. ^ "Second Avenue Firehouse in Bay Shore turned over to Teatro Yerbabruja". Newsday. 2023-12-11. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  9. ^ "Arts center with Latin roots expands to broader community". Newsday. 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2024-05-18.