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36-509: The GALA Hispanic Theatre was founded in 1976 by Hugo and Rebecca Read Medrano and their supporters with the aim of preserving and promoting Hispanic language and culture. There are many theaters in Washington, D.C., but there was not one for Hispanics until the opening of GALA. Their playwrights and their actors are of Hispanic heritage, hailing from countries including Argentina , Mexico , Spain , Chile , Uruguay , Paraguay , and Peru . In

72-577: A focus of urban redevelopment and become one of Washington's most gentrifying neighborhoods. Notable local businesses include the famed live music club Madam's Organ Blues Bar and the Michelin-starred restaurant Tail Up Goat , among others. Adams Morgan has also become one of the hubs of LGBT culture in Washington, D.C. When the District of Columbia was created in 1791, Robert Peter and Anthony Holmead, two prominent colonial-era landowners, held

108-618: A march through Adams Morgan. From 2010 to 2012, the city reconstructed 18th Street NW, one of the neighborhood's main commercial corridors, with wider sidewalks, more crosswalks and bicycle arrows, resulting in a more pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare. In September 2014, the American Planning Association named Adams Morgan one of the nation's "great neighborhoods," citing its intact Victorian rowhouses, murals, international diversity, and pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly streetscape. In 2021, many local businesses attempted to disband

144-498: A range of people, from the very wealthy living along 16th Street, to white-collar professionals in Lanier Heights, to blue-collar residents east of 18th Street NW. After World War II and Brown v. Board of Education , racial desegregation began. When D.C. was formally desegregated, some whites abruptly left the area, other whites stayed and worked to integrate the neighborhood, and some African Americans and Hispanics moved into

180-541: A result of Argentina's Dirty War which targeted left-wing political dissidents. He reported that many of his friends were some of the students, intellectuals, and artists who disappeared as a result of the war. These experiences inspired the political themes of Medrano's early work. Medrano continued his studies in Spain at the Teatro Estudio de Madrid . He lived and performed in Spain for five years before immigrating to

216-403: Is also one of the centers of LGBT culture in Washington, D.C. Adams Morgan is one of the most popular entertainment districts in Washington, known for its restaurants and bars. Approximately 100 establishments possess liquor licenses. A moratorium on new liquor licenses has been in effect since 2000. The Adams Morgan Partnership Business Improvement District (AMPBID) has been active in

252-544: Is not directly served by the Washington Metro system. The station nearest to Adams Morgan, Woodley Park station , is in the Woodley Park neighborhood, but was renamed "Woodley Park–Zoo/Adams Morgan" in 1999 to reflect the station's proximity to Adams Morgan. The station was renamed "Woodley Park" with "Zoo/Adams Morgan" as a subtitle in 2011. The southernmost parts of the neighborhood near Rock Creek Park are closer to

288-498: Is often considered to be a sub-neighborhood of Adams Morgan, consisting of the easternmost area between Columbia Road and Florida avenue, but it can also be considered to be part of the Meridian Hill neighborhood. Along with neighboring Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights , Adams Morgan long has been a gateway community for immigrants. Since the 1960s, the predominant international presence in both communities has been Latino, with

324-408: Is the public school system. Part of the neighborhood is assigned to Oyster-Adams K-8, part is assigned to Marie Reed Elementary and Columbia Heights Education Campus, and part is assigned to H.D. Cooke Elementary and Columbia Heights Education Campus. The entire neighborhood is assigned to Jackson-Reed High School . Oyster-Adams Bilingual School , the neighborhood K-8 school , was formed in 2007 by

360-461: The American Civil War , these estates were subdivided and the area slowly grew. Once the city's overall-layout plans were finalized in the 1890s, these various subdivisions, using modern construction techniques, developed more rapidly, and the area of Adams Morgan then grew into several attractive and largely upper- and middle-class neighborhoods. In the early 20th century, the area was home to

396-563: The Dupont Circle station , while the northeastern parts of the neighborhood are closer to the Columbia Heights Station . The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) operates a DC Circulator bus route connecting the center of Adams Morgan with both Metro stations. The area is also served by several WMATA Metrobus lines, including the 42, 43, 90, 92, 96, H1, L2, S2, and S9. The District of Columbia Public Schools

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432-786: The GALA Hispanic Theatre in Washington D.C. , with his wife Rebecca Read Medrano. The GALA Hispanic Theatre features Spanish and Latin American plays and has staged over 220 productions since its founding in 1976. Hugo Medrano serves as the theatre's Founding Producing Artistic Director. Along with directing Latino theatre , Medrano is an accomplished actor. He received the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actor for his role as Molina in El Beso de la Mujer Arana in 1994. Medrano's work with

468-702: The Central African Republic and the Embassy of Gabon . Local historic landmarks include the Fuller House and Euclid Apartments . Examples of public artwork in Adams Morgan include Carry the Rainbow on Your Shoulders , The Servant Christ , and The Mama Ayesha's Restaurant Presidential Mural . Adams Morgan Day is a multicultural street celebration with live music and food and crafts booths. Adams Morgan

504-741: The GALA Hispanic Theatre hosted the first all Spanish version of the production in the United States. The musical is usually performed in Spanglish , a mix of Spanish and English. Hugo Medrano was recognized as a "Visionary" by the Mayor's Arts Awards in 2014. He also received an Immigrant Achievement Award from the American Immigration Council in 2014. In 2010, both Hugo Medrano and his wife Rebecca Read Medrano were named Washingtonians of

540-597: The GALA Hispanic Theatre officially moved into the Tivoli Theatre and Medrano began to work on new projects. With the help of his wife, Hugo Medrano created the National Center for Latino Performing Arts and has expanded GALA's focus to include concerts, dance, film, and other arts. In the Heights is a Tony Award winning broadway musical which featured music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda . In 2017, Hugo Medrano and

576-511: The GALA Hispanic Theatre performed in a townhouse in the multicultural Adams Morgan neighborhood of the city. Hugo Medrano produced and directed the group's first production, La Fiaca by Ricardo Talesnik , which received recognition by the Washington Post . Medrano would go on to direct, produce, and act in a multitude of successful productions over the next 40 years. As a theatre director at GALA, Hugo Medrano faced challenges concerning

612-709: The Gala Hispanic Theatre has earned international acclaim. For his dedication to promoting Spanish culture in the United States , Medrano was bestowed the Order of Queen Isabella by Carlos I , former King of Spain . Hugo Medrano lived in Argentina for much of his early life. He attended Escuela de Teatro de La Plata and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Theatre. Shortly after graduation, Medrano fled political violence as

648-638: The Marie H. Reed Recreation Center, an elementary school and recreational complex, named after the minister and civic leader. In 1967, the Ambassador Theater opened; it closed in 1969. After the 1968 Washington, D.C., riots , white flight continued. In the 1980s, Hazel Williams operated Hazel's, which featured live blues and jazz, and its soul food offerings made it a favorite of Dizzy Gillespie and Muhammad Ali when they were in Washington, D.C. The January 20, 2005 counter-inaugural protest included

684-424: The United States. Hugo Medrano's career in the United States began at Teatro Doble, a bilingual children's theatre located in Washington D.C. However, most of his notable work was done with the GALA Hispanic Theatre. GALA stands for Grupo de Artistas Latino Americanos. Hugo Medrano co-founded this theatre in 1976 to deliver quality plays to the growing Spanish-speaking community of Washington. In its early years,

720-574: The Year by the Washingtonian magazine. Adams Morgan Adams Morgan is a neighborhood in Washington, D.C. , located in Northwest D.C. Adams Morgan is noted as a historic hub for counterculture and as an arts district . It is also known for its popular entertainment district and culinary scene, centered on both 18th Street and Columbia Road . In the 21st century, Adams Morgan has been

756-470: The architectural makeup with developers, the Tivoli Theatre opened its doors to theatrical arts once again and became a permanent national Hispanic theatre. From the beginning of the GALA Hispanic Theatre's formation they sought out artists from a myriad of artistic disciplines such as visual artists, writers, dancers, singers, musicians and actors who felt the desire to provide a community in which Hispanic culture could thrive and develop. Due to this influence

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792-442: The area. With cheaper housing, the area also became home to some artists and social activists. In 1948, Charles Lazarus founded Toys "R" Us in Adams Morgan. In the early 1950s, before desegregation, the neighborhood was considered "ritzy." Pursuant to the 1954 Bolling v. Sharpe Supreme Court ruling, district schools were desegregated in 1955. The Adams-Morgan Community Council, comprising both Adams and Morgan schools and

828-529: The audience. Moving the GALA Hispanic Theatre to a permanent home in the Tivoli Theatre of Columbia Heights was an important moment in Hugo Medrano's career. The Tivoli Theatre was built in 1924 and quickly became a city landmark as both a theatre and a cinema. The theatre was abandoned in 1976 but was restored with the help of a $ 4 million fundraising campaign started by Hugo Medrano and others. In 2005,

864-577: The bilingual nature of his productions. To appeal to both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking audiences, Medrano would often present two different productions of the same play, an English version and a Spanish version. In some cases, this would require two different actors, costumes , or directors to perform these productions. Medrano found this approach to be inefficient, and the GALA Hispanic Theatre subsequently transitioned to producing plays in Spanish and providing English subtitles or headphone translations to

900-449: The community since 2005; its stated mission is to promote a clean, friendly and safe Adams Morgan. It sponsors local events such as summer concerts and holiday decorations, and provides information to residents. The Adams Morgan farmers' market operates, weather permitting, every Saturday from June to December. The area is home to a number of diplomatic missions, including the Embassy of

936-428: The infancy of GALA's life as a theatrical company they operated out of a brick and mortar townhouse in Washington, D.C.. In 1976, the same year GALA was founded, the Tivoli Theatre (Washington, D.C.) was closed after protests and civil unrest caused the neighborhood it resided in to collapse. The theatre remained standing following this civil unrest, however the neighborhood was slow to recover. Nine years later, in 1985,

972-441: The land comprising Adams Morgan. At that time, these local tracts were north of the original planned City of Washington, and were either undeveloped or only lightly farmed. As the population of D.C. expanded, this land was divided into several estates purchased by wealthy residents, including Meridian Hill , Cliffbourne, Holt House , Oak Lawn , Henderson Castle, a part of Kalorama , and the horse farm of William Thornton . After

1008-421: The local business improvement district . However, they were unsuccessful. The name Adams Morgan, once hyphenated, is derived from the names of two formerly segregated area elementary schools—the older, all-black Thomas P. Morgan Elementary School (now defunct) and the all-white John Quincy Adams Elementary School, which merged in 1955 following racial desegregation . Adams Morgan is bounded: Reed-Cooke

1044-482: The majority of immigrants coming from El Salvador , Guatemala and other Central American countries. It also has attracted immigrants from Africa , Asia and the Caribbean . Since 1980, the population of the neighborhood increased marginally from 15,352 to 15,630, while average real annual household income more than doubled from $ 72,753 to $ 172,249 and the white non-Hispanic population increased from 51% to 68%. It

1080-465: The merger of John Quincy Adams Elementary School in Adams Morgan and James F. Oyster Bilingual Elementary School in Woodley Park . The Adams campus serves grades 4-8 and the Oyster campus serves grades Pre-Kindergarten through 3. The Marie Reed Elementary School, with its Learning Center, built in 1977, was extensively remodeled and reopened in 2017. H.D. Cooke Elementary School is at 2525 17th Street; it

1116-456: The neighborhoods they served, formed in 1958 to implement progressively this desegregation. The boundaries of the neighborhood were drawn through four existing neighborhoods— Washington Heights , Lanier Heights , Kalorama Triangle , and Meridian Hill —naming the resulting area after both schools. In 1955, Herbert Haft founded Dart Drug in Adams Morgan. In the late 1960s, a group of residents worked with city officials to plan and construct

GALA Hispanic Theatre - Misplaced Pages Continue

1152-460: The plays that are performed by this company offer social commentary at every turn and touch on topics affecting the economic and political status of Latinx people. In 2015, Gala was awarded the 50/50 Applause Award by The International Center for Women Playwrights, for having more than 50% of its plays written by female playwrights. Hugo Medrano Hugo Medrano is an Argentinian -born theatre director, playwright, and actor. He co-founded

1188-517: The theater was placed on the National Register of Historic Places , but sat empty for almost twenty-five years until the district accepted a proposal by developers to renovate the theater in 1999. It was transformed into a full-scale live performance theater with office and retail space. Many theatrical companies applied for the theater space, but it was ultimately granted to the GALA Hispanic Theatre. In 2005, after four years of close deliberation on

1224-418: The west. Adams Morgan is where jumbo slice pizza was popularized. Jumbo slice is an oversized New York-style pizza. It is particularly popular as a late-night meal. The neighborhood is also where the D.C. hardcore punk rock scene became popular, eventually spreading to other parts of the country and the world. The Madam's Organ Bar was described as a popular hangout by Playboy and Stuff , and

1260-644: Was featured on the Wild On! travel series on E! . The neighborhood's competing "jumbo slice" pizza establishments were covered in an episode of the Travel Channel 's Food Wars . In the Showtime Network series Homeland Season 3, Episode 4 ("Game On") , the main character Carrie Mathison states that she lives in Adams Morgan. Scenes from the 2010 movie How Do You Know featuring Paul Rudd and Reese Witherspoon were filmed in Adams Morgan. In

1296-489: Was renovated in 2009 as an environmentally friendly green building . Adams Morgan is a part of Ward 1, and is in the service area of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 1C, the Adams Morgan Advisory Neighborhood Commission. The ANC covers the area between Harvard Street and Rock Creek to the north, Florida Avenue and U Street to the south, 16th Street NW to the east, and Connecticut Avenue to

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