The nonprofit Thalia Spanish Theatre, winner of the 1989 ENCORE Award of
the Arts and Business Council, was established in Sunnyside, Queens in 1977
under the administration of Silvia Brito in order to serve the cultural
needs of the Hispanic community in New York. We are the only Spanish theatre
in Queens.
Our mission is to produce and present high quality, professional theatrical
productions in order to promote and preserve Spanish and Latin American
culture and heritage throughout the greater New York City community. Our
programs reflect the common heritage of all Spanish-speaking people, regardless
of their nationality.
In 20 years we have produced more than 60 productions of zarzuela
(Spanish operetta), the best contemporary and classic Spanish plays, and
Folklore Shows of music and dance from Spain and Latin America. We are one
of the premiere venues in the United States for new plays from Spain, and
have produced several American and World premieres.
We are committed to the preservation and promotion of zarzuela, the only
lyrical heritage of the Spanish stage. We are one of the few theaters in
the U.S. producing complete zarzuelas annually; we are the only one in New
York producing traditional zarzuela, with authentic period costumes
and sets. New York's leading Spanish language daily newspaper, EL DIARIO/LA
PRENSA, named us "the cathedral of zarzuela."
We produce our plays and zarzuelas in Spanish, with an English synopsis
available; our Folklore Shows in the universal language of music and dance,
require no knowledge of Spanish.
We have won a total of 67 awards from artistic excellence, including 51
from A.C.E. (Association of Critics of Entertainment) awards. In 1989 we
were one of 50 organizations nationwide chosen for the prestigious Advancement
Grant Program of the National Endowment for the Arts.