Welcome to Broadway Stages’ Spotlight, where we feature local shops, restaurants, organizations, individuals, and venues that provide goods and services to our community. September 15 - October 15 marks Hispanic Heritage Month. Join Broadway Stages in honoring Hispanic and Latino Americans’ values, culture, and contributions during this annual observance. This week, we travel to Sunnyside, Queens, to visit the Thalia Spanish Theater.

Thalia Spanish Theatre was established in Sunnyside, Queens, in 1977 by actress and director Silvia Brito. Brito’s vision was to serve the cultural needs of the borough’s diverse and rapidly growing Hispanic community. Today, Thalia’s mission is to celebrate and promote the vibrancy and diversity of Hispanic/Latinx culture and heritage with unique theatre, music, and dance productions including the zarzuela. 

From the beginning, Thalia made the zarzuela a permanent feature in their yearly season. Zarzuela is a Spanish musical theatre form combining operatic singing with dialogue. Thalia was committed to preserving and promoting zarzuela, the only lyrical heritage of the Spanish stage. Their dedication to this unique art form led EL DIARIO/LA PRENSA to call them “the cathedral of the zarzuela in our community.”

In 1994, Thalia expanded its repertoire to reach all Latin American groups with separately tailored and targeted programs. In 2000, the theatre transitioned from founder Silvia Brito to her successor, Angel Gil Orrios.

Orrios is a Spanish director, producer, writer and designer. His career includes work with the National Theater in Spain, the National Theatre Company of Guatemala, Lincoln Center, the Cultural Center of Spain, Madison Square Garden, and other well-known venues. He is known for combining text, music, dance, and visual arts, a concept he calls the “total theatre experience.”

In his first year as Artistic Director, Orrios opened the theater to a broader audience by introducing bilingual casts, alternating performances in Spanish and English. Thalia has also commissioned the highest quality English-language translations to attract students, educators, and audiences of diverse backgrounds.

Since its inception, Thalia has produced more than 245 plays, musicals, zarzuelas, and folklore shows and has won 249 Awards for Artistic Excellence. Now, Thalia presents approximately 90 performances to an audience of over 6,000 at the theatre and another 1,000 in touring productions each year. Thalia Spanish Theatre also offers low-cost bilingual theatre and dance workshops and classes for children, adults, and seniors.

Thalia’s seasons feature a variety of original productions. The slate includes bilingual world and national premieres of plays by emerging and established Spanish, Latin American, and Hispanic/Latinx authors. Their calendar also includes original Hispanic/Latinx dance musicals and folklore shows of music and dance of Latin America and Spain.

The theatre also presents the Thalia Free Outdoors Festival every June in Sunnyside’s local park. The free Festival expands on Thalia’s mission by taking its shows into the neighborhood where the performances are open to all. It brings together people of all ages and backgrounds for a joyful, positive experience of Hispanic culture.

The next performance on the calendar is Colombian magician Alberto De Herrera. He is back by popular demand but will only be at the Thalia for a three-week engagement (from October 13 to 29). Tickets can be purchased HERE, and more information on this and other performances can be found HERE or by following Thalia on Facebook and Instagram.

At Broadway Stages, we know first hand that the performing arts are a form of storytelling and expression and a way to explore and appreciate other cultures. The Thalia Spanish Theatre not only entertains, but also shares the richness and beauty of the Hispanic/Latinx culture with the people of New York. And as a result, our lives are better and more colorful. Be sure to catch a performance at the Thalia soon and when you get there tell them that Broadway Stages sent you!