La Nueva Ola
Published by ¡HOLA!, the Hispanic Organization of Latin A c t o r s
107 Suffolk Street, Suite 302, New York, NY 10002-3305 • (212) 253-1015; Fax: (212) 253-9651
h o l a g r a m @ h e l l o h o l a . o r g • w w w. h e l l o h o l a . o r g • A.B. Lugo, Manny Alfaro, Editors
Fall/Winter 2007/2008
Vol. IX, No. XI
La Nueva Ola is published by the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA) and made possible, in part, by funds from the New York State Council on the Arts; The City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs;
Association of Hispanic Arts; New York State Senator José M. Serrano; Continental Airlines; HBO Latino; Avon Products; Anheuser-Busch; Telemundo 47; NBC; private donations and the dues-paying members of HOLA.
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Dated Material
In This Issue:
2007 HOLA Awards Report
2
Manny Jiménez and
Suspect Entertainment
4
HOLA at the Entertainment
Industry Expo (EIE)
5
HOLA Membership Meeting
6
Bochinche
7
“Follow your dreams and do what you truly love. Don’t let anyone tell you that you
can’t. Hard work and dedication will pay off in the end.” PAGE 8
2007 HOLA Awards Report
The eighth annual HOLA Awards was presented on
Monday, September 24, 2007. Returning to The Players,
the oldest theatrical club in the United States, after a year
away, the awards gala was a tremendous success.
The show opened with HOLA awardee (and Broadway star)
Olga Merediz singing her eleventh hour number from the
musical In The Heights, “Paciencia y Fe.” Backed by musical director Alex Lacamoire on piano, Javier Díaz on percussion and backup singers Joshua Henry and Doreen
Montalvo, Merediz tore the house down.
Masters of ceremonies Jorge Ramos and Blanca Camacho
kept the show moving briskly and the ceremony ran less
than two hours. Aided by trophy presenters Silvia Tovar
and Manolo García Oliva and stage manager José Esquea,
the gala was a lively affair enjoyed by all.
There were numerous highlights in the evening. Raúl Juliá
HOLA Founders Award recipient Moisés Kaufman
received the award from Juliá’s widow, M e rel Juliá, and
then regaled the crowd about his recollections of the late
Mr. Juliá.
HOLA Ilka Award recipient Manny Jiménez of Suspect
Entertainment was so touched by his award, although he
was able to make the audience laugh when he announced
that he felt so safe to be in New York, adding that he didn’t have “to watch [his] back.” It was the lifelong Los
Angeles native’s first time in New York. His speech moved
the crowd to give him a standing ovation. [Editor’s note:
See the Manny Jiménez article on page 4.]
HOLA Achievement in Spanish Language Media Award
recipient Denisse Oller remarked at the podium that she
was going to keep her speech short because Jorge Ramos
said to at the beginning of the ceremony. Ramos rushed to
the microphone and told her that she could speak for as
long as she wanted, whereupon she retorted, “Nope. Too
late,” to the enjoyment of the crowd.
“Estoy muy orgullosa porque este premio me da más ánimo y
me alienta mucho para seguir yo, que para mí, la danza es
muy importante, el porque de mi vida.”
-Queen of Spanish dance and 2007 HOLA Lifetime
Achievement Award recipient P i l a r R i o j a
Clockwise from top: HOLA
awardee Olga Merediz sings to
open the 2008 HOLA Awards;
HOLA Executive Director Manny
Alfaro; HOLA staff A.B. Lugo,
left, and Blanca Vásquez, right,
surround HOLA member Lucía
Armendáriz, center; HOLA
awardee Iván Camilo.
HOLA Achievement in English Language Media Award
recipient Pablo Guzmán and HOLA Lifetime Achievement
Award recipient Pilar Rioja were unable to attend the ceremony but sent in acceptance speeches on DVD. The audience
in attendance gasped when famed queen of Spanish dance
Pilar R i o j a, dressed in a simple black dancer’s top and colorful skirt, announced her age as part of her speech, proving
that she can still captivate without making a single dance
move. [Editor’s note: We at HOLA will not reveal her age, but
suffice it to say that Ms. Rioja looks to be in her late forties
and she is a bit older than that.]
At left : HOLA awardee for
Excellence
in SpanishLanguage Media Denisse
Oller poses with master of
ceremonies Jorge Ramos.
Photo
credits:
Jason Sturm
(Merediz; Camilo), Michael Palma
(Lugo, Armendáriz, Vásquez; Oller,
Ramos).
MORE 2007 HOLA AWARDS PHOTOS ON www.hellohola.org.
2
Lin-Manuel Miranda, actor and co-writer of the musical
In The Heights, made history by being the first two-time
HOLA awardee in the same year for theater. He won for
acting and playwriting (with Quiara Alegría Hudes) .
[Editor’s note: Danny Rivera won two HOLA awards in
2006, but one was for Special Achievement and the other
was an HOLA Ilka Award. Miranda is the first to win two
theater awards in the same year.]
Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (H O L A)
107 Suffolk Street, Suite 302, New York, NY 1 0 0 0 2 - 3 3 0 5
(212) 253-1015 office ~ e-mail: h o l a g r a m @ h e l l o h o l a . o rg
website: w w w. h e l l o h o l a . o rg
Board of Directors
Francisco G. Rivela, Chair; Manny Alfaro, Executive Director;
Manolo García-Oliva, President; Elaine F. Brodey, S e c r e t a r y ;
Adam M. Moore, Treasurer; Gonzalo Armendáriz; Herbert H. Raab
Advisory Board
Leon Goodman; Merel P. Juliá; Jack Landrón; Tere Martínez;
Manuel A. Morán, Ph.D.; Edwin Pagán; Rolando Pérez; Alan J. Rich, Esq.;
Edgardo Rivera; Elsie C. Stark; Rebecca Vásquez
In another series of firsts, 2007 marked the first time a
musical was honored with Outstanding Achievement in
Playwriting (In The Heights), as well as the first time a collaboration was so honored (Lin-Manuel Miranda, lyrics
and music; Quiara Alegría Hudes, libretto). In addition,
2007 marked the first time a collaboration was honored in
the Outstanding Achievement in Technical Production category, as well as the first such honoring for fight direction
(Jesús E. Martínez and Chester Poon for the martial artsinspired fight scenes in the LA TEA/Soñadores production
of Shakespeare’s O t h e l l o). [Full disclosure: I was in that
production and had to fight both Martínez and Poon in it. I
still have the bruises to prove it.]
Honorary Board
Carlos Carrasco; Wendy Curiel; Elisa de la Roche, Ph.D.;
Edouard de Soto; Francisco G. Rivela
Founders
Jorge Alvarado, Edwin Ávila, Eduardo Corbé, Miriam Cruz, Lourdes Ferré, Armando García,
Roberto López, Andrés Nóbregas, Manuel Martínez, Ilka Tanya Payán, Elizabeth Peña,
Rubén Rabasa, Larry Ramos, Jorge Ros, Margarita Toirac, David Zúñiga
HOLA Staff
M a nu e l H er r e ra , D i re c to r of S pe c ia l Pro j e c t s
A. B. L ug o, Me m be r E v e nt P la nn e r an d P ub lic atio ns Ed itor
N o e mí d e la Pu e nte , M em b e r O ut re ac h a nd D e ve lo pm e n t
B la nc a V á sq ue z , M em b e r R e latio ns a nd Vo lun te e r Co ord i n a t o r
“The HOLA Awards are all about creating your own oppor tunities. It is about HOLA having this resource of people. It
is about creating our own opportunities because no one will
do [it] for us.”
-Actor, composer and two-time 2007 HOLA Award recipient
Lin-Manuel Miranda at the 2007 HOLA Awards
Two-time 2007 HOLA Award recipient Miranda’s speech
also struck a chord with the crowd. He reflected on his time
working at Repertorio Español when he was younger (jokingly saying that after 2007 HOLA Lifetime Achievement
award recipient Pilar Rioja finished dancing, he was behind
her with a broom). He said he would see a wall full of
HOLA Awards (that Repertorio Español received) and wondered what it took to get one. He also lauded HOLA for all
that they do with Latino actors.
Arguably, the most memorable moment of the awards ceremony occurred when mistress of ceremonies Blanca
Camacho’s cell phone rang. It turned out to be her mother
checking in on her. After assuring her mother that she ate,
her dress (designed by José Luis Vi c t o r i a) fit well and that
she was fine, Camacho had to remind her mother that she
was still on stage for the awards ceremony, whereupon
Camacho’s mother unceremoniously hung up. Howls of
laughter occurred as the audience realized that her mother
was in essence everyone’s mother.
Clockwise from top left: Mistress of ceremonies Blanca Camacho receives
a phone call as master of ceremonies Jorge Ramos looks on; 2007 HOLA
Award recipients for Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting Nilo Cruz,
Quiara Alegría Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda; Shanai Patalano and
Brittany Patalano, left and right, flank their mother, HOLA awardee Laura
Patalano, center. Photo credits: Jason Sturm (Camacho, Ramos; Cruz,
Hudes, Miranda); Gary Santana (Patalano, Patalano, Patalano).
Special recognition awards were handed out to Teatro LA
TEA for their 25th anniversary, the Puerto Rican Traveling
Theatre for their 40th anniversary and for the establishment
of TeatroStageFest, the festvial that brings the best of Latino
theater from the United States and from around the world.
“I would like to say that the situation now is much better; it is not.
But it is because of HOLA that we have gotten as far as we have.
And it is much better now than it was 15 years ago.”
-Playwright, director and 2007 HOLA Raúl Juliá Award
recipient Moisés Kaufman at the 2007 HOLA Awards
regardingthe challenges of Latino actors and casting
Talking with attendees once the gala was over, the general
consensus was that the 2007 HOLA Awards was the best
one to date, with many people anticipating the 2008 HOLA
Awards the following September.
. . .A . B . L u g o
3
An A fternoon
w ith M a n n y Ji m é n ez
and Suspect En t er t ain m e n t
I caught up with 2007 HOLA Ilka Award winner Manny
Jiménez in Huntington Park, in southeast Los Angeles,
this past December at a toy drive sponsored in part by
Suspect Entertainment. I was spying on the talent management agency that Manny started as a means of helping
former gang members find a way off the streets. The fact
that I dragged my mom, brother and husband with me did
not blow my cover as we blended into this multigenerational celebration that surrounded the toy drive.
The toy drive was also a celebration of the community,
who was honoring Alberto Juárez, Manny Jiménez’s
mentor. It was Juárez who started the toy drive many
years ago out of the back of a pickup truck. Eventually it
grew, and Alberto’s work in the community expanded
into a group called CAUSE (Cultural Advocates Uniting
in Special Efforts).
actors. Frank was there
with his son, little Frank
(who towers over both his
father and Manny) and had
some insightful opinions
into the power of the
Latino community based in
Los Angeles. He mentioned
that half a million people
showed up for an immigration rally in L.A., on only
three days notice. Frank
had an interesting perspective on Hollywood, and the
general perception of
Left to right: Frank Á l v a rez, Manny
Jiménez and Frank Á l v a rez, Jr.
Latinos by producers and
Photo by Noemí de la P u e n t e .
creators of TV movies, that
“every TV movie is the same, Latino doctors or lawyers,
no one goes to a community college. All the mothers and
grandmothers are stuck in the kitchen making tortillas.
The Virgin Mary is all over the place. We have Christmas
lights on our houses year round. We’re not like that!” He
also talked about the inter-Latino prejudices he’s experienced in Hollywood, being rejected by some because he
was not a “preppy Latino,” or “Latino enough,” or “too
street.” He pointed out that “some of us are not totally
Mexican, and we’re not totally American. We’re in the
middle.” He was interested to learn that Latino actors on
the East Coast faced similar preconceived ideas, and a
similar lack of regard for the diversity that forms the
Latino culture in the United States.
Alberto had also left gang life, but had earned so
much respect, that working with him was a legitimate
reason to leave gang life. This legitimacy earned you
respect in the gang world, even though you were saying goodbye to it. Alberto started a mentoring project
to help get gang members out. Manny Jiménez
became involved with the mentoring project, but did
not stick to it. Alberto’s belief in Manny did stick with
him, and several years later, based on the belief in
Manny’s inherent goodness, Alberto helped him find
legal counsel to beat a false accusation, which would Manny’s mentor Alberto has since left southeast Los
Angeles, to live closer to family in Ohio. This is a difficult
have led to an extended jail sentence.
period for any protégé or mentee, learning that you are
But the conditions Alberto put on Manny were strict: lead now the leading generation, you are now the one respona clean life, and contribute to your community. Shirley sible for positive change. Through this bittersweet time,
MacDonald Juárez, Alberto’s wife, became Manny’s Suspect Entertainment will still continue to grow and
attorney, and proved his innocence. Manny and Alberto thrive, because of the positive energy of Manny Jiménez,
formed a mentor/mentee friendship that has lasted years. which Alberto and Shirley saw all along in him. It seems
Suspect Entertainment is the outgrowth of CAUSE, and Los Angeles (and the world) is just now
Alberto and Shirley’s belief in Manny’s potential. Even catching up.
. . .Noemí de la Puente
now, years later, while Suspect Entertainment is thriving,
if Alberto has a project like
the toy drive that needs support, Manny lends a hand,
DID YOU KNOW?
and so do his actors. Rapper
Lil’ Rob, represented by
Suspect Entertainment (founded in 2003) is a multiManny, performed at the
faceted corporation offering a variety of services from artist
celebration.
Suspect
management to production.
Entertainment contributed
to the costs, and the toys.
Suspect has provided talent and services to a variety of
film, television. music video productions and commercial
In what seems like a lifeand print ad campaigns. In additon, they love giving back
time ago, Manny’s former
gang had jumped then-rival
to the community, or as they say, “taking the negative out
gang
member
Frank
of Suspect and making it positive.”
Álvarez several times. The
two can joke about it today Manny Jiménez, r i g h t, talks to a
For more information, log on to their website at
e m b e r of CAUSE (Cultural
as Álvarez is one of Suspect m
Advocates Uniting in S p e c i a l E ff o rt s :
www.suspectentertainmentinc.com.
Entertainment’s
busiest Photo by Noemí de la Puente.
4
critically acclaimed novelists signing autographs at a
table.
HOLA at the Entertainment Industry Expo
Where do you go to find a group
of hardworking Latino actors
looking to connect with industry
professionals in a sea of nonLatino industry people? At the
E n t e rtainment Industry Expo
(EIE), of course. It turned out to be a very cold Sunday for
actors waiting in line to get into the Westin Hotel on West
43rd Street and 8th Avenue for the Second Annual
Entertainment Industry Expo, a networking opportunity for
anyone in or interested in the entertainment industry to network, establish new relationships, and have free unlimited
industry access to castings, workshops, exhibitions, headshot
resources, classes for actors, massage chairs, etc.
As an actor I had the opportunity to audition for a casting
director from Telsey + Company and attended two very
instrumental workshops, one on how to marketyourself as
an actor and a roundtable with casting directors from
Telsey + Company, TheatreworksUSA and Manhattan
Theatre Club, respectively.
By being an exhibitor, HOLA got to generate new members, gain direct face-to-face contact with entertainment
professionals including producers, writers, directors, hair
and make up people, publicists, etc. It was also effective
in branding our organization in the mainstream theater
community and informing professionals of an available
resource for additional employment. In such a wide specHOLA was invited by TeatroStageFest (TSF) to share a trum of artists we create direct access to our target audibooth, where we informed attendees about the festival’s ence and to the press within a short period of time.
upcoming activities as well as the essential programs and
resources that HOLA offers. I coordinated the volunteers, put I would like to acknowledge Susana Tubert, Emily Erstling,
together a checklist of needs and brought out all the promo- Michael Palma and the entire TeatroStageFest staff who so
tional materials needed to advertise HOLA. When I got there graciously offered HOLA a space to grow in its movement, as
early that morning, Emily Erstling (TSF Associate well as our volunteers Inma Heredia, Deidania Peña,
Producer), was at a booth on the fifth floor with her assis- Basilica Bliachas and new member J. Seary for giving up
tants, among many other exhibitors with information on their Sunday to be with us.
resources and organizations in New York City dedicated to
Latino theatre and theater professionals. At the table we had All this HOLA marketing motivates me to start on the next
a list of Latino theater organizations, along with last year’s publicity event and research similar events to be a part of
TSF calendar, a mailing list, a basket to collect business annually. The more we can promote HOLA through our
cards, a folder for pictures and resumes. As soon as I got unified effort, the stronger we can become, the more
there I set up the HOLA brochures and newsletters to be dis- opportunities we have, both as an organization and as a
tributed and we were in business. HOLA members Inma community.
Heredia, J. Seary, Deidania Peña and Basilica Bliachas
were also there and vital in getting the word out to prospec- Remember, “what you get out of HOLA is
tive members. Later, Susana Tubert (TSF Executive what you put into it.”
. . .Blanca V á s q u e z
Producer) came by to brighten our afternoon with her warm
energy.
Our main focus was to spread the word about
TeatroStageFest and Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors,
and establish Latino visibility at such a large event where
artists from different walks of life came together for a common goal. We were responsible for representing all of our
partnering organizations and serve the largest number of theater professionals and enthusiasts.
I found the day to be very successful. The event was well
attended. We had a diverse group of people stop by the booth
and we met actors that were eager to be a part of both organizations. With cameras in our faces for coverage, a ton of
people hungry to drop off their picture or resumes
approached the table. At one point we looked like we were
5
“The HOLA Pages (online directory of talent)
work[s]! Register at HOLA!” PAGE 8
TO ALL HOLA MEMBERS
Please advise the HOLA office whenever you get a call
for an audition where the casting director received your
information through HOLA or the HOLA Pages online
directory. Sometimes casting directors go through the
HOLA Pages directly and not contact us. Contacting us
helps us keep track of our progress. Help us help you.
Keep in touch with HOLA.
H O LA M e mb e r sh ip
M e et i ng: A H u ge
S ucc e s s !!
On Monday, January 14, 2008, HOLA had a membership
meeting at Repertorio Español in New York City.
Attendance was spectacular, as the theater, which seats
almost 150, was filled to capacity.
Attendees ranged from longtime HOLA members to members
who joined HOLA that very evening. The atmosphere at
Repertorio Español was a jovial one as the HOLA greeted
each other before the actual meeting over wine, cheese, fruits,
chips and salsa. This warm sentiment carried over into the
meeting, where it resembled a pep rally of sorts. Master of ceremonies (and HOLA s t a ff member) A.B. Lugo was greeted
with great applause at the start of the meeting and the applause
and cheers continued all the way through to the end.
Clockwise from top left: HOLA Board member and SAG Associate National
Director of Affirmative Action/Diversity Adam Moore addresses the crowd as
HOLA Board Chair Francisco G. Rivela looks on; HOLA members Alicia
Kaplan, Gilbert Cruz and Irene Velázquez; SAG New York Vice-President Mike
Hodge reports on the latest with the Screen Actors Guild; director/producer Arian
Blanco extols the virtues of HOLA. All photos by RZ Photography.
H O L A f á b r i c a Workshops and Seminars
Spanish Language Voiceover Wo r k s h o p
S t r a s b e rg Acting Technique Wo r k s h o p
Computers and the Actor Seminar
Marketing Yourself on the Internet
On-Camera Acting Seminar
Business of the Business Seminar
Other proposed workshops and seminars that were not confirmed by the time of the meeting (and at press time) include
a Movement for Actors workshop and an Audition
Techniques seminar.
There were also several
special
guests.
They
included talent agent J.J.
Adler of Abrams Artists,
director and producer
Arian Blanco, casting
directors Elsie C. Stark
and E l i z a b e t h G a n s o f
S t a r k
N a k e d
Productions/Elsie Stark
Casting and talent manager Tsu Tsu Stanton of Tsu Casting director and HOLA Advisory
Tsu Unlimited. All were on Board member Elsie C. Stark speaks with
hand to speak with the HOLA member Luis Carlos de la
membership and/or collect Lombana (that is his headshot she is
headshots and resumes. In holding). Photo by RZ Photography.
addition, Mike Hodge,
Vice-President of the New York branch of the Screen
Actors Guild spoke on the current status of the actors
union. Headshots and resumes were collected for the
industry professionals in attendance.
Clockwise from top left: HOLA staff member Blanca V á s q u e z, with volunteers
Raquel Rivela and Phoenix Xíménez check people in at the HOLA m e m b e rship meeting; HOLA Executive Director Manny A l f a ro addresses the crowd;
HOLA s t a ff member Noemí de la Puente makes an appeal to the membership;
HOLA members Laura Patalano and Jorge Pupo and HOLA volunteer
Cristina Luna toast HOLA. All photos by RZ Photography.
The membership meeting was called to highlight the many
changes and new projects proposed for 2008. They included
more workshops, seminars and services for HOLA members, as well as a new, more streamlined website. HOLA
staff members Blanca Vásquez and Noemí de la Puente
appealed to the membership to volunteer and provide leads
towards the continuing development of HOLA, respectively.
The meeting also introduced members of HOLA Executive
and Advisory Boards and (re-)introduced Francisco G.
Rivela, the new Chair of the HOLA Board of Directors. He
was a former Board Chair and Executive Director who
returned to the Executive Board after being an Honorary
After a brief question and answer period, after which it was
Board member.
announced that any unanswered questions would be answered
Some of HOLA’s projects include a bevy of workshops and via e-mail, on our website and through other sources, the
seminars. As a group it is referred to as HOLAfábrica (fábrica is meeting ended on a high note as 2008 looks to be a banner
the Spanish word for factory). Some of the HOLAfábrica work- year for the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors.
. . .Pepito Pére z
shops and seminars are listed in the next column.
6
B o c h i n c h e . . . Spanish for gossip. In Ricardo Hinoa, Carissa Jocett Toro, Sol Marina Crespo and
this column– nice gossip, good gossip.
Antonio Aponte acted in Patrick Marber’s Closer. Directed by
Dominique Pérez, Emmanuelle Bordas, Doris
Mártir and Justine Campbell-Elliott acted in the English-language NYC revival of Nilo Cruz’s Anna in the Tropics.
Directed by Ted Thompson, this production was produced at
The Heights Players at its namesake theater in the Brooklyn
Heights section of Brooklyn.
Gilbert Cruz e-mailed us to let us know that he acted in the
Sex and the City movie where he played Big’s chauffeur (and
acted opposite Chris Noth and Sarah Jessica Parker). He followed this up with an industrial for Flomax, two print campaigns for pharmaceuticals and a workshop production of a
new José Rivera play titled Boleros for the Disenchanted at
Hartford Stage in Connecticut.
Mel Nieves was cast in the production of Quiara
Alegría Hudes’s play Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue,
due to an HOLA referral. This particular production, directed by Katherine Kovner, was produced
by Luna Stage at their Luna’s Stage 2 in Montclair,
New Jersey. He also recently completed work on James
Carmichaels' play Stomp/Shout,directed by Molly Kramer and
presented by the Babel Theatre Project at The 45th Street
Theatre in the theater district of midtown Manhattan.
Verónica Caicedo, the show was produced by LA TEA,
Caicedo Productions and Latino College Expo and took place
at LA TEA theater in the CSV Center (home to HOLA) in the
Loisaida neighborhood of Manhattan. The production’s stage
manager was Mercedes Ilarraza.
Laura Patalano booked a commercial for WABC-TV in
New York.
Eastwind Theatre Company presented the play Two Rooms
in Davis. Written and directed by Brad Saville, the play took
place at the Richmond Shepard Theatre in the Kips Bay section of Manhattan and featured Jorge Pupo in the cast.
Repertorio Español presented the Isaac Chocrón play Escrito y
sellado. Directed by René Buch, the production is at
Repertorio’s eponymous theater in the Gramercy area of
Manhattan and features Iván Camilo, Zulema Clare s,
Francisco Gattorno, Pedro Serka and Tatiana Vecino in the cast.
Repertorio Español also presented two plays that deal with the
Mexican immigration issue. The first is Carlos Lacámara’s En
ningún lugar de la frontera, which was directed by José Zayas
and features Ernesto De Villa-Bejjani, Gabriel Gutiérrez,
Elka Rodríguez, Ed Trucco, and Carlos Valencia in the cast.
The second is Silvia González’s Vagón, which was directed by
Silvia Brito was the recipient of a lifetime achievement René Buch and featured Anthony Álvarez, Sergio Arras,
award from the Candilejas Theater Festival.
Ernesto De Villa Bejjani, Gabriel Gutiérrez, Rubén Luque,
Pablo Tufiño and Carlos Valencia.
Samaia Hernández let us that she booked a role
in a pilot due to the casting director seeing her Francisco Gattorno, Mimí Lazo and Jenniffer Díaz starred in
headshot in the HOLA Pages directory.
Las quiero a las dos (Los japoneses no esperan). Written by
Ricardo Talesnik and directed by René Buch, the show took
The Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance (BAAD!) presented place at Repertorio Español in the Gramercy area of Manhattan.
its annual Christmas play, Los Nutcrackers: A Christmas
Carajo. Written by Charles Rice-González and directed by Tere Martínez booked a voiceover for NBC
Jorge B. M e rc e d, the play starred Johnathan C e d a n o, through an HOLA referral.
Appolonia Cruz, Gabriel Morales, Cisco Pérez, Orlando
Ríos and Carlos Valencia and took place at BAAD! in the Actor/filmmaker César De León e-mailed us to let us know
Hunts Point section of the Bronx.
that he booked a role on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”
(NBC). In addition, a trailer for his feature directorial debut
Mónica Delgado booked a print ad for Gardasil
film, Salud, can be seen on YouTube. [Editor’s note: More
through a posting on the HOLA website.
information on this film can be seen on the websites
www.myspace.com/saludfilm and www.saludfilm.com.]
The Latino Experimental Fantastic Theater (LEFT) presented
Sol Levinton’s Brief Conversations at Los Kabayitos Theater in Mônica Steuer and Bruno Irizarry e-mailed us to let us
the CSV Cultutal and Educational Center (home to HOLA) in know that the film in which they worked, Shut Up and Do
the Loisaida section of Manhattan. Directed by Gloria Zelaya It!, won third place at the Cinemafest Puerto Rico film fesand choreographed by Ángel García Clemente and Silvana tival in San Juan. The film was directed by Irizarry and
Valz, the all-HOLA cast consisted of Marisol Carrere, Raúl Verónica Caicedo and starred Irizarry, Steuer, Puy Navarro
Dedos, Luis Galli, Romina Polnoroff and Angélica Ayala.
and Pedro Capó in the cast.
7
Teresa Yenque booked a workshop reading on
the Wajdi Mouawad play Scorched, as part of
the NYU HotINK festival, curated by Lorca
Peress of the Strasberg Studio. Directed by Isis
Saratial Misdary, the reading took place at New
York University in the NoHo section of Manhattan and also
featured Jeanine Serralles and Eduardo Placer in the cast.
[Editor’s note: Ms. Yenque booked the gig when the curator
contacted HOLA directly.]
Mike Smith Rivera can be seen in a national commercial for
Cheerios cereal and Pampers diapers.
The General Consulate of Spain in New York City presented
the play Homeless. Written and directed by Lorenzo Parro,
the show was presented at the Bronx Academy of Arts and
Dance (BAAD!) in the Hunts Point section of the south Bronx
and featured Parro, María Fajardo, Juan Carlos Parro, Miguel
Rosales and Gerardo Gudiño in the cast. Its stage manager
was Carina Gregorio.
Actor/playwright Mario Golden booked a radio commercial
thanks to his headshot being on the HOLA directory. He also
landed three auditions in two weeks. He writes us to say,
“The HOLA Pages work! Register at HOLA!”
Welcome New and Retur ning Member s
September 1, 2007 - Febru a ry 29, 2008
Arturo Batalla, Vanessa Benítez, Emmanuelle Bordas, Roberto
Cabrera, Iván Cardona, Howard Collado, Elisa Córdova, Regina
Esnal, Alexis Fernández, Sergio Fuenzalida, Jesús Fuerte, Enmanuel
García, Raffaelle Giusto, Kristen González, Carina Gregorio,
Marjorie Ocho Kouns, Jennifer Lecler, Adriana Matos, Aniluli
Muñecas, Edvin Ortega, Michael Palma, Luciano Patiño, Ángela
Pérez, Dominique Pérez, Paola Poucel, Amber Rivera, Gloria
Robles, J. Seary, Sonja Solberg, Ramón Torres.
Referral Activity
09/2007-02/2008
F i l m & Te l e v i s i o n
Chantiles Vigneault Casting
New York Film Academy
Commercials
Ricardo Razuri
Stark Naked Prods./Elsie Stark Casting
Industrials/Print
Jessica Brown Productions
Matt Messinger Casting
Stephanie Cohen Casting
Bradley Baron Casting
UrbanNYC
Theater
SEA
Repertorio Español
Orpheus Group
HExTC
Vo i c e o v e r
Stewart Productions
Wendy Curiel
Tanden Hayes
NBC
Kare Distribution
Engel Entertainment
Monadnock Media
485* HOLAMembers Submitted
* (does not include talent contacted directly via the HOLA Pages
online directory or any self-submitted talent inquiries)
La Nueva Ola F a l l / Winter 2007-2008 Issue
Editors: A.B. Lugo, Manny Alfaro.
Contributing Writers: A.B. Lugo, Noemí de la Puente, Blanca
Vásquez, Pepito Pérez.
Contributing Photographers: Noemí de la Puente (page 4),
Michael Palma (cover and page 2), RZ Photography (cover
and page 6), Gary Santana (cover and page 3), Jason Sturm
(cover and pages 2 and 3). Actors’ headshots shown here are
courtesy of the respective actor.
Inma Heredia acted in the Prospect Theater Company/Panoply
Theater Laboratory production of Shiver Meek and Mute.
Written by Matthew Smith and directed by Esther Neff, the production took place at the Hudson Guild Theater in Manhattan’s
Chelsea neighborhood. She followed this up with an evening
of comical one-acts. Entitled Bumlinger presents..., it took
place at The Producers’ Club Theaters in the theater district of
midtown Manhattan and featured Rafael Fuentes, Luis Galli,
Elga Lahoz, Silvia Tovar and Henry Williams. She also lent her Tristan Laurence Pére z booked a role in the indepensinging and dancing talents toward various fundraising events, dent film I n s i d i o u s, directed by Nick Schram.
most recently one for breast cancer research.
Rose González booked two national commercials, for
LA TEA and Cardinal Art Initiative presented Langston Sears and Boar’s Head, respectively. She sent us an eHughes’ musical Tambourines to Glory. Directed by Cheryl mail where she tells us, “T h roughout the years I have
D. Hescott, the production took place at LA TEA in the been on tons of auditions, taken many classes and
Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center (home to HOLA) in the done my fair s h a re of background. I finally got my
Loisaida section of Manhattan and featured Saltasia Brown, big bre a k !” She also advises to all HOLA members to
Winter-Lee Holland, Jesús E. Martínez and Luis Enrique “follow your d reams and do what you truly love.
Flores in the cast.
Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. Hard work
and dedication will pay off in the end.”
Damaris Cabrera, Olga Fernández, Wanda Ferreiras and
Héctor Palacios performed a tour of New York City and Mount A.B. Lugo (this writer) acted in the New York premiere
Vernon, New York of the Dinorah Coronado play Las mujeres of his self-penned solo show Manchild Machismo as part
de febrero con Duart e. Presented by El Teatro Coronado and of the BAAD! Blaktino Performance Series. The producdirected by Palacios, the play dealt with Dominican historical tion, directed by Leslie “ButtaFlySoul” Taylor, was profigures Juan Pablo Duarte, Rosa Duarte, Juana Saltitopa and duced at the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance in the
María Trinidad Sánchez.
Hunts Point section of the Bronx.
New Perspectives Theater Company presented a production of
Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. Directed by Kerry
Watterson, the play was presented at the Spoon Theater in the theater district of midtown Manhattan and featured Julio Neira,
Ariel Estrada, Julio Peña, Ray Rodríguez and Débora Balardini
in the cast.
8
That’s it for now.
Keep your postcards and e-mails coming.
When you’re working, it means we’re working.
...A.B. Lugo.
MORE 2007 HOLA AWARDS PHOTOS ON www.hellohola.org.