INTAR Theatre
Founded by Max Ferra in 1966, INTAR has been producing Latino Theater in English for almost five decades. Originally situated in a previously abandoned building on 53rd Street, the theater was housed in various locations before moving to its current location. The intimate, fifty-nine-person space was built by reassembling materials from the original theater. I was fascinated by INTAR’s rich history and its English-language premiers of works by authors as renowned as Mario Vargas Llosa and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The theater has long served as an essential setting for Spanish-speaking actors and playwrights. As Lou Moreno, INTAR’s Artistic Director, explained, “Essentially every Latino artist in New York has passed through our doors at some point.”
In addition to producing an incredible set of plays, INTAR runs the Hispanic Playwrights in Residence Lab, initiated by the American-Cuban playwright Maria Irene Fornes in 1981, and a young-artist-in-residence program, known as Unit 52. Located on the fourth floor of an unmarked building, INTAR is certainly off the beaten path but, as Lou said, “It’s the place to go if you want to see who’s going to be on Broadway tomorrow.” So brave the rickety elevator (or climb the stairs) and prepare to be transported.
