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New York has no shortage of theaters, but until now, Washington Heights and Inwood had none of their own. That changes this week with the opening of The People’s Theatre: Centro Cultural Inmigrante, a new $40 million arts center at 419 West 206th Street.
The formal ribbon-cutting occurred yesterday, September 15, with Broadway icon Lin-Manuel Miranda, elected officials and the theater’s co-founder and executive artistic director, Mino Lora, among those in attendance . The public will be able to tour the space on Saturday, September 19, at a free community open house.
And there’s plenty to explore: the 19,000-square-foot center has a main-stage theater with retractable seating for audiences of 99 to 208, a studio theater that seats up to 45, rehearsal space, a soundproof practice room, a gallery and a lobby café.
The People’s Theatre plans to fill those rooms with plays centered on immigrant experiences, along with concerts, dance, film screenings, classes and community events. The organization is now in its 18th season, but this is its first permanent home. According to the theater, the center is New York’s first immigrant cultural center and the state’s largest Latino theater.
The new address also gives uptown artists space to rehearse and perform close to the communities they work with. Designed by the woman- and immigrant-owned architecture firm WORKac, the center occupies part of a new mixed-use building. Its flexible theaters can accommodate productions of different sizes, while the lobby and gallery leave room for gatherings that don’t require a ticket.
For opening day, the theater is inviting neighbors inside from 2pm to 5pm on September 19 for performances, workshops, family activities and backstage tours. An intergenerational Jazz Power Jam follows at 5pm. The open house is free with an RSVP; food and drinks will be available for purchase.
The inaugural season then moves from celebration to the stage. GUAC, written and performed by Manuel Oliver, runs September 25 through October 10. The play draws on the life of his son Joaquín “Guac” Oliver, who was killed in the 2018 Parkland school shooting.
If your idea of New York theater begins and ends at Times Square, consider this an invitation to head uptown.