Teatrotaller, (Spanish for "Theater-workshop"), was founded in 1993 by a group of enthusiastic and energetic students on the Cornell campus. With the idea of preserving and promoting Spanish, Latin American and Latinx cultures through theater, Teatrotaller has devoted itself to the production of plays in Spanish and "Spanglish." Now, more than 30 years later,with over 100 productions to its credit, Teatrotaller holds a well earned reputation for excellence in artistic performances. In addition to its regular performances in Cornell University, Teatrotaller has also performed nationally at many locations throughout the USA, and internationally in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and South Asia. We collaborate annually with the upstate Performing Identities Across Cultures (PICS) regional microteatro festivals.
If you represent a university, you can invite the group to your campus!
Teatrotaller presents classical, contemporary and experimental plays of Hispanic origin to the community. Our productions have ranged from the fast-paced Spanish comedy, "Yo tengo un tío en América " to the documentary play, "La mujer que cayó del cielo" (presented in Ithaca and Mexico); the world premier peformances of three short plays by Nora Glickman in Ithaca and in Israel; the collective creation project based on a field visit to Chiapas, "Kan Balaam"; the adaptation of Cristina Michaus' "Mujeres de Ciudad Juárez " to sold-out crowds in Ithaca and Quito, Ecuador; José Casas' "14" (including a visit by the playwright); the original rave play, "Adult Roy's Badland" (Ithaca and Bucharest); and the year-and-a-half long collaboration with the Chaepani arts collective in Kolkata to produce "Root Map" in Ithaca, Kolkata, El Paso,Texas, and the Almanzo Wilder historic homestead in collaboration with the Mohawk nation and the Native North American Travelling College at Akwesasne on the USA-Canadian border. We also work closely with community members on locally grounded collective creation plays speaking to Latin American and Latinx issues and identities, including collective creation works around social justice issue like our touring play, "Diamantina rosa," by local singer/songwriter/novelist/playwright Ana Florencia López Ulloa focusing on gender violence in Mexico.
You do not need to be a member of the Cornell community to participate: anyone and everyone is welcome to become a member of Teatrotaller
as long as they are willing to fulfill all tasks to which they commit themselves. Recent collaborations including community members include our annual pastorelas, always celebrated downtown, and always welcoming the creative energy of our youth.
Latina/o Studies or Latin American Studies 3010 (Teatrotaller): Students may enroll in Latinx Theater
Production 3010 and take the course for letter grade or on a S/U basis. All students signing up for the course are involved in some
aspect of production of the play, and write a final paper as a course requirement.
The final grade for the course will be based on individual contributions as well as the overall quality of the performance. Credit is variable depending upon the student's role in play production: a minimum
of 50 hours of work is required for one credit; a maximum of three credits will
be awarded for students who make major time commitments. Click here to see what past students have said about Teatrotaller.