We are only 20% away from reaching our goal to opening the doors of Water People Theater in-person STUDIO, a bilingual theatrical training space committed to human and social values.

Water People Theater STUDIO is our bilingual theatrical training program which is targeted toward both children and adults. This program was designed with a concept of high artistic excellence and a strong commitment to the ideals of inclusion, justice, and peace.

The suspension of all of our 2020 - 2021 in-person programming due to COVID-19, was a major hit to the organization. WPT STUDIO was the project that was most severely affected. We were forced to postpone its in-person launch for two years.

We are now very hopeful that we will finally open our in-person Studio. Our main goal is to start activities this year and we ask for your support to help us achieve the opening of our studio.

At WPT STUDIO, we have designed a series of workshops and creative labs that are targeted at developing talents, skills, and a sense of social responsibility in children and adults.

Our main purpose is to stimulate our participants’ desire to be better human beings, more qualified professionals and to develop their engagement with the community.

The training for children has been designed to stimulate human, social, and environmental values.

The workshops aimed at youth and adults are created as a  space to develop tools and techniques that enhance their talent, creativity, and theatrical skills. They also aim to activate profound engagement to create high-quality theater committed to human beings.

• Goal 1. Open the doors of Water People Theater in-person Studio for children and adults.
• Goal 2. Continue our WPT Online Studio programming in order to maintain the connection we established  with the rest of the world through it.

In our 20 years of existence, we have taught more than 20 workshops for acting, stand-up comedy, playwriting, screenplay writing, directing for theater, and short film direction in Chicago, Miami, and Caracas.

During the pandemic, we launched Water People Theater Studio virtually. We carried out 8 workshops and 4 creative labs. 127 kids and adults participated from Chicago, Miami, NYC, Spain, Perú, Colombia, Argentina, and Venezuela. 56 scholarships were awarded to children living in vulnerable situations due to domestic violence, homeless parents, and for being Latino refugees.

To be able to award scholarships to children in extremely vulnerable conditions and bear witness to their emotional, creative and imaginative growth, represents the greatest achievement for WPT Online Studio Kids.

Water People Theater Studio wants to reach the greatest number of children and adults - especially from vulnerable communities that have very limited access to the arts. We have created this program to serve as an inclusive meeting space for people of all backgrounds, cultures, and religions.

Your support is vital to move forward.
Please donate now! 

We believe in the inclusive and transformative power of theater

Creemos en la inclusiva y transformadora fuerza del teatro

Our name, Water People Theater, comes from the Venezuelan indigenous group Yekuana. It signifies people on the river who open roads in the water.

For 20 years, we have opened roads for human rights through the inclusive and transformative power of theater.

Water People Theater is a bilingual Latino theater non-profit organization dedicated to the development of performing arts and theater. Our mission is to attract new and diverse talents to create high-quality theater that inspires a very diverse audience to seek change and  ​contribute decidedly to equity, justice, respect, and inclusion.

Since our birth, we have worked intensely with three goals:

• Excellence in our artistic and educational programs.
• To bring universal and topical subjects to the stage.
• Inspire audiences to take part in attaining a world of justice and peace.

We believe in the power of theater to bring people together to inspire action, encourage understanding, and facilitate harmony among diverse communities.

We are an inclusive organization that does not exclude based on ethnicity, status, gender identity or sexual orientation.

We are committed to themes and content that create a sense of community and cross socioeconomic boundaries to access underserved individuals and communities who may not have been exposed to art.

Our programmatic action is developed in two main areas:

Production 

• The production of high-quality plays that deals with subjects committed to the promotion of human and social values and the defense of human rights.
• The design and production of theatrical events for the exchange between diverse cultures in order to unite people for a just society.

Education

• Water People Theater Studio, our theatrical bilingual training program, is committed to inspiring better human beings and is aimed both at children and adults.

For 20 years, we have opened roads for human rights through
the inclusive and transformative power of theater.

During these 20 years we have achieved:

• 37 Plays. 
• 21 Seasons. 
• 5 Short Films in defense of Human Rights. 
• 10 Campaigns for peace. 
• 12 Participations in international theater and film festivals. 
• 2 ACE Awards, NYC. 
• 1 ALTA Award, Chicago. 
• Over 117,000 spectators.
• For three consecutive years (2017-2019), we opened the Chicago International Latino Theater Festival “Destinos”, and we also inaugurated their International Cultural Exchange Program in México City. 
• During 20 months of quarantine, we have gathered: more than 9000 spectators, 79 actors, 41 directors, 44 playwrights, and 44 producers on our virtual stage. Overall, more than 260 Latino professionals located in different cities around the world have participated in our 47  online productions.
• In June 2020 we launched Water People Theater Online STUDIO. To date, we have run 8 workshops and 4 creative labs. 127 kids and adults participated from Chicago, Miami, NYC, Spain, Perú, Panamá, Colombia, Argentina, and Venezuela. 56 scholarships were awarded to children living in vulnerable situations due to domestic violence, homeless parents, and for being Latino refugees. 

“Alemán’s richly crafted performance (It lives with me as I write)...”
CHRIS JONES – CHICAGO TRIBUNE

“Any journalist seeing this show is going to have a visceral reaction, as well as admiration for its exploration of the compromises and deficiencies of courage that often beset even the best newsroom” .
CHRIS JONES – CHICAGO TRIBUNE

“Water People Theater's contribution to Destinos is sobering but poetic”.
KERRY REID - CHICAGO READER

“A formidable cast”. 
HEDY WEISS - CHICAGO SUN-TIMES.

"The Worst Of All, an intense, poetic work by Venezuelan playwright Iraida Tapias, that captures the passion and tragic destruction of Sor Juana Inés De La Cruz" Hedy Weiss, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

"In a way, that’s a metaphor for what journalists are, they keep these memories for us, they tell the stories for us”.
 KERRY REID / THE DUELING CRITICS / WDCB 90.9 FM

“A delicate performance with a powerful message” 
RENO LOVISON - CHICAGO THEATER AND ARTS

"Aleman’s moving story, performed by a superb cast, is honorably directed by the acclaimed Venezuelan playwright, screenwriter, and artistic director of the water people, Iraida Tapias”.
 RUTH SMERLING - THEATER WORLD INTERNET MAGAZINE. 

“An opportunity to witness the universal nature of good acting, a craft that transcends cultural and language barriers'’. 
BILL ESLER - BUZZ CENTER STAGE 

“BEAUTIFUL ACTING… PERFORMED WITH TRUTH”.  
Jonathan Abarbanel / WINDY CITY TIMES

As a non-profit organization, we are always open to volunteers who wish to collaborate with Water People Theater on this wonderful and rewarding journey.

You can also support us by spreading this message to people who can contribute to this campaign.

A visit to our website, a follow on Instagram or a subscription to our YouTube channel, are actions that connect you to us and that we value as we continue our work.

Spread the word about Water People Theater. Tweet about us, Facebook about us. Instagram about us:

#WeAreWaterPeople #SomosWaterPeople #WaterPeopleTheater

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