Growing Pains Gala Hispanic Theater Finds New Home, Celebrates 25th Season By Gary Tischler The first time there was ever such a thing as Gala Hispanic Theater, it was operated by not-yet-married Hugo and Rebecca Medrano out of a townhouse at 18th Street and Kalorama Avenue in Adams Morgan. Now, 25 years and various moves later, Gala has found a new home at the Warehouse Theater at 1021 7th St. NWóin a decidedly urban and experimental space that seats only 100. But appearances are deceiving. "It may feel a little like weíre at a beginning again, but weíre not starting over," Rebecca Medrano said. "The space is, I donít know, a place for edgy theater and thatís all to the good. It lets us, makes us, use different approaches. And we have a yearís lease, so itís a transitional period and space for us." Galaís brief period of physical uncertainty came about after it became impossible for the company to stay at the Park Street location it had occupied in Mount Pleasant for 15 years. While there was some hope that it might gain the Church Street Theater site, that went to the Stanislavsky Theater Studio instead, so Gala ended up at the Warehouse. Gala in Mount Pleasant had the built- in advantage and comfort of being a neighborhood site, one that was also a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood at that. But under the Medranos, Gala had already built up a considerable reputation for Spanish-language theater, for producing plays in the classic tradition and of a more contemporary nature. It was a theater company that had created an honored niche for itself, not only in the very diverse Hispanic community of Washington but also in the Washington Theater Awards Society, of which Gala board member Abel Lopez is a prominent member. Hugo Medrano, Galaís founder, frequent actor and artistic director, received the coveted Helen Hayes award in 1994 for his portrayal of Molinaóthe gay window dresseróin Galaís production of "Kiss of the Spider Woman," which it will reprise this season. When the Argentine-born Medrano came to Washington in the 1970s, there was no such thing as Hispanic theater in Washington, no place for Latino actors or theater folk to work, no Spanish language theater of any sort, no place where members of the Spanish-speaking community could hear the great playwrights and poets of their culture. Over the years, Medrano and Gala changed all that. First in Adams Morgan, then on Kennedy Street and later in Mount Pleasant, the works of CalderÛn de la Barca, Lope de Vega and the great heroes of the Spanish golden age could be seen again, as well as works by contemporary Latin American playwrights, as well as the works of Federico Garcia Lorca, the near mythic Spanish playwright who was murdered in the Spanish Civil War of the l930s. Lorcaís plays about sex and power, his jaunts into autobiography and riffs on classical themes have all been served well by Gala, which staged a still well-remembered and powerful production of "The House of Bernardo Alba" in the 1980s. Lorca, fittingly, kicks off Galaís 25th anniversary season with a production of "Asi Que Pasan Cinco AÒos (Once Five Years Pass)," a rarely produced drama thatís considered one of Lorcaís most intimate and ambitious plays. Medrano will direct the production, which will be performed in Spanish with simultaneous English interpretation. It runs from Oct. 19 through Nov. 26. Also on tap for the 2000-01 season is "Almas Gemelas (Soul Mates)" by Argentine playwright Eduardo Rovner, which runs from Feb. 15 to March 18. In addition, thereíll be a series of special events, presented in partnership with Sol & Soul, a D.C.-based arts organization that bridges art and activism. This will include performances by the Gala/Sol & Soul Youth Performance Workshop, two evenings of poetry with Santa Feís Joe Ray Sandoval and D.C.ís Quique Aviles. There will also be a performance art evening with Lisa Alvarado in "The Housekeeperís Diary," and a one-woman show by Elia Arce plus Ping Chong and Company chronicling tales of the D.C. immigrant communities, and Three Kingsí Day in January, a traditional Hispanic holiday celebration for the whole family. In short, Gala at the Warehouse is much the same as Gala before: freewheeling, ambitious, very much a Hispanic company, but always touching upon the universal. "Thatís one of the things that weíve always tried to do," Hugo Medrano said. "Weíve tried to reach out to the whole community. Itís a kind of cross-pollination that goes on with our productions: audiences learning from the experiences, the company learning from audiences." "Itís going to be strange not to be in the neighborhood setting," said Rebecca Medrano. "But this is a new challenge and a new home." And itís another opportunity to do what Gala has done all alongóbuild bridges, provide opportunities to nurture Hispanic talent, creating artistic networking and exchanges overseas, and letting the particular genius of Hispanic theaterófrom the old world and the newóshine in performance. For information or ticket reservations, you can still call Gala at its old number: (202) 234-7174. Gary Tischler is the arts reviewer for The Washington Diplomat.