EVENTS A-Z

Drawing on personal experiences, the author’s alter-ego and protagonist visits the local kids’ playground —super cute baby in tow— and ruminates on the ins and outs of parenting, mixed heritage, and invisible difference. Equal parts theater and polemic, Quarter Rican gets funny between urban and suburban, top dog and underdog, Puerto Rican flag and come what may!

About Gabriel Hernández: Gabriel is an actor, emcee, voiceover artist, and educator who originally hails from Hoboken, NJ. After receiving a bachelor's degree in Latin American Studies and a master's degree in Education, both from Yale University, he taught history and theater in middle schools and high schools in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut before transitioning full-time into the arts world. As a performer, Gabe is a proud member of Pregones Theater's acting and music ensemble in the Bronx. Recent theater credits include It's a Wonderful Life (Mile Square Theatre), La Canción (Repertorio Español), El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom (Two River Theater), the 2x Drama Desk Award-nominated CasablancaBox (HERE Arts) and The NY Times Critic’s Pick ¡Guaracha! (PRTT), for which he won an ATI award for best actor in a musical. His solo show Quarter Rican was developed at Pregones’s Step-Up Residency. Excerpts of the piece have been featured at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, the podcast Bagels and Plantains, and a workshop presentation at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theater. He lives in Jersey City Heights with his wife Rachel and their two young sons.

About Jorge Merced: Jorge B. Merced is an acclaimed actor, director, dramaturg, songwriter, and arts educator. As Associate Artistic Director of Pregones/PRTT he plays a key role in the development of the company’s acting and music ensemble, creative methodology, and original repertory, and also leads its lifelong arts learning programs. Distinctions include the Dewar’s Young Artist Award, BRIO Award of The Bronx Council on the Arts, and multiple recognitions for his groundbreaking LGBTQ-themed Asunción Playwrights Project and juried play competition. He is co-author of the New York City Department of Education’s Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts: Theater and certified Master Trainer in methodologies of the National Center for Creative Aging. He serves on The Lucille Lortel Awards Nominating Committee.