In February, the held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of its new black box theater space in downtown Waterbury. Those doors are officially closing eight months later on October 31.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not closing as a group. We鈥檙e just closing the physical doors,鈥� said Rafael Feliciano-Roman, the founder and executive director of the Pa鈥檒ante Theater Company and its parent organization, the Afro-Caribbean Cultural Center.
Several theaters across 黑料吃瓜网 lost federal funding in early May due to cuts from the Trump administration. The Pa鈥檒ante Theater was one of them with a loss of $65,000, according to Feliciano-Roman.
Fundraising efforts over the summer couldn鈥檛 cover that gap, Feliciano-Roman said. But that wasn鈥檛 the only contributing factor.
Feliciano-Roman said structural damage to the location from heavy flooding presented another challenge. The company also saw staffing challenges. The theater company has gone down from 10 staff members to four, Feliciano-Roman said.
鈥淲ith the combination of all those things, we just made an assessment, and we said, we tried a GoFundMe very publicly, to try to raise some funds, the stars didn't align, and that's okay,鈥� Feliciano-Roman said.
The closing of the physical space isn鈥檛 stopping Feliciano-Roman and the Pa鈥檒ante team from creating room in the world of theater for Afro-Latine stories. Instead, they鈥檙e staying true to one of Feliciano-Roman鈥檚 original inspirations for Pa鈥檒ante: the New York-based Puerto Rican Traveling Theater Company.
鈥淟et's go back to a theater and a center without walls, and get rid of all that overhead. Let's get rid of all that cost of rent and utilities y todo esa cosa [and all that stuff],鈥� Feliciano-Roman said. 鈥淟et's just see this as a blessing. Let's see this as an opportunity to shed ourselves of a physical burden of space.鈥�
That鈥檚 how Pa鈥檒ante started back in 2023 when it showcased 鈥淐alling Puerto Rico鈥� as a traveling theater company for its inaugural season. Feliciano-Roman said that鈥檚 what they鈥檒l go back to.
鈥淲e're going to take 2026 to regroup. So in 2027 we can come up with a small season of about three shows,鈥� Feliciano-Roman said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e cooking up as a little team some really cool stuff in 2026. We were thinking of doing a 24-hour one act theater festival night or a workshop festival for any new playwrights who want to do workshop readings of their scripts.鈥�
Pa鈥檒ante siempre, moving forward always
Fior Rodriguez starred in Pa鈥檒ante鈥檚 inaugural show in 2023 and has since been an eager actress ready to join the Pa鈥檒ante crew on stage at a moment鈥檚 notice. Rodriguez said it was devastating to hear that the black box space was closing.
鈥淚t is discouraging in the moment, for sure, especially as an artist who has now been robbed of her little home in Waterbury,鈥� Rodriguez said, 鈥渂ut I remain optimistic. I have faith that Pa鈥檒ante will find a way, and we'll make a comeback.鈥�
Given the closure of the black box space and the fiscal challenges the arts are facing nationwide due to funding cuts, Rodriguez said it鈥檚 now on audiences to support local art.
鈥淓veryone wants the support of a village, but no one wants to be a villager,鈥� Rodriguez said. 鈥淵ou gotta put in the effort if you want to see a community thrive.鈥�
Feliciano-Roman couldn鈥檛 agree more.
鈥淚t's important and vital that people do support the arts in whatever way they can and specifically Black and brown art and culture and theater shows,鈥� Feliciano-Roman said, 鈥渂ecause then that shows these venues in this market that it鈥檚 vitally important, and I don't just mean Pa鈥檒ante. I mean all of them.鈥�
If that support pulls through, Feliciano-Roman said he hopes to one day see his dream of having a Pa鈥檒ante black box theater in every major city in 黑料吃瓜网 realized.
鈥淲e had a glimpse of that here in Waterbury. I saw it and got a taste of it.鈥� Feliciano-Roman said. 鈥淚 still want that for our community, and I still want that for our people, and I think we need that.鈥�
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The best way to stay up to date on the and its events, Feliciano-Roman said, is to follow the company on social media, such as , and .
