Trinity Rep's 'La Broa' (Broad Street)' is a 'love letter' to a vibrant Latino community
Rudy Cabrera might have grown up on Providence’s East Side, but the son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic was very familiar with the Latino culture thriving on Broad Street.
It was, after all, where he’d stay with his “cool aunt,” who let him enjoy Dominican festivals way past his curfew, and where his mother sent him to buy hair products at Sanchez Market.
“It was where we went to see some action,” the 35-year-old laughs.
An actor and spoken-word poet, Cabrera has spent the last few years reconnecting with memories of the neighborhood and learning about the activism cultivated there through work on “La Broa’ (Broad Street),” making its world premiere Jan. 18 at Trinity Repertory Company.
Playwright Orlando Hernández calls the collection of stories – culled from oral histories collected by Marta Martínez relaying 60 years of Providence’s Latino immigrant experience – “a love letter to Broad Street.” Cabrera attended a work session on “La Broa’” during the pandemic, reading what was then a very long piece.
With participants’ feedback, he says, “Orlando found a common thread in the stories and developed a storyline” that is tighter without losing their essence.
Playing Pedro, who runs for political office, and other roles, Cabrera says “La Broa’” shares a glimpse at life in a bustling community that revolves around a market, much like the one his parents ran when he was growing up.
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“It’s about how a community comes together when people have their backs against the wall,” he says.
People arrive speaking “varying degrees of English” but find commonality quickly in such basic needs as a store selling their native foods. That connection, as well as shared experiences such as unjust treatment due to limited English proficiency, evolves into a community which can spark activism, Cabrera says.
“The stories really capture how conscious activism and culture work together,” he says.
Hearing the stories for the first time gave him a sense of historical context for the Broad Street neighborhood, as did a tour the cast took of the area. The corner where people had some early political conversations, he discovered, was outside his aunt’s former apartment.
Taunted by neighborhood kids when he was growing up because his own Spanish was poor, Cabrera says he knew he was Dominican but called himself Afro-Latino.
“I was a little bit of a lot of things. This experience highlighting that aspect of me is a beautiful thing,” he says. “I’m re-finding myself.”
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Doing so embodies advice from his longtime mentor, local actor and co-founder of Mixed Magic Theatre Ricardo Pitts-Wiley.
“He said, ‘It’s one thing to be able to tell a character’s story, but the most valuable story you can tell is your own,’” Cabrera says.
The stories of “La Broa’” sparked such passion in him that he and spoken-poetry friends hosted a promotion last month at Troop in Providence. He selected poets who could address the play’s three themes – activism, community and music – to encourage younger Latino people to see the Trinity production.
“My gut told me to do a little bit more for this," Cabrera says. "I’m always impressed with the audiences they pull in [at Troop]. I wanted to promote this to that audience.”
If you go ...
What: “La Broa’ (Broad Street)”
Where: Trinity Repertory Company, 201 Washington St., Providence
When: Jan. 18-Feb. 18
Tickets: $30-$104 (Jan. 18 show is pay what you wish)
Info: trinityrep.com; (401) 351-4242
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: New play 'La Broa' celebrates Latino culture of Providence's Broad St.
