A unique fusion of professional bilingual theater, youth development, and community development in Columbia Heights, GALA mounts a wide range of works by artists from Spain, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the US. These accessible performances engage some 20,000 audience members a year, including local pre-K to 12th-grade students. Through its year-round, award-winning arts education and training program, Paso Nuevo, Latinx youth explore their cultural identities in a safe and supportive environment. They work together on multi-arts performances that combine writing, acting, dance, and music while building theater, academic, and workforce skills. Some 85% of program graduates pursue college or land a job. Showcasing the breadth of Latino culture through the arts, GALA doesn’t just deepen cross-cultural understanding; it builds a thriving Latinx community, too.

Headquarters: DC-Ward 1

Where They Operate: DC-Ward 1; Columbia Heights

Age Groups Served: Pre-K (3-4); Youth (5-11); Pre-teen/teen (12-17); Young adult (18-24); Adult (25-49); Seniors (50+); All

Population(s) Served: All


  • Number of people (clients, patrons, students, etc) we serve annually:   23,000
  • Number of people (clients, students, seniors, youth, etc) served annually by our arts outreach programming:   23,000
  • Artists employed by us annually:   190
  • Performances/exhibits/art classes, etc. offered annually:   110
  • Community financial impact annually:   100,000

Awards & Recognition

2012 National Arts and Humanities Youth Arts Program Award
2014 Visionary Award to Hugo and Rebecca Medrano

Press

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Budget (FY2021)

  • $3 million or higher
  • The current budget for GALA Hispanic Theatre is: $1 million to $3 million
  • $500k to $1 million
  • Less than $500k

Catalogue charities range in size from $100,000 to $3 million. This graphic indicates the budget range of the organization featured here. If you see an organizational budget above the $3 million mark, that is because the featured charity has grown in size since it first appeared in the Catalogue. We proudly present on our website the work of these "growth" charities.

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