In the South Bronx, where migrant stories beat on every corner, ID Studio Theater celebrates 25 years transforming those experiences into theater. Under the motto Where Art Meets Community, the company inaugurates its special season with Hotel de Vagabundos, within the framework of African American History Month and as part of TeatroFest NYC 2026.
Founded in 2001 and formally incorporated in 2005, the organization has produced more than 25 original bilingual productions and numerous community workshops. Its approach goes beyond the stage: it integrates neighbors, students and artists in creative processes that explore identity, memory and social justice. For a quarter of a century, he has told the immigrant experience with depth, humanity and commitment.
A story set in Harlem
From February 20 to 22 and April 24 to 26, 2026, the stage at 311 East 140th Street in the South Bronx becomes a 1940s Harlem boarding house. In approximately 65 minutes and in English, Hotel de Vagabundos immerses the audience in a story of suspicion, fear and dignity. The work portrays immigrants who share narrow rooms and dreams of progress, while dealing with invisible borders and the constant surveillance of the city.
Everything changes when an accusation shakes the stability of the boarding house: one of the residents faces the possibility of execution. Between hallways and whispers, the community decides whether to remain silent or unite to seek the truth. More than a period drama, the play connects with current events, addressing racial segregation, criminalization of black immigrants, Afro-Latino identity, and the myth of the American dream. But it also celebrates the solidarity that emerges when injustice hits close to home: in that hotel, not only the innocence of one man is at stake, but the collective dignity of those who have been historically marginalized.
A pioneering Afro-Latin voice
Written in 1956 by Afro-Colombian Manuel Zapata Olivella, Hotel de Vagabundos reflects the experience of being an immigrant in New York. Olivella observes the city with rawness and humanity, leaving a record of the Afro-Latin presence rarely documented in the theater of his time.
Decades later, the play returns to the Bronx in translation by Everett Dixon, adaptation and direction by Germán Jaramillo, music by Pablo Mayor and performances by Gilberto Gabriel, Frank Rodríguez and Michael William. Presenting it during African American History Month turns the performance into an act of memory that expands the African-American story and integrates, in its own right, the history of the Latino diaspora in New York.
An anniversary with projection
For 25 years, ID Studio Theater has built bridges between the Bronx, Latin America, Africa and Europe, bringing its theater to universities, international festivals, schools, correctional centers and community spaces. He has collaborated with organizations such as CaringKind, Make the Road NY, and the New York Public Library, and in 2024 he participated in the 14th Jorge Isaacs International Symposium at the Université Cheikh Anta Diop in Senegal, expanding his global reach.
In 2026, the company officially joins the Alliance of Latino Theaters NY and participates in TeatroFest NYC 2026, which from February 27 to May 3 will present more than 20 Latin productions in three boroughs of New York. In a context of immigration debates and cultural cuts, its anniversary reaffirms that immigrant and Afro-Latin stories are an essential part of the city’s memory.
The season will continue with ARSENIO!, inspired by the legacy of Arsenio Rodríguez, and with PETRA, an immersive proposal about structural violence and intimate life, demonstrating that ID Studio Theater continues to combine art and community, celebrating memory and questioning reality from the stage.
