FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kimberly Deckant

March 18, 2013 202-234-7174/kimberly@galatheatre.org

GALA
presents

Tough Reality/Pasos Malos

by the Paso Nuevo Youth Performance Group with guest artists from DC and the Bronx WASHINGTON, D.C. Paso Nuevo, GALAs Youth Performance Group, presents the world premiere of Tough Reality/Pasos Malos on Friday, March 29 at 8 pm and Saturday, March 30, 2013 at 8 pm. Special guest artists will perform each night with Paso Nuevo. On March 29, Walker Valdez, a Bolivian American poet, who is a former member of Paso Nuevo and Spoken Resistance, will also perform. On March 30, DreamYard Bronx Acting Ensemble from New York will join Paso Nuevo for an artistic exchange during the day and will present a new piece that the groups will collaboratively create for the evening presentation. Paso Nuevo and DreamYard are both recipients of a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award that were presented by First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House in November 2012. Tough Reality is Paso Nuevos latest collective creation. As the topics of gun violence and the increasing death rate among youth dominate the national dialogue and debate, Paso Nuevo provides its views on these issues. Tough Reality addresses the constant struggle and tension experienced by disadvantaged youth and the challenges they face to stay above the fray. Tough Reality will be presented on Friday, March 29 and Saturday, March 30, 2013 at 8 pm at the GALA Theatre located on 3333 14th Street, NW in Washington, DC. Parking is available behind the theater in the Giant garage on Park Road, NW. Additional parking is available at the Target garage also on Park Road, between 14th and 16th Streets. The theater is also easily accessible from the Columbia Heights Metro station on the Yellow and Green lines. Performed in English with some Spanish, Tough Reality contains strong language. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted. For more information, call 202-234-7174 or visit www.galatheatre.org.

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ABOUT PASO NUEVO AND DREAMYARD BRONX ACTING ENSEMBLE Now in its 21st year, Paso Nuevo is GALAs after-school theater arts program that targets at-risk Latino youth, ages 12 to 18. The workshops are held throughout the year and provide a safe environment in which youth can explore issues of identity and cultural differences, articulate their values, increase self-esteem, and gain bilingual skills that will enhance their academic performance and future career opportunities. Additionally, the youth involved in this project control all aspects of the theatrical process, from conception to technical direction and marketing. Under the guidance of Quique Avils and Matthew Vaky, the young artists of Paso Nuevo use their talents and artistic expression to create a positive change in the community. DreamYard uses the arts to inspire youth, public schools and communities. DreamYards Bronx Acting Ensemble (BAE) is a theater company for teens. BAE members create theatre that reflects their life experiences through a rigorous and collaborative artistic process while learning the fundamentals of acting, writing and directing. Participants develop skills that empower them to be self-sufficient artists able to market and promote their work; outreach to their community, and manage different elements of production. All of these experiences provide BAE members with the skill-set they need to become the next generation of theatre artists. GALA is also pleased to be collaborating for the fifth time with Theatre Labs Life Stories Program. Through Life Stories, The Theatre Lab brings theatre to places that rarely have access to the arts, such as transitional homes, vocational schools, youth prisons, homeless shelters, and homes for the elderly. Life Sores allows community groups to create their own stories, often based on real life experiences, and to film those presentations for the participants. Tough Reality is made possible with generous support from the Mayors Office on Latino Affairs, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Inter-American Development Bank-DC Solidarity Program and the Children & Youth Investment Trust Corporation. ###