Siouxland’s bilingual theater program celebrates 1-year anniversary

SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. (KTIV) - A program that broke barriers in local theater celebrated one year of success.

El Proyecto Dramatico is Siouxland’s only bilingual theater program. It started as an idea when their current artistic director wrote about it in her senior thesis while studying theater at Briar Cliff. Less than 10 years later, El Proyecto Dramatico held its first meetings at New Stage Players Theater in South Sioux City. The program began with just two meetings a month, but since then they’ve put on two plays, a handful of sketches, and done some bilingual caroling around the holidays.

Wednesday morning, members of the Siouxland Chamber came to the theater to help celebrate the anniversary. The theater’s artistic director said it’s been amazing to watch her dream come to life.

”This is a dream I’ve had since I was a child,” said Natali Markworth Ramirez, artistic director of El Proyecto Dramatico. “Ever since I tried doing theater as a kid. And to know that there are people that can see shows on this stage, still, understand what’s going on, maybe not speak the same language but still feel something in their hearts, that means the world to me. And I just hope that this program can continue for years and years even when I’m gone.”

Anyone age 10 and older is welcome to join the program, whether you speak Spanish, or not. If you’re interested in joining, you can message them through their Facebook page.

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