GALA’s ‘Héctor, El Niño’ empowers D.C. youth

At GALA Hispanic Theatre in Columbia Heights, rehearsals are underway for the world premiere of Héctor, El Niño Eléctrico on Saturday. 

GALA, short for Grupo de Artistas Latino Americanos, celebrates 50 years of productions on its professional stage with its 2025-2026 season and continues its commitment to nurturing the next generation of artists.  

Since 1976, the theater has been a beacon of Latino performing arts productions in D.C., founded by Argentinian-born theater director Hugo Medrano and Executive Director Rebecca Read Medrano. 

What makes you different, makes you special 

GALA’s production of Héctor, El Niño Eléctrico — directed by Mauricio Pita — is empowering for young audiences, Pita said.

Héctor, El Niño Eléctrico follows Héctor, a shy boy who spends much of his time in his imagination, escaping into comic books. Over the course of the musical, he learns that the qualities that make him feel “different” are actually his strengths — his superpower. 

Pita worked closely with playwright Cornelia Cody, meeting every Saturday over the past summer to refine the script. He said he personally relates to Héctor, played by actress Ixchel Hernández, and believes many children will, too. 

“The show gives kids a chance to see themselves reflected back at them,” Pita said. 

As part of GALA’s outreach efforts, the theater will host student matinees for schools across the DMV. During the performances, children in the audience can participate, including in a musical–chairs moment on stage with the actors. 

Pita said the interactive element helps young people understand how theater works and challenges them to use their imagination in a way film and television don’t demand. 

“Theater forces people to suspend their disbelief and buy into what’s happening on stage as if it’s real, even though we all know it’s not,” he said. “There’s a contract between the actors and the audience. If you believe it, they believe it.” 

Pita, who previously directed GALA’s after-school arts program for teens, the Paso Nuevo program, said that even the simplest prop can become something extraordinary for young audiences. 

“We have a garage on stage, and there are supposed to be three cars,” Pita said. “There aren’t three cars — one of them is a dinner table that turns, lights come out of it, and wheels get put on. It’s the illusion of a car, but if the actors treat it like a car, then the audience believes it’s a car.” 

Creativity carries itself through all corners of GALA Theatre, where students from the after-school program Paso Nuevo sometimes help backstage during professional productions.  

The arts build confidence 

Students crowd the basement — el subte — for Paso Nuevo. 

The program offers high school students a free arts education in creative writing, music, and theater. 

Since joining Paso Nuevo in May 2024, high schooler Balaria Rodríguez has made new friends, discovered a love for acting and writing, and gained a newfound confidence. 

“I have learned how to control myself,” Rodríguez said. “I don’t get nervous.” 

The program gives students hands-on experience in technical theater, including lighting and sound design, for those who prefer working behind the scenes. 

“A lot of people who come here do costumes and backstage, because they don’t like to do acting,” Rodríguez said. 

About 35 students currently participate in Paso Nuevo, led by Program Director Chris Ríos. He said the program helps students gain emotional intelligence that extends beyond the theatre. 

“Even if the students don’t want to be professional actors or anything, providing education in the arts helps give them key resources to develop emotionally and mentally as they grow into adulthood,” Ríos said. 

The program is bilingual — just as GALA’s professional productions upstairs are. 

“We get a good pool of students who speak no Spanish, who speak no English, who speak some English and some Spanish, and we find a way to marry the two in our productions,” Ríos said. 

Paso Nuevo students have free access to GALA’s professional performances, giving them a first-hand experience of GALA’s mission of sharing Latino arts and cultures through bilingual productions. 

Héctor, El Niño Eléctrico runs Oct. 18–Nov. 1. Tickets, $10 to $12, are available online.