Cazateatro Billingual Theatre Group celebrates Hispanic heritage

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The only bilingual theater group in the state of Tennessee can be found in Memphis. It’s called Cazateatro, and the goal of the group is to bridge the gap between American and Hispanic cultures using the arts.

Dorimar Ferrer, the executive director of Cazateatro says theater and the arts are a big part of Hispanic culture.

“The theater in Puerto Rico is totally different from the theater in Mexico,” Ferrer said. “It’s the culture--the language is different.”

Ferrer, and Artistic Director Mónica Sánchez helped create Cazateatro nine years ago. The group was built on uniting all cultures.

“Our mission is building bridges, and connecting people through theater,” Ferrer said. “You don’t need to speak Spanish to be a part of us--you don’t need to speak English to be part of us."

Cazateatro puts on performances and holds events that use the arts as a common denominator in connecting people.

The most recent event the group held was Latin Fest in September.

“When they started playing music and they start dancing -- everyone started enjoying,” Sánchez said. “They didn’t care about the language or if that person was Cuban or if the person dancing was from Colombia -- they started moving and connecting and I think that’s wonderful.”

Through these events, Sánchez said they have been able to expand the Hispanic culture and educate others in Memphis.

“They used to say Memphis was a beautiful panda--but now it’s a beautiful peacock,” she said. “And not just for Latinos, but other cultures.”

Ferrer and Sánchez encourage everyone to join Cazateatro, no matter what their background is.

Next on the agenda for Cazateatro is their Día de los Muertos Parade on Saturday, November 2 in Overton Square.

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