The Journey to Art With A Purpose

My non-profit organization R.Evolución Latina concluded tonight the 2015 Beyond Workshop Series. It's been so rewarding seeing this students grow.  The BWS started February 23rd at The National Dance Institute for Learning & the Arts, and had its' first student sharing as part of the dance program on March 6th under the direction of Rickey Tripp and Gabriela García.  The second part of the program, started March 9th focused on Shakespeare and Voice and concluded tonight with a presentation of the students work.  Seeing them take the risks and go beyond in every artistic and human step is something that I can not really measure at the moment. I must wait a bit and see the result of the planted seeds in them.   The first 2 weeks of the program was focused on dance, ensemble building and expanding cultural exchange under the idea of Daring to Go Beyond. It's been 8 years now that R.Evolución Latina has been promoting community empowerment ...

A lot has been going on and Zuccotti Park is still receiving great feed back on the work WE ALL BROUGHT TO LIFE. This is such a great confirmation that the process of uniting all... cast and crew in the idea of making Art with a Purpose, pays off Broadway World reported: Luis Salgado Wins Best Director Award at 2015 NYC VENUS/ADONIS FESTIVAL. "This award belongs to everyone involved in Zuccotti Park , the musical and it's already opening new doors". READ MORE HERE All Photos in this blog are  by Victoria Medina Here is the Review: Venus/Adonis Festival 2015 by Bianca Garcia "In the spirit of productions like Rent and Hair , Zuccotti Park is a welcome addition to the musical that cares. As you walk into the theater, you are bombarded with a cornucopia of guitar-wielding and protest sign-lugging beautiful people as they shout, “We are the 99 percent!” Easily the liveliest of the productions, Zuccotti Park  (book/lyrics by Catherine Hurd, ...

ART! What a fantastic word, but truly what does it mean?  For me, MAKING ART with a sense of PURPOSE, is searching for the meaning of ART in each step. It is doing work that elevates my capacity as a HUMAN, above all else. Zuccotti Park, and the entire project, has tapped into that element of HUMANITY. Starting with the fantastic team of writers that have trusted me. Adding to that, my creative team (whom I have come to adore after many projects together), the new ARTISTS (who have jumped aboard), and the cast who give their EVERYTHING IN THE PROCESS, AS THEY CONTINUE TO GROW IN EACH AND EVERY STEP. To all of them and to many more like those who inspired me to be in this path I dedicate this nomination. I am on a quest to do what I LOVE TO DO for the rest of my life. So it means a lot to be valued as a director as there is where my path will lead. I KNOW IT! I can feel it. Festivals like this are a GIFT to an artist’s developmental process. The writers get to see their work...

Zuccotti Park , a new musical about the human side of economics has been selected for the final rounds of Venus/Adonis 2015 festival after running to full house on each performance. Here is what some amazing audience members had to say: "For the last 7 years, I've been lucky enough to come to NYC and see the most amazing shows. This year, I saw a show that impacted me far greater than any show had in a long time, and it wasn't even on Broadway! ZUCCOTTI PARK which is playing at the Robert Moss theater is an original work with Music by Vatrena King and Book and Lyrics by Catherine Hurd . The show deals with the OCCUPY MOVEMENT held in Zuccotti Park. The work had a "staged reading" at the Woodland Opera Hous e in which I was lucky enough to play a few of the parts, and when I had heard that it was accepted in the Venus Adonis Theater Festival AND was being directed and choreographed by the other worldly talented Luis Salgado , I HAD to go. Now b...

Driving the action forward This is my second Festival production as a director in less than a year. Developing a new musical theatre piece is always an adventure and being part of the Venus/Adonis Theater Festival this year is feeling more and more like a blessing. I feel like I am back in college! It's been a great adventure and an educational journey. In the past few years I have been able to create and develop some really big projects including the Peruvian success Candela: Fuerza y Pasion  and Aniversario Sin Cuenta. But there is something unique about the making of original musical theatre with a really tight budget in a city like NY. I think the key is to focus on what really matters, THE STORY and then driving the action forward. The Journey starts with the writers It's super important to develop a healthy communication with the creators of the show. It's their baby that they have trusted me and my company with it, so RESPECTING their material and being...

Week one…What a fantastic journey it has been. I feel like the investment in HUMAN POTENTIAL is worth EVERYTHING IN ART. I might be wrong, I might fail at times when trying new ideas but I am not afraid to do so. I can’t afford to be afraid and that’s the beauty of it. Art has given me EVERYTHING I AM. I really mean that.  It’s my best professor, it’s my everyday college and it is in many ways my religion. I have said this many times and each day I find myself closer and closer to what is relevant to me... the making of ART WITH A PURPOSE. And NO, this is not just a slogan for  Salgado Productions, it REALLY IS a way of making ART. I have mixed two specific philosophies that have taken over my blood and every cell of my body.  DARING to Go Beyond in every opportunity. To explore for MYSELF and for the story I am bound to tell with a group of ARTISTS and for the place I am at TODAY. Exploring, not in comparison to anything or anyone but solely for the proce...

  Theater: Musicals Zuccotti Park   As posted in Backstage : Casting notice expires:  January 10, 2015     Company: Salgado Productions Luis Salgado : Director/Choreographer, Heather Hogan : Production Supervisor  Production Description : Zuccotti Park a new musical by Catherine Hurd (book & lyrics) & Vatrena King (composer) will be part of the 2015 VENUS/ADONIS Theater Festival in NYC . Cooper, a soldier on leave from Afghanistan, meets up with former childhood neighbor, Kate, at Zuccotti Park, where she is part of the Occupy Protests. He gets caught up in a scuffle between protesters and police, and ends up in jail with Kate. Cooper soon discovers that Kate has changed quite a bit since their Iowa days, and they disagree on almost everything. Throughout the play, we learn the back-stories of the protesters as well as the points of view of people who profit f...