A new exhibit at University of Houston Libraries documents the origins and renaissance of Hispanic community theater.

A selection from the Hispanic Theater in the United States exhibit

Hispanic Theater in the United States features selections from the Dr. Nicolás Kanellos Hispanic Theater Collection, Arte Público Press, and UH Libraries. Historical photos, original posters, flyers and ephemera, scripts, audio, and video depict the plays, playwrights, actors, troupes, and venues related to US Hispanic theater dating from its early days.

Approximately 150 items in the Hispanic Theater Collection were donated to UH Libraries by Nicolás Kanellos, PhD, Brown Foundation professor of Hispanic Studies at UH and director of Arte Público Press and Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage, in what is the largest known theater collection of its kind. The primary sources were collected over a seminal period in history by Kanellos through personal and scholarly involvement.

The exhibit is on view through fall 2022 at the MD Anderson Library first floor. The collection is currently being processed. Visitors who wish to view the collection may schedule an appointment with Christian Kelleher, head of Special Collections.