Theater for the New City Foundation, Inc

My name is Juan Villegas. Born in Spanish Harlem in 1954, I grew up in a time when 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation Puerto Ricans (like myself) struggled to make a better life in the tenements of New York City. In particular, I experienced and witnessed trauma endured by my mother, a single mom, who tried to raise her two boys in a time when Spanish Harlem (also known as El Barrio) was a flashpoint for the burgeoning heroin trade.

In my new play, "Boy Santos", I chronicle the story of an older Puerto Rican man who, in the present, sees a "dangling red door" that immediately and jarringly takes him back to traumatic events of his childhood, forcing him to ask severe questions about the possible cause of the death of his infant brother. That journey into the past is played out on the stage by 12 actors who recreate the innocent joys of childhood, the tragic afflictions of heroin, the enduring pride and determination of the poor, and the sometimes fleeting hopes of the Puerto Rican diaspora who came to America for a better life.

In order to bring this poignant tale to the stage, I am asking for donations from near and far.

With your help, we can pay our actors & technical staff (audio-visual tech, lighting tech, stage designer, stage manager, etc.), as well as cover/defray the costs of promotional materials, outreach, advertising & miscellaneous expenses.

A Package Full of Memories, my latest play, is scheduled for production April 30-May 17, 2026.

I ask for your help to bring my artistic vision to the stage, with a tax-deductible donation.

In present day, a package of memorabilia—photos and documents—from two lives provide the stories of the play. A guide, with the assistance of actors, bring the memories to life. Maxene in 1930’s Alabama and her friend Sarah face the dangers of prejudice in the Jim Crow South. Anya and her friend Elina in a shtetl (village) in Eastern Europe are targets of the antisemitism and fascism of the 1930’s and 1940’s. Maxene and Anya meet in 1951, finding the hope and joy lost in their childhood.

All donations are tax deductible and any amount is helpful and appreciated. Every donor gets a listing in the printed program. At higher levels of donation, there are tickets, a signed poster or a signed script.