Building My Casa
By Teatro 220
Conceived & Created by Braulio Basilio, Ursula Tinoco, Gilberto Gabriel and Andrés López-Alicea
Three immigrants from different parts of Latin America share a small apartment in NYC. On their hidden rooftop, they discover the farewell letter from Antonio, a former tenant.
On that rooftop, they try to find solace while navigating the physically and psychologically taxing city that is New York. A city that consumes people's lives and feels completely lonely despite being full of people from all over the world.
A play about identity, failure, memory, and the alienation that many Latin immigrants face. Featuring improv, music, magic and maybe a cat...
Written by Braulio Basilio
Directed by Federica Borlenghi
Performed by Braulio Basilio, Ursula Tinoco, Gilberto Gabriel
Music by Gilberto Gabriel
Design by Antígona González
Cat (Puppet) design and making by Mariana Garcia Tinoco
Translated to English by Ursula Tinoco
Andrés López-Alicea Puerto Rican director, actor, and teaching artist based in New York. MFA Directing from The New School. BA degree in both Architecture and Drama. His work as an artist has been seen in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Williamstown Theatre Festival, St Peter’s University NJ, The Village Theatre in WA and Oregon Shakespeare Festival. In New York at The Tank, NYU Tisch Musical Theatre, LATEA Theater, Story Pirates, The New School for Drama, MCC Theatre, Playwrights Realm, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Cherry Lane Theater, Repertorio Español and many more. He was awarded with the 2019/2020 Clubbed Thumb Theater Directing Fellowship in New York and selected to be a part of the Roundabout Directors Group 2021-2022. As a teaching artist he worked at Rybin Talent & Studio of Drama in Manhattan and at The New School. www.andreslopezalicea.com
Ursula Tinoco Mexican actor, performer, improviser, producer and puppeteer. Born and raised in Mexico City, she moved to New York to pursue a career in the performing arts. She graduated from the Conservatory Program at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York. Throughout her career as an actor, she has been the recipient of multiple Latin theater awards, including HOLA, Latin ACE, LATA, ATI, and Talía Awards for Best Actress, Best Comedy Actress, Outstanding Solo Performance, Best Female Characterization, and Best Supporting Actress. Her work as a seasoned actor has taken her to the stages of Repertorio Español, Teatro SEA, Teatro LATEA, Thalia Spanish Theatre, and most recently to La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. In 2018 she joined Teatro 220 and has been a performer, co-creator, co-producer, and co-designer in its productions. She was introduced to puppetry by Teatro SEA, where she explored toy theater. In Teatro 220’s production of “Por qué la luna perdió su brillo?” she explored object theater, and she has been working in other forms of puppetry such as wire puppets, shadow puppets, and hand puppets with Teatro SEA, and most recently with Loco 7 Dance Puppet Theatre Company. www.ursulatinoco.com
Braulio Basilio Actor, director, and playwright of theater has worked throughout South America and the United States. He is originally from Chile, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts and Drama from the theater school of Bolivariana University, acting in front of the camera at Matus Actor Academy, Escencial element of Movie Scrip at Sundance Institute. He founded the theater company CLAVE, which was focused on the creation of original plays in base on the observation of different Chilean realities like mental institutes or native cultures of Chile, where he wrote, directed, and as an actor as well. 2018 he decides to move to New York and start all over again. worked in different Spanish Theater companies such as Repertorio Español, Teatro SEA, LATEA. He won an ATI award for best actor in the play Cambio he also is the playwright, and best actor in Fuerza Fest LGBTQ+ Arts Festival Hispanic Federation whit Las Martiras. Cofounder of La Mafia Theater where he wrote and directed La Clase, Quien No Ha Amado, Nunca Ha Vivido, Respira, Ana y Franco. Now he is part of IATI THEATER as an Artistic Program Manager and also is part of Teatro 220 improv company.
Gilberto Gabriel Multi-faceted Puerto Rican actor, visual artist and singer/musician. He has been living and working in New York City since 2013 when he moved after finishing a BA in Industrial Chemistry and having worked for the Pharmaceutical Industry as an Auditor. Graduated from the William Esper Studio in 2015, Gilberto Gabriel started working in various theater plays, improvisation shows with Teatro 220, web-series and film in 2016. Theater credits include: Exquisita Agonía by Nilo Cruz and Filomena Marturano: Un matrimonio a la caribeña at Repertorio Español and ¡GUARACHA! and Aloha Boricua at Pregones/PRTT, among many others. In 2018 he performed at Maluma's MTV VMA's performance at Radio City Music Hall. The same year, Gilberto Gabriel founded a music duo named "Gilberto&Diana" with Dominican artist Diana Pou. The duo's name transitioned to TeTxtié in 2020 and they have released 6 Singles and one E.P. In 2021 Gilberto culminated the NYU Music Industry Essentials Online Program while producing, simultaneously, TeTxtié’s last three Singles. He is one of the LAIR Artist Residents at Loisaida Inc. and in 2022, together with artist Andrés López, they created the Variety Show “Entre On & OFF” featured in Loisaida T.V. www.gilbertogabrielactor.com
Mariana Garcia Tinoco Mexican multimedia Visual Artist and Concept Designer based in New York City. Graduated in May 2023 as a Bachelor of Fine Arts Summa Cum Laude from Pace University. She received the Outstanding Graduating Senior award. Mariana has worked as a curatorial assistant for the database creation of the George Stephanopoulos Collection at the university, and more recently worked with artists and companies such as Spacebridge, Loco7, and now Teatro 220. Webpage Portfolio