La Guagua 47 Community Arts Residency at Taller
Artist in Residence: Alba Martínez
Taller Puertorriqueño is proud to host Alba Martínez as an Artist in Residence, leading a multi-year creative and community-engaged residency rooted in the development of La Guagua 47, a new bilingual musical that celebrates Puerto Rican and Latino identity, migration, and belonging in Philadelphia.
Alba Martínez is a Puerto Rican and Philadelphian artist, songwriter, producer, and cultural leader whose work bridges music, storytelling, and community creation. After a long career in law, finance, and public service, Martínez returned fully to her artistic roots, dedicating her work to telling stories that reflect the lived experiences, resilience, and joy of Latino communities. She is the creator, librettist, and producer of La Guagua 47, a project that began as a song inspired by a real ride on Philadelphia’s Route 47 bus and has since grown into a major theatrical and cultural work.
La Guagua 47 tells the story of Lucía, a Puerto Rican teenager who moves from the mountains of Jayuya to Philadelphia and struggles to find her place in a new city. A ride on the 47 bus introduces her to a chorus of neighbors—musicians, shopkeepers, elders, activists, and everyday people—whose stories help her discover belonging. Blending salsa, plena, bolero, bachata, and Broadway storytelling, the musical reflects how many Latinos live, speak, and create across cultures and languages.
The musical is being developed in partnership with Philadelphia Theatre Company, and was awarded a prestigious Pew Center for Arts & Heritage grant, recognizing both its artistic excellence and its deep commitment to community engagement. The world premiere of the musical is directed by Laurie Woolery, an acclaimed director who spent over a decade at The Public Theater developing new works that center community voices and socially grounded storytelling.
Into the Community
Through this residency at Taller Puertorriqueño, Martínez is expanding La Guagua 47 beyond the stage and into the community itself. La Guagua 47 Community Arts invites neighborhood residents, artists, elders, youth, and families to actively participate in the creative process through workshops in storytelling, music, dance, visual art, and cultural memory. These workshops are not auditions or performances—they are spaces of co-creation, where community members help shape the artistic world of the musical while sharing their own stories of migration, identity, and home.
The residency reflects Taller Puertorriqueño’s long-standing mission to uplift Puerto Rican and Latino culture through arts education, preservation, and creative expression. Together, Taller and Martínez are creating a living cultural process—one that honors community knowledge, celebrates creativity, and ensures that La Guagua 47 is built with the community it represents.
This residency affirms a shared belief: that art is not only something we present on stage, but something we build together—rooted in place, people, and pride.
Community-Centered Residency Activities (2025)
Puerto Rican Day Parade Float & Workshops
Community art-making workshops at Taller Puertorriqueño invited residents of all ages to create flowers and visual elements for a parade float inspired by the musical. The collaboratively built float went on to win First Prize in its category at the Puerto Rican Day Parade.
La Guagua 47 Orchestra Premiere
The newly formed La Guagua 47 Orchestra premiered music from the show at Feria del Barrio, performing on the very corner where the musical was born.
Story Fest at the Zellerbach Theatre
The project closed Story Fest, produced by Backpocket Media, before an audience of over 600 people, sharing the origin story of La Guagua 47 alongside a live performance of the title song.
Acción Colombia Holiday Festival Workshop
An intergenerational flower-making workshop engaged numerous participants at the Acción Colombia Holiday Festival, with over 400 attendees and continuous hands-on participation throughout the event.
Looking Ahead: 2026
The residency continues to expand in 2026 with new artistic and community-driven initiatives, including:
La Guagua 47 Concert Presentation: A concert version of the musical directed by Woolery is planned for June 2026 at Philadelphia Theatre Company, marking a major milestone in the show’s development.
Esperanza Arte en las Calles: The La Guagua 47 Orchestra will perform at Esperanza Arte en las Calles in July 2026, bringing the music of the show into public space and neighborhood streets.
Community Domino Tournament: In response to requests from local seniors, the residency will include a community domino tournament, honoring cultural tradition and fostering intergenerational connection.
Residency Vision
La Guagua 47 Community Arts positions Taller Puertorriqueño as a site where professional theatre development and community cultural life meet. Through music, storytelling, and shared creative labor, the residency affirms that belonging is built collectively — and that culture thrives when people are invited to shape it together.
For more information, contact Alba Martinez at albamartvel@gmail.com