MISSION
Committed to the development and continuation of the Latine voice in American theater and beyond, INTAR’s mission is to commission, develop, and produce bold, innovative, artistically significant live theater works generated by an intersectional array of Latine artists. ​
With its relentless work, INTAR not only assists early career U.S. Latine artists and administrators in obtaining their first professional theater credits, union memberships, and press coverage, but also is an artistic home for mid-career and established artists who must continue to experiment, explore, and stretch themselves in their artistic work.
INTAR serves as an intergenerational creative community that represents the vast diversity of the Latine experience.
“I think one day we will create an impact.
One play won't do it, but the creation of
a team of fine writers and actors will.
INTAR keeps developing as the needs develop.
I hope that when we sit down 50 years from now,
I will be able to tell you,
'Here we are, and this is where we are going from here.' ''
-MAX FERRÁ
History​
International Arts Relations, Inc. (INTAR) was founded in 1966 in New York City by a group of Latine artists who “wanted more from life than a 9-5 existence in this United States of America” – as founding Artistic Director Max Ferrá once expressed in a New York Times interview – but found a dearth of opportunities accessible for Latines.
They got together and pooled the rent on a space in 6th Ave and started making theater, carving a space for the Latine voice in the American theater and allowing artists to do art in their own way, without the limitations imposed by the rest of the theater industry. During our first years we were named Asosiación de Arte Latinoamericano (ADAL) and were focused on producing classic plays in Spanish.
As we began to support new playwrights and focused on stories that speak to the Latine community in the United States and beyond, we started producing plays in English. In 1971, after moving out of our first building, we changed our name to International Arts Relations, Inc. and became known as INTAR Theatre.
INTAR became a hub for new playwriting thanks in great part to renowned avant-garde playwright and director María Irene Fornés who founded the Hispanic Playwrights-in-Residence Laboratory—a “national program to stimulate and develop writing abilities of Hispanic playwrights”. The program existed from 1981 to 1992 and served as a haven for Latine artists to explore their writing under the guidance of Fornés, one of the most unique voices in theater in the twentieth century.
Fornés’ legacy continues to be an instigator and model for our work. Later on, with the creation of the NewWorks LAB program, we solidified our service to new works and emerging artists, as well as giving the opportunity to established artists to work without the pressures of a finalized product.
As the second oldest Latine theater in the country, thousands of artists and audiences from vast intersections of the Latine community have come through INTAR’s doors. Productions at INTAR have included drama, musicals, children's theater, collaborative visual arts and theater creations, and traveling productions.
Some of the most notable artists that have worked with us include: Nobel Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa, Nilo Cruz, John Leguizamo, José Rivera, Octavio Solis, Manuel Puig, Luis Santeiro, Migdalia Cruz, Caridad Svich, Eduardo Machado, Georgina Escobar and C. Q. Quintana.
