Insight P.t 1: Reflections on 2025 and Philadelphia Theater Company's "Havana Hop"

Today we’re joined by Carolina Vargas, Director of Marketing for Philadelphia Theatre Company. Originally from Mexico, Carolina is a seasoned marketing professional and graphic designer with nine years of experience crafting creative strategies that drive engagement and audience growth. She’s here to share details about Havana Hop, a joyful, family-friendly performance coming to PTC over MLK Weekend — a show filled with music, dance, and a celebration of Cuban roots, including a special Relaxed Performance sponsored by Popcorn for the People.  
Website & Socials 

• Website: philadelphiatheatrecompany.org/havana-hop
• Instagram: @philatheatreco
• Facebook: @philatheatreco
• TikTok: @philatheatre
• LinkedIn: Philadelphia Theatre Company

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning and welcome to Insight, a show about empowering
our community. I'm Lorraine Ballad moral hope you're having a
wonderful holiday season. As we step into a new year,
many of us are taking time to look back at
twenty twenty five, and for a lot of people, it
was a tough one. For millions of families, twenty twenty

(00:21):
five brought real uncertainty. Some are facing the loss of
snap benefits that help keep food on the table. Others
are bracing for higher healthcare costs as Affordable Care Act
tax credits expire. These aren't abstract policy debates, their kitchen
table issues that affect how people live, eat, and care
for their families. And on a deeply personal level, many

(00:45):
of us are carrying grief. We lost people known to
the world and people who lit up our own lives,
family members, friends, colleagues, and neighbors whose absence is still felt.
And yet, even in a difficult year, there is much
to be grateful for. In twenty twenty five, people showed up.
They went to the polls in meaningful numbers and exercised

(01:07):
one of the most powerful rights we have, the right
to vote. Across communities, people made their voices, heard and
expressed their hopes and concerns about the direction of our
federal government. That matters. Participation matters. Democracy only works when
people engage, even when they're frustrated, tired, or uncertain. We

(01:29):
also saw resilience and generosity everywhere, Neighbors helping neighbors, volunteers
stepping up, and communities finding ways to care for one
another when systems fell short. As we look ahead to
twenty twenty six, our nation prepares to markets two hundred
and fiftieth birthday, a moment to celebrate progress, reflect honestly,

(01:50):
and recommit to building a future rooted in opportunity, justice,
and compassion. And on today's show, we share a powerful
example of that hope in action, the Fact program Fathers
and Children Together at SEI Phoenix, which brings incarcerated fathers
together with their children to strengthen bonds, heal families, and

(02:10):
help break the cycle of incarceration. But first, let's talk
about a fun family event coming soon. Today, we're joined
by Carolina Vargas, director of Marketing for Philadelphia Theater Company.
Originally from Mexico, Carolina is a seasoned marketing professional and
graphic designer with many years of experience, but she's here

(02:30):
to tell us all about Hannah Hop, a joyful, family
friendly performance coming to the Philadelphia Theater Company over MLK Weekend.
A show filled with music, dance, and a celebration of
Cuban roots, including a special relaxed performance sponsored by Popcorn
for the people. So thank you so much for joining us, Carolina.

(02:51):
For those who may be new to it, what is
Hanna Hop about and what makes this show so special?

Speaker 2 (02:57):
Absolutely, thank you so much for the invite. Havana Hoppe
tells the story of Jayla, a kid who's overcoming her
stage fright through the connection of her own Cuban roots.
Exploring music, dances, and using along she does an imaginary
travel from DC to Cuba to get to know her
mom and her grandma and connect with her Latino roots.

Speaker 1 (03:20):
Gotcha, so, you're presenting three performances over the King Holiday weekend.
Can you walk us through the schedule and what audiences
can expect.

Speaker 2 (03:30):
Absolutely? So, We're going to be having just three shows
throughout this weekend, two on Saturday, January seventeen, one at
eleven thirty am and one at two thirty pm, and
an additional one on Sunday January eighteen. That's going to
be the relaxed performance and it's taking place at three pm.
We are going to be having a free complimentary precio activity.

(03:51):
It's going to be thirty minutes long. For each of
the shows. Your audiences are going to be invited to
discover the sounds and movements of Cuba interactive pre show activity.
We're going to have like also like relaxed activities such
as coloring pages and things that are things for all ages.

Speaker 1 (04:08):
Yeah, you know, let's talk a little more about the
interactive aspect of it. How is it interactive?

Speaker 2 (04:12):
Yeah, Jayla, who is interpreted by pager Nandez, the actress,
the main actress of the show and solo actress of
the show, invites people to stand up and sing along
with her. It's a very interactive show, so kids are
invited to dance, sing, and explore the rhythms of Cuban
music with her.

Speaker 1 (04:32):
You describe this as the perfect winter activity for all ages,
and really it sounds like it's going to be a
great family event for everyone to get involved with exactly.

Speaker 2 (04:43):
I think, like you know, January is a little a
month away from us, but it's going to be incredibly cold,
So this is the perfect interactivity and why not like
put a little bit more of spices and spend like
a nice weekend with your family and kids and dance
a little bit with us on this amazing show.

Speaker 1 (05:01):
Philadelphia Theater Company is hosting a special relaxed performance for
individuals with autism. Why was this important for the Philadelphia
Theater Company and what can families expect from this inclusive experience?

Speaker 2 (05:14):
Absolutely so, this show is a relaxed performance and it's
especially designed for families and kids with autism or any
sensory needs. So usually this show will be adapted and
noises are not going to be as loud as usually
there are. Lights are going to be deemed throughout the
entire performance so kids and families can stand up as needed,

(05:36):
and we're going to be having certain tools such as
fidgets or noise canceling cat sets so they can be
used throughout the show. And there is going to be
designated quite areas so if someone is, you know, a
little overwhelmed, they can exit the theater and just take
a break. So it's going to be a very welcoming experience.
And why we want to do this because we really

(05:57):
want to make theater accessible for everyone, not only for adults,
for kids, or families. It's for everyone who wants to
come and enjoy a show here at Philadelphia Theater Company.

Speaker 1 (06:07):
I wonder if you can talk about how Havana Hupp
reflects the Philadelphia Theater Company's mission and your vision for
expanding family programming for Philadelphia audiences.

Speaker 2 (06:17):
Absolutely, we love that Philadelphia is such a diverse city.
You can find people from all backgrounds everywhere and from
different ethnicities. So we want to make sure that in
Philadelphia Theater Company there is something for everyone. So this
really represents family programming, represents the Hispanic community, and you know,

(06:39):
we are actually blocks away from the Italian market, which
is also known as the Mexican market, and we want
to make sure that those audiences are invited to come
and enjoy a great show here at PTC.

Speaker 1 (06:52):
Well, let's get a little close and personal with Carolina.
So you are originally from Mexico, but you are a
seasoned marketing professional and graphic designer. So tell us a
little bit about your journey. How did you get from
Mexico to Philadelphia?

Speaker 2 (07:08):
Absolutely, so it's because love I met. My husband was
actually as well from Mexico, but he was living here
already and we met back in Mexico and you know,
we're like, well, what's next. So we just got official
and start planning a live together. And I've been living
here in the United States almost eight years, so that's

(07:30):
how I ended up here.

Speaker 1 (07:31):
Yeah, that's wonderful. Well, when we talk about Havana Hop,
I think that what makes it special is that the
Latino community is so diverse, right, it has so many
different cultures, so many different elements to it, and Havna
Hop gives us the opportunity to experience a little bit

(07:52):
of Cuban culture, right, and music and dance exactly.

Speaker 2 (07:56):
And I think, like Berger less, if if you're from
any Hispanic background or non Hispanic background, this is an
amazing activity that the whole family can do. We we're
thinking about also a lot of nowadays in Philadelphia, a
lot of schools have these spaniship Merson programs. So this
is great for that audience to do. Anyone who's like

(08:16):
looking for something to do on a weekend that is
family friendly, winter friendly, It's welcome to come here.

Speaker 1 (08:22):
Well if listeners are interested in attending, and I can't
imagine who wouldn't be. How can people learn more about
the show and follow Philadelphia Theater Company on social media?

Speaker 2 (08:33):
Get tickets absolutely, so please visit our website for tickets,
filatheatercode dot org, slash Havannah Hop and you can purchase
your tickets online or you can call us at two
one five nine A five zero four two zero and
someone at our box office will help you purchase your

(08:53):
tickets via phone. And please follow us social media Facebook, Instagram,
TikTok the Theater Co. We are going to be sharing
more details as we're getting closer to have on a
hop and this type of programming doesn't end here, so
we want you to join us and continue the conversation together.

Speaker 1 (09:10):
Yeah, and I think I want to also mention that
in this time when so much of us live online,
I think that going to the theater is such a
great antidote to this kind of digital world that we
live in, to be able to experience something in person
and to be interactive. That it's not simply passive entertainment,

(09:32):
but it's really entertainment that totally engages really all the
senses exactly.

Speaker 2 (09:37):
You are not buying a ticket to see a show,
you're literally buying an experience with your loved ones, with
your family, for an incredibly show that it's going to
make memories in your lives for sure.

Speaker 1 (09:50):
Well that's what we need to do, making memories. And
one way to do it is to check out Havana Hop,
a joyful, family friendly performance coming to the Philadelphia Theater
Company over there the MLK Weekend. A show filled with music, dance,
and a celebration of Cuban roots. And also this special
relaxed performance sponsored by Popcorn for the people, for those

(10:10):
who are on the spectrum. And I want to thank you,
Carolina Vargas, director of Marketing for Philadelphia Theory Company.

Speaker 2 (10:17):
Thank you. We'll see you there.

Speaker 1 (10:18):
We'll have more insight after these messages