HOLA Member Bochinche

Bochinche refers to "gossip." In this sense, we use it to mention HOLA members who are getting acting and performance gigs.

Mike Smith Rivera, left, has become the spokesperson for Church's Chicken. To date, he has shot 15 commercials (in English and Spanish) and recorded 20 radio spots for the brand. He was initially requested to audition for the first spot after the casting director found him on the HOLA talent directory. You can see all the spots by clicking here.

Frank Craven e-mailed us to let us know of a very interesting thing that happened to him. While working on the set of the HBO series "Boardwalk Empire," he came across a movie poster being used as part of a set. The poster was for the 1941 movie The Richest Man In Town coincidentally starring his grandfather, also named Frank Craven. The current Craven's great-grandfather, John T. Craven, acted with Joseph Jefferson and Edwin Booth and his grandfather originated the role of the Stage Manager in the Broadway production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town. Also in that production was the current Craven's father (the former Craven's son), John Craven, playing the role of George Gibbs. You can see both Frank Cravens in the photo on the right.

The City College of New York (CCNY) Conference in Immigration and Education is presenting a workshop presentation of Barbara Bennion's play Flowers Behind The Mountain. Directed by Staci Swedeen, it is scheduled for a late March run and will be presented at CCNY's Aronow Theater in the Hamilton Heights area of Manhattan. The production features J.W. Cortés, Luis Galli, Cristina Rodríguez, Juan Vélez and Teresa Yenque in the cast.

Grupo Teatral TEBA is presenting the world premiere of a never before produced work by Federico García Lorca called Cristo, poema dramático. Directed by Héctor Luis Rivera, the production will feature Kathy Tejada, Emely Grisanti, Edison Carrera, Raúl Rivera, Edward Azcorra, Karina Blanco and Alejandro Myerstone in the cast and be presented for a late March run in the Comisionado de Cultura Dominicano in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan.

Patricia Becker, Emma Ramos, Bernardo Cubría and Arlene Chico-Lugo are starring in the production of You Are Now The Owner of This Suitcase. Conceived and directed by Ari Laura Kreith, the Theatre 167 production was written by Mando Alvarado, Jenny Lyn Bader, Barbara Cassidy, Les Hunter, Joy Tomasko, Gary Winter and Stefanie Zadravec (with Angie Balsamo serving as dramaturg) and scheduled for a March and April run in Public School 69 in the Jackson Heights area of Queens. (Note: The name of the production company, Theatre 167, refers to the number of languages spoken in the historic neighborhood of Jackson Heights.)

If you are an HOLA member and want to submit a bochinche item, send us an e-mail at holagram@hellohola.org. If you are not an HOLA member, why not join?