CRITERIA FOR THE HOLA AWARDS
I. The HOLA Awards are held every year in the autumn (either September or October) and are to be decided by a committee of people either in the Latino theater industry and/or on the HOLA Board of Directors. This committee determines the award recipients of the Latino theater HOLA Awards. The number of people on the committee is to be determined by the HOLA Board of Directors or a quorum thereof. Several of the members of the Awards Committee may repeat their roles in successive seasons, but a percentage of the committee members should change from season to season. The members of the Awards Committee may be determined by the staff of HOLA with input from the HOLA Board of Directors. The theatrical season for the HOLA Awards is from July 1 to June 30. Any production that opens after June 30 is eligible for the following season. The HOLA Awards are given out on a noncompetitive basis; HOLA honors outstanding work and does not give out one award to the "best" of anything in a particular category.
II. These are the categories for the top level HOLA Awards. These awards are to be decided by the staff and/or Board of Directors and not necessarily by the Awards Committee.
- Rita Moreno HOLA Award for Excellence (presented to an all-around performer)
- Raúl Juliá HOLA Founders Award (presented to a performer, writer, director, or other theater/film artist who represents a dedication to the arts)
- HOLA Ilka Award (presented in the name of founding HOLA president Ilka Tanya Payán to an artist/humanitarian)
- HOLA Lifetime Achievement Award (presented to an artist for a lifetime’s worth of work and honors)
- HOLA José Ferrer Tespis Award (presented to an artist in mid-career)
- HOLA Excellence in English Language Media (presented to a journalist who works or has worked primarily in the English language)
- HOLA Excellence in Spanish Language Media (presented to a journalist who works or has worked primarily in the Spanish language)
III. These are the categories for the Latino theater HOLA Awards.
- Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor
- Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor
- Outstanding Performance by a Featured Male Actor
- Outstanding Performance by a Featured Female Actor
- Outstanding Achievement by an Ensemble Cast*
- Outstanding Solo Production*
- Outstanding Achievement in Direction
- Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting
- Outstanding Achievement in Technical Production [which would include lighting design, sound design and/or original music composed for a production, scenic design, costume design, projection/multimedia design, puppetry design, choreography, fight direction, stage management, etc.]
- Outstanding Achievement in a Visiting Production*
- Outstanding Achievement in a Musical Production*
- Outstanding Achievement in a Dramatic Production
The above categories marked with an asterisk may be left vacant or have less than two award recipients if there isn’t enough talent to fulfill that respective honor.
IV. HOLA Awards are to be given out to 2-4 recipients per category, with the exception of the Outstanding Achievement by an Ensemble Cast and Outstanding Achievement in Technical Production categories, where an entire cast (or two casts) may be awarded honors in the former and anywhere from 2-4 recipients may be awarded in the latter.
V. Theater companies whose productions are eligible for HOLA Awards should have their productions in the five boroughs of New York City. Theater companies based in neighboring states (e.g. New Jersey) are only eligible for productions that occur in New York City. The following theater companies are eligible for HOLA Awards.
- Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance (BAAD!)
- Danisarte
- Fantastic Experimental Latino Theater (FELT)
- Hudson Exploited Theater Company (HExTC)
- Instituto de Arte Teatral Internacional (IATI)
- INTAR/International Arts Relations, Inc.
- LaMicro Theater
- Latin American Theater Ensemble/El Portón del Barrio (LATE)
- Latin American Theater Experiment and Associates (LA TEA)
- Pregones Theater /Teatro Pregones
- Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre/Teatro Rodante Puertorriqueño
- Repertorio Español /Spanish Repertory Theater
- Retablo Hispanic Theater
- Society of the Educational Arts, Inc./Sociedad Educativa de las Artes, Inc. (SEA)
- Soñadores Productions
- Teatro Círculo
- Teatro Experimental Blue Amigos (TEBA)
- TeatroStageFest
- Teatro Tocando Puertas
- Thalía Spanish Theatre
The productions of other theater companies may be considered for HOLA Awards on a case by case basis.
VI. A production is deemed eligible for the Outstanding Achievement in a Musical Production or Outstanding Achievement in a Dramatic Production categories if it satisfies most of the following criteria:
- a production that is in English and/or Spanish
- a full-fledged production whether it is a new work or revival (workshop productions will be considered on a case by case basis); staged readings are ineligible
- a Latino (or part-Latino) playwright and/or a Latino (or part-Latino) director (in the case of a musical or other collaborative work, at least one of the writers need to be Latino or part-Latino)
- a notably-sized or predominately Latino cast (this includes people from Spanish-speaking Latin America, Brazil, Spain and Latinos born in the United States)
- a plot which addresses or speaks to issues or themes relevant to Latinos
- a play whose producer is Latino or production company who does traditionally Latino works or predominately works by Latinos
Note that workshop productions chosen for HOLA Awards recognition will be declared ineligible if presented as a full production the following season. Full productions that received HOLA Awards recognition are ineligible if the show transfers to a bigger or different location the same or following season. (These rules might be ignored only under extraordinary circumstances.) Any show that has not been done by a theater company in a full season or full year will be considered a revival (the exception being a show that is produced consistently in repertory by a theater company).
VII. A production is deemed eligible for the Outstanding Achievement in a Visiting Production award, if presented, if it satisfies the following criteria:
- a production that is in Spanish or Portuguese which originated from outside New York City and is being presented in New York City (this includes Spanish-speaking Latin America, Brazil or Spain); staged readings are ineligible
- a Latino (or part-Latino) playwright and/or a Latino (or part-Latino) director (in the case of a musical or other collaborative work, at least one of the writers need to be Latino or part-Latino)
VIII. The acting, directing and technical achievement awards go to those who work in Latino theater productions. In the case of actors, only actors in the opening night cast of a production may be considered. (Replacement cast members are ineligible.) In the case of technicians/designers, they need not necessarily be Latino. If an actor has shown exemplary work in a non-Latino theater work or a director has shown exemplary work in a non-Latino theater production, either a regular HOLA Award or an HOLA Special Recognition Award (see below) may be presented to him/her. That is to be decided on a case by case basis.
IX. Staff members of the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA) are prohibited from receiving HOLA theater awards, except under extremely special circumstances.
X. In the event of an artist or theater company exhibiting noteworthy work in a case that may not completely fall within the HOLA Awards criteria, a Special Recognition Award may be presented. No more than four (4) Special Recognition awards should be given on any particular season.
XI. The playwriting achievement award go to those playwrights who are living who have written new (or relatively new) plays.
XII. Any theater artist whose work may be deemed eligible for a particular season may not be on the Awards Committee that same season.
XIII. If a theater company would like HOLA to consider one or more of its works for possible HOLA Awards, that theater company should state so in writing either through a letter or via e-mail.
XIV. The HOLA Awards program is a living, breathing thing. Its criteria may be adjusted, modified or amended as the staff and/or Board of Directors of HOLA deem fit.
n the Bronx. He can be seen in the upcoming film The Ministers opposite John Leguizamo (directed by Franc. Reyes). Other film credits include The Sun and the Moon (opposite the award's namesake, José Ferrer), The Ruins, Checking Out, Imagining Argentina, Out of Sync, Do the Right Thing, Sea of Love, Moscow on the Hudson, The Secret of My Success and The Return of Superfly. Television credits include recurring roles on “The Huntress,” “Early Edition,” “In the House,” “Martin,” and “Roc;” and guest appearances on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “CSI: Miami,” “The Shield,” “The Closer,” “NYPD Blue,” “New York Undercover,” “Arli$$,” “Nip/Tuck,” “Friends,” “Law & Order,” “Mad About You," “Alias,” “Strong Medicine” and “The Division.” He was nominated for an Alma Award for best supporting actor for his work in “The Huntress.” In addition, he received the Helen Hayes Award for Best Actor for his performance in the play Stand Up Tragedy. His theater credits include Dancing on her Knees (by Nilo Cruz), Cloud Tectonics (by José Rivera), Romeo and Juliet, Tears Will Tell It All, Widows, Richard II, Henry the IV, Pendragon, The Sound of Music, A Midsummer's Night's Dream and Latins from Manhattan. In addition, he has been the Goodwill Ambassador for The National Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York, the Godfather for The Puerto Rican Day Parade in Los Angeles and the Godfather for the Puerto Rican Day Parade in Cleveland, Ohio. For more information, log on to www.luisantonioramos.net.
Mike Smith Rivera, and Juan Villarreal (shown clockwise from top left) have been cast in the new musical No Dogs Allowed! with a book by HOLA Awards recipient Sonia Manzano and lyrics and music by Billy Aronson and Stephen Lawrence, the Atlantic Theater Company production will be directed by Josh Lewis and will take place at the Linda Gross Theater in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. The three actors auditioned for the show after reading about the casting on HOLA's e-mail casting notice system.
ay transfer of the hit musical Hair. Other Broadway credits include Boccacio and Indians. Additional stage choreography credits include Free to Be... You and Me, The Sun Always Shines for the Cool, I Took Panama, Porgy and Bess, Funny Girl, On the Move and Marat/Sade. As a director, her credits include Isabel's a Jezebel, Funny Girl, Dog Lady, On the Move and The City. In film, she has choreographed sequences in Steal Big, Steal Little; Great Expectations (1998); King of the Gypsies; and Once Upon a Time in America. She has worked with Ballet Hispánico, The Public Theater, Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, New York City Opera, INTAR, Alicia Alonso's Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Duchess Theatre (London), Toho Company (Tokyo), and the Spoleto Festival (Italy).
HOLA and Screen Actors Guild presented an HOLApanels 
event titled "The Changing Face of Latinos in Media." Part of the New York International Latino Film Festival (NYILFF), it took place at HBO on Friday, July 31, 2009 at 3pm and featured Dr. Clara E. Rodríguez of Fordham University as moderator with panelists Emilio Delgado (PBS' "Sesame Street"), Rogelio Douglas (Broadway's The Little Mermaid), Adrián Martínez (from the films The Ministers and The Taking of Pelham 123) and Tony Plana (of ABC's "Ugly Betty"). The event was filled to near capacity. Adam Moore, Director of Screen Actors Guild Affirmative Action and Diversity Department, gave opening remarks while HOLA Associate Director A.B. Lugo gave closing remarks. Photos shown here were taken by A Ruiz Photography.
