Day: January 16, 2025

El Puente is celebrating its 38th annual Three Kings Celebration with a youth-led play, “Planting a Seed,” bringing to the stage a cultural event centered around community, resilience, and connection. 

The show, which will be performed on Jan. 17 and 18, will highlight over 70 young performers including singers, dancers, actors, and breakers from elementary to high school. 

After almost four decades of performing stories highlighting the narrative of the Three Kings, El Puente organizers began working on a show to highlight the needs of their community. “Planting a Seed” focuses on three children unearthing the “significance of the seed,” taking the audience on a journey of self-discovery and connection to the natural world around their neighborhood. 

“We started to communicate to folks that this is more about the part of the tradition of Three Kings of giving gifts to the young people,” said Jana Lynne “JL” Umipig, El Puente’s Director of Arts and Cultural Organizing and the director of the play. 

The tradition of the Three Kings, also known as Epiphany, dates back centuries and commemorates the biblical story of the Magi visiting the infant Jesus, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It is celebrated in many cultures worldwide, shortly after the holidays, as a symbol of giving, faith and unity.

Last September, El Puente organizers sat down with young people and community members to ask what issue they would like to tackle in this year’s performance. Community leaders brought up concerns about climate change, BIPOC communities on the frontline of natural disasters, and disconnection from the natural environment. 

El Puente is a community-led organization with a 40-year history of human rights organizing, and has long focused on local climate and environmental issues. In the 1990s, organizers with the group fought to close a radioactive waste facility, and since then has continued to fight for a clean, safe neighborhood with access to green space. The org’s “Green Light District” project promotes citizen science and advocacy.

The coalition directly supports families with resources and develops cultural events that center on education and self-expression. The organization has its headquarters in Brooklyn, but the program has expanded to Puerto Rico, where it develops initiatives around the same guiding principles of supporting communities of color. 

Umipig hopes people will leave the play with a renewed sense of community connection and resilience. 

 “When push comes to shove, we’re going to be here to offer everything that a community needs when a crisis happens. [But] it’s not just about the moments of distress, but that we’re also here to provide a safe haven,”said Umipig.

The performance will be at El Puente Headquarters, 211 South 4th St., between Roebling and Havemeyer streets in Williamsburg. It will run from Friday, Jan. 17, starting at 6:00 p.m. through Saturday, Jan. 18, at 5:00 p.m. Admission is free, RVSP to secure a seat.