Metro DC Hispanic Contractors Association (Metro/DC HCA), in partnership with Gilbane & Turner construction companies, Balt./DC Building Trades Unions and the D.C. United soccer team shall celebrate the 5th annual*, GALA Fundraiser, ‘Audi Field’, D.C. United soccer stadium, Wednesday evening, July 21, 2021, 6-9:30 pm.

"I submit that tennis is the most beautiful sport there is and also the most demanding. It requires body control, hand-eye coordination, quickness, flat-out speed, endurance, and that weird mix of caution and abandon we call courage. It also requires smarts. Just one single shot in one exchange in one point of a high-level match is a nightmare of mechanical variables."

- David Foster Wallace

            I came late to tennis, only starting to play when my son was 11 years old. I had played the game only infrequently during most of my adulthood favoring soccer more than tennis. I was a soccer referee for 14 years and wanted to dedicate time to that, but at some point it didn't fit my schedule. Then I discovered the game of tennis. As the great writer David Foster Wallace said it is, 'the most beautiful sport there is'. At first I would compete with my son (he beats me regularly now when we get the chance to play), then gradually I began to play with friends and in 'leagues' at the courts in East Potomac Park and at Carter Barron.

            What first comes to mind when you consider the new Spanish language theatre piece at GALA, ‘Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter’, an adaptation of the Mario Vargas Llosa novel, is how courageous and determined Rebecca and Hugo Medrano are about their company. GALA Theatre is the only live theatrical venue open to the public in DC at this time. It’s a tribute to their grit and determination that this show, over a year in abeyance, has finally happened at all!

There is a sheer plexiglass barrier between the stage and the audience (which actually enhances the theatrical effect) and only 50 people seated in the venue which made for a very odd -and depressing- opening night. Everyone masked up to get in. Social distancing and other precautions were taken.

            The show, elements of which are autobiographical, is a comedy highlighting the scandalous side of Don Mario, ideal for the moment we live in. Deftly crafted by Director Jose Zayas from the adaptation by Caridad Svich and brilliantly acted by a fine cast of both newcomers and the steady veterans of the GALA ensemble. The entire experience was delightful. Laughter abounded and, despite the distancing and small crowd, there was energy and passion in the audience for the show. It is a complete success.