Board of Directors

Sabina Matos, President
Jacinta Peña, Vice-President
Freddy Rosario, Treasurer
Sandra Lake
Gloria Hincapie
Ana-Cecilia Rosado
Franklin Solano
Dantes Carrasco
Carolina Briones
Alberto Guzman

Exec. Artistic Director

Born in the Dominican Republic, Francis Parra graduated from Santo Domingo's APEC University with a degree in advertising and art. She studied theater and acting at Casa de Teatro and with Germana Quintana. Francis has performed in a number of productions throughout the Dominican Republic, including the Teatro Nacional, the country's premiere venue. 

In 1993, Francis moved to San Francisco, California, and later to Rhode Island, where she began working as a radio announcer on local Latino radio and, later, as a school teacher. She was a co-founder of ECAS in 1997, and has since produced and directed more than a dozen plays, directed ECAS programming and special events, and even taken time for the occasional return to acting. Francis is a teacher at the International Charter School in Pawtucket, Rhode Island and an Adjunct Professor of Spanish at Rhode Island College.

About ECAS...

The Educational Center for the Arts & Sciences (ECAS) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 1997 by Latino artists and educators living in Providence, Rhode Island.

ECAS Theater promotes the performing arts with an emphasis on theater as a viable form of self-expression and cultural affirmation for Latino youth and adults with little or no prior exposure to the performing arts.

It is our purpose to expose the public to the best works of Spanish and Latin American playwrights, both contemporary and classical and in general, to foster an appreciation of the richness of Latin American and Iberian cultures in the context of the pluralism that characterizes Providence.

This is made possible thanks to our volunteers and though the generous support of our funders and sponsors. Thank you!

Population Served

ECAS Theater's programs are offered and accessible to Rhode Island's Latino community, as well as mainstream theatergoers interested in quality classic and contemporary Spanish-language theater.

According to Census figures, 65,000 Latinos reside in Providence, more than one-third of the city's total population. More than 60% of students enrolled in Providence public schools identify themselves as Latino. Rhode Island is home to more than 115,000 Latinos.

Francis shares a laugh with Dominican actor Frank Perozo