La Guagua 47 is a community arts project celebrating Latino culture and identity through music, theater, and cultural engagement.
What began as a song inspired by a real bus ride in 1985 to Philadelphia's barrio became a short film created with over 300 artists and community members. Now, La Guagua 47 is evolving into a bilingual musical — a story about Lucía, a fifteen-year-old Puerto Rican girl who moves to Philadelphia and discovers, through the people she meets on the #47 bus, that belonging is something you claim, not something you're granted.
La Guagua 47 engages communities through three pathways:
The Musical — A bilingual theatrical work in development with nonprofit partners Philadelphia Theatre Company and Taller Puertorriqueño, supported by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with community musical showcases in 2026 and a world premiere planned for 2027.
La Guagua 47 en Vivo — Live performances bringing music and story to parks, schools, festivals, and community spaces — meeting audiences where they are, including those who may never set foot in a traditional theater.
La Guagua Creativa — Free community programs including art-making workshops, cultural celebrations, and events that create spaces of belonging and invite residents to connect with the project and with one another.
La Guagua 47 centers the stories, music, and experiences of Latino communities while welcoming all audiences into a universal story about migration, identity, and finding home. The project increases visibility and participation of Latino artists in the cultural fabric and creates opportunities for community connection across neighborhoods.
Your support funds artists, music arrangements, community arts workshops, community performances, and free public programs — ensuring that La Guagua 47 continues to grow as a living, community-rooted arts project.
Learn More: http://www.laguagua47musical.com