Meet Our Speakers

Tony Plana

Tony Plana was educated at Loyola-Marymount University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree through the Honors Program in Literature and Theater Arts, graduating magna cum laude. He received his professional training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England.

Plana recently starred for four seasons as Ignacio Suarez, the widowed father to America Ferrera’s Ugly Betty, in ABC’s landmark, groundbreaking hit series for which he received the 2006 Golden Satellite Award from the International Press Academy, an Imagen Award, and an Alma Award.

As an actor Plana has starred in more than 60 feature films, including JFK, Nixon, Salvador, An Officer and a Gentleman, Lone Star, Three Amigos, Born in East L.A., El Norte, 187, Primal Fear, Romero, One Good Cop, Havana, The Rookie, Silver Strand and Picking Up the Pieces with Woody Allen. On television he has starred in the Showtime Original Miniseries, Fidel, as the notorious Cuban dictator, Batista, as well as Showtime’s Noriega: God’s Favorite.

Plana is the co-founder and Executive Artistic Director of the EastLA Classic Theatre (ECT), a group comprised of multicultural, classically trained theatre professionals.  For the past 20 years, the EastLA Classic Theatre has been dedicated to serving economically challenged communities through educational outreach programs for primary and secondary schools.

Through the EastLA Classic Theatre, Plana has challenged the boundaries of teaching and learning language through an innovative approach called Language in Play (LIP). Working directly with language arts teachers, LIP utilizes the performing arts to impact literacy skills in academically at risk and bi-lingual students. Evolved collaboratively with educators over the last fifteen years, ECT’s unique process of ‘personalizing’ language, through student playwrighting and playacting based on autobiographical experience, has proven more effective in achieving academic advancement and personal growth than established, traditional methods. It has consistently improved students’ reading, writing and speaking skills resulting in higher attendance and lower drop-out rates, increased class participation and homework completion, as well as achieved better test scores, strengthened self-confidence and provided an engaging and meaningful school experience. 

                                      Pablo Batista

Pablo Batista, a graduate of the Temple University class of 1985, has been a percussionist for over 31 years. In 2000, Pablo was the recipient of the distinguished Pew Fellowship Award in Folk Art. He also toured and recorded with the late Grover Washington, Jr., from 1985 until Grover’s passing in 1999.

He has toured with five time Grammy recipient, Alicia Keys and performed with her live at the 2002 Grammy Awards.

He has been teaching percussion for the Latin American Music Association (AMLA) for over 15 years and has performed and recorded with such artist as: Bono, Jeffrey Osborne, Phyliss Hyman, George Howard, Diane Reeves, Gerald Levert, Teddy Pendergrass, Eddie Palmieri, Manny Oquendo Conjunto Libre, Philadelphia Orchestra, Musiq, Norman Brown’s 2003 Grammy award winning, Just Chillin album. Pablo has been a Latin Percussion endorser and clinician since 1985.

In 1954 the Batista’s moved to Bethlehem, PA with a family of 4 children, 3 daughters and their youngest son Pablo. At the age of 9 Pablo started studying hand drums with master percussionist Miguel Candia. From there he learned the styles of popular and Afro-Caribbean music, with a specific interest in Salsa. After graduating Bethlehem Catholic High School in 1981 Pablo went on to attend Temple University and graduated in 1985 with a Bachelors Degree of Fine Arts. Pablo started teaching Afro-Caribbean percussion at The Association of Latin American Musicians (AMLA).