Meeting Place Puerto Plata

Founded in 2010 by Frances Boylston and Henry Milner, two semi-retired academics from Montreal, the Meeting Place was established to fill a void that they saw on the North Coast of the Dominican Republic. Frances and Henry had been visiting the Puerto Plata region since the early 1980's, observing the changes brought about by the development of the tourist industry. Too little was being done, they concluded, to encourage an appreciation of Dominican culture and history by visitors and new residents from abroad. Their collaboration with Arisleyda Beard, a leading figure in local theatre, brought another dimension to the project, that of fostering the development of theatre arts in the Puerto Plata community. With this combined vision in mind, the Montreal couple in 2009 purchased a post-Victorian house in the historic center of Puerto Plata and had it restored to its former glory, opening an English bookstore and resource center, an historical photo gallery and a small theatre (Teatro Iván García). Early in 2010, with performances by Arisleyda's Teatro Bálsamo, the Meeting Place welcomed its first visitors. Soon afterwards Jeffrey Oberman, another Canadian from Montreal, who had taken up residence in Puerto Plata, heard of the new project and came to investigate what was happening. The Meeting Place turned out to be the brainchild of one his professors from many years earlier and he soon became a key member of the team. In the short time since it has opened, the Meeting Place has grown into a well-functioning community center, an important part of Puerto Plata's cultural and intellectual life. Especially vibrant are the productions of Arisleayda Beard and her team at Teatro Bálsamo that take place in the rear of the property, on a fully equipped stage with an open area suitable for either activities or seating an audience of 80 people. The activities are a series of theater and dance workshops and summer programs offered by the Esquela Teatro Iván García. Slower to develop at first, but now equally vibrant, are the English-language activities that take place on a weekly basis. As activities expanded, and new programs developed, volunteers stepped forward to offer their services to the Meeting Place - offers much welcomed since the Meeting Place is a privately-funded, non-profit, volunteer endeavor. For a list of those volunteers who have made the Meeting Place possible, refer to the OUR TEAM web page (click here).