FESTIVAL ARCHIVES

Short Eyes, a term prisoners use to brand a child molester, reveals the racial, sexual and dangerously seditious personal politics wielded by an explosive group of inmates at an unnamed house of detention in New York City. Their petty ploys and communal rebellions are unexpectedly disturbed when they are joined by a middle-class white man accused of raping a young girl. (In English; brief nudity and strong language; not appropriate for children)

Four characters experience marital infidelity: an idealistic exile, an ex-guerrilla poet turned publicist, a businessman and a housewife. At issue, as well, is fidelity to our philosophic, moral, ethical, social and political principles. (In Spanish with English supertitles)

Inspired by Octavio Paz’s The Labyrinth of Solitude, the play explores love, death, destiny and family. On the day of the million-immigrant march, Gabriel invites his old neighborhood friends over after his mother’s funeral. As the wine pours and mambo explodes, they share secrets, laugh, cry, sing and dance together. (In English)

Three short plays show the fragility and vulnerability inherent in the human condition, of humans trapped in vicious cycles from which there is no escape. The pieces go beyond the historical facts of the period in which they are set to touch upon universal values, such as love and compassion. (Staged reading in Spanish)

The vicious cycle of poverty in which many women are caught prevents them from achieving meaningful lives. Through raw, vivid language and an unadorned depiction of reality, the story of their precarious existence and struggle to sustain their unstable lifestyle keeps us on the edge of our seats. (Staged reading in Spanish; not appropriate for children)

Musical melodrama about Argentine songstresses of the 1930s. At the time, it was common for women whose singing careers were unsuccessful to become seamstresses. (In Spanish)

The Malinche is something in our collective unconscious that we can't seem to comprehend, something that is hard to interpret. Who are we? Are we bastards? Are we children of betrayal, ambition, gossip? Lover, concubine, slave, maid, mother, woman, native. All attempts to explain the Mexican soul are intimately tied to her. Malinche is our country, and also our duality and legacy. (In Spanish)

A look at urban society, at the lack of communication and misunderstandings with which we live. An exploration of domestic violence in the solitary worlds city dwellers build to protect themselves. (In Spanish)

Everyone will enjoy the story of two charming but not-too-bright characters who meet in a magical world full of music, puppets, comedy and popular lore. As they interact with the protagonists, children learn about the folklore of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. (Bilingual)

André and Dorine are a unique elderly couple who, like so many others, have drifted into apathy as a result of routine. But a disease interrupts the monotony: Alzheimer’s, our great enemy, a destroyer of memories and identity. A journey through memory, a struggle to remember who they were so as not to forget who they are. (Non-verbal)

In this humorous adaptation of Charles Perrault’s classic Little Red Riding Hood, a clever detective investigates the strange disappearance of a wolf. His only witness is the charismatic, talkative and daydreaming Rusita, who testifies as to the facts of the case. Funny and action-filled, the story reminds us of the importance of the healthy enjoyment of childhood. (In Spanish)

Everyone will enjoy the story of two charming but not-too-bright characters who meet in a magical world full of music, puppets, comedy and popular lore. As they interact with the protagonists, children learn about the folklore of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. (Bilingual)

These two short plays reveal Piñera’s irreverent, darkly humorous streak. In the first, he plays with language, and in the second, with equivocal (and unequivocal) situations. The latter exploits the "form versus content" cliché that communist ideologues employed during much of the 20th century. Piñera's absurdist humor, which he used to skewer political rhetoric, practices, contributed to his works being banished from his homeland's stages for many years. These pieces are a testament to his wit, artistic skills and, above all, subversiveness. (Staged reading in Spanish)

A television reporter interviews a rural mother about her son’s death in Iraq, where he was serving in the U.S. armed forces. The streak of Andean baroque that runs through our veins keeps us suspended between tradition and a future that never seems to arrive. (In Spanish)

A generation that tries to impose its way of thinking and doing, and a younger one that claims the right to rebel in its quest for happiness. To remain silent and wait, to flee, or to stand up to power? What is the best way of saying no, and what is the price to be paid? (In Spanish with English supertitles)