FESTIVAL ARCHIVES

Four stunning works of Afro-Brazilian dance-theatre. An homage to Nancy de Souza e Silva (Dona Cici), wise elder of the Candomblé culture, it celebrates peace, ancestry, the forces of nature and the power of women. Creative soundscapes and enticing forró dances captivate audiences with irrepressible physicality, power, passion, and exuberance.

Theatre of the absurd with touches of comedy and suspense. Six people are anonymously invited to a dinner, where one of them announces the death of “the fat man.” Any one of them could be the killer. The victim stops being the victim and becomes the defendant at a trial in which the judge is the social and ethical conscience of the characters and the audience. (In Spanish with English supertitles)

Four mentally ill convicts, victims of a harsh civil war in their youth and now shut away in a psychiatric facility, are reflections of a violent and insane society. Welcome to the psychiatric ward at Soyapango prison. (In Spanish)

Addressing the role of family, school, religion, politics and art in the transgender community, the play depicts the lives of transvestites and cross-dressing performers through documentary theatre. BR-TRANS is about facts, about reality, and features a character from“trans-Brazil”, fashioned from the convergence of and displacement between northeastern and southern Brazil. (In Portuguese with Spanish supertitles)

A middle-school teacher appears committed to observing the moral code of the society in which he lives. Facing the difficulty of finding a job and the imminent collapse of his family, the system offers him the opportunity to save himself by becoming corrupt. It won’t end well. (In Spanish)

At a time of intense partisan divisions and massive street demonstrations both for and against the government, two sisters are forced to take a profound look at their relationship with their dead father. A dark period of their childhood fuels the confrontation between them. (In English with Spanish supertitles)

Written and performed by a person with Down syndrome and featuring a cast of ten actors, Apple of My Eye tells the story of a young woman in search of love and social acceptance. The play connects text, vocal techniques, multimedia and physical theatre to advance a non-judgmental view of others and prove that genius and originality are not exclusive to certain groups. (In Portuguese with English supertitles)

The charming puppet Don Hilarión from La Verbena de la Paloma and his friends transport us to a wonderful world. Children will discover the composers, librettists and traditions of Spanish operettas as well as delightful stories that will better acquaint them with this genre. A colorful parade of the characters that populate such “zarzuelas”: chulapos, chulapas, sailors, gleaners, farmers, beautiful women and valiant gentlemen. (In Spanish)

2:00-3:00pm | Arts and crafts, rides, face painting and distribution of combo meals
3:00-4:30pm | Workshops: acting, dance, voice/music, painting and puppetry
4:30-5:30pm | Presentation by workshop participants
6:00-7:00pm | PERFORMANCE: Zarzuguiñol, a Puppet Zarzuela (In Spanish).

The charming puppet Don Hilarión from La Verbena de la Paloma and his friends transport us to a wonderful world. Children will discover the composers, librettists and traditions of Spanish operettas as well as delightful stories that will better acquaint them with this genre.

Exile, that bittersweet dish seasoned with the nostalgia of those who leave and the yearning of those who stay, bears in it achievements and renunciations, benefits and sacrifices, hope and resignation. Those who go and those who stay will always live seeking a little something to ease the pain. (In Spanish with English supertitles)

A pact to meet again in 50 years and a date stamped on two hearts, amazing in their peculiarities, challenges and fears. Two beings caught in the spell of believing themselves to be the same 50 years later, when they have inevitably stopped being what they once were. (In Spanish)

The product of theatrical experimentation that seeks in border areas forms of engagement beyond nationality, gender, sexuality, religion, philias and phobias. What if you could choose your nationality via customer service? What if what defines you is a number? Or your very strange name? (In Spanish with English supertitles)

The story of a girl with sorrow that grew with time, a need that deepened day by day and a problem that blew up in the face of those who wouldn’t listen. This is the story of a family that comes together one Christmas after many years apart. (In Spanish with English supertitles)