WHEN:
September 23 – October 17, 2021
WHERE:
Various Chicago Locations
TICKETS:
Various Prices
For ticket information visit the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance website or call (312) 631-3112
Destinos, 4th Chicago International Latino Theater Festival includes six productions from local Chicago Latino theaters, as well as out-of-town productions that combined will present a diverse array of Latino-themed shows, panels and student performances at marquee venues downtown, neighborhood theaters and cultural institutions throughout the city.
The shows are described by the Festival promoters as follows:
American Mariachi
Midwest Premiere
Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn Ave. in downtown Chicago
September 18-October 24
Meet Lucha, who spends her days caring for her ailing mother, but longs to shake up her 1970s home life. When a forgotten record album sparks her mother’s memory, Lucha and her cousin strike upon a radical idea: to create an all-female mariachi band. Infused with live mariachi music.
American Mariachi is written by José Cruz González, directed by Henry Godinez and features Chicago's Sones de México Ensemble. Presented in English with sprinkles of Spanish.
La manera como luces esta noche
World Premiere
Teatro Tariakuri
3117 W. 63rd St. in Marquette Park
September 25-October 17
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a King whose precious daughter Beatriz needed to be betrothed. But the king’s wish is suddenly shattered by an invasion of a peculiar handmaiden/soldier. Ubaldo the welder falls in love with the princess, but being not of noble blood, seeks the help of a wizard to meet the princess. Hilarious entanglements ensue as Ubaldo discovers how to win the princess and not to be hanged in the process. This comedic fairy tale, for adults only, is written by Alejandro Licona and directed by Karla Galván.
Futurology presents: The Fifth World
a World Premiere live listening party experience from Teatro Vista at Chopin Theatre,
1543 W. Division St. in Wicker Park
October 10 - October 11
At the beginning of the pandemic, Sebastian Reyes arrives in the small desert town of Palomas, Arizona to make his name producing a true crime story about a missing child in the desert. His search entangles him in a horrifying myth as old as the world. The Fifth World chronicles a desperate need to find and connect with another human being when the future of the world depends on it.
Destinos audiences will be the first to hear the first two episodes of this new serial audio play before its official premiere on October 28. In addition to the listening party, the new co-artistic directors of the company, Lorena Diaz and Wendy Mateo, will be announcing the new season of work for Teatro Vista along with the exciting future on the horizon for this 30-year company.
Y tú abuela, where is she?
World Premiere
Vision Latino Theatre Company
at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wicker Park
Opens Monday, October 11
Runs October 14-24
An interracial couple, Xavier and Adalina, are accepted into a program that allows them to modify the genes of their children before they are born. Excitement over the prospect of altering their offspring helps them forget the issues that plague their relationship, until they get stuck on one question: what color skin should the child have? As they navigate the answers, bigger problems are exposed and divine intervention may be needed for the entire family to survive.
Y tú abuela, where is she? is written by Nelson Diaz-Marcano and directed by Xavier M. Custodio. Presented in English and Spanish.
Brujaja
World Premiere
UrbanTheater Company
at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture
3015 W Division St. in Humboldt Park
October 9 and 10
After living above her mother's botánica her whole life, Ifé, an accidental witch, finally finds her purpose by tapping into her ancestral power to fight the larger fight against oppression and wellness.
Written by Melissa DuPrey and directed by Miranda González, Brujaja is a hybrid experience pairing live theater, dance and drumming for in-person audiences with a theatrically filmed virtual stream for viewing at home. Presented in English with sprinkles of Spanish.
La Gran Tirana: Descarga dramática
World Premiere
Aguijón Theater
2707 N. Laramie in Belmont-Cragin
Opens Friday, October 15
Runs October 16-November 21
La Gran Tirana: Descarga dramática is inspired by the Afro-Cuban legend Lupe Victoria Yolí Raymond, better known as La Lupe, the Queen of Latin Soul. The story explores the journey of Ana Morgana, an immigrant, a castoff, but, above all, an artist, who transcends her everyday reality by imagining herself a star: La Lupe.
La Gran Tirana was conceived and is directed by Sándor Menéndez, written by Rey Andújar, and features Ana Santos Sanchez, Sándor Menéndez and pianist Adrian Ruiz. Presented in Spanish with English subtitles.
Tijuana
Chicago Premiere
Lagartijas Tiradas al Sol, Mexico City
Presented at National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St. in Pilsen
September 23-26
Mixing video art and a sculptural stage environment with poetic text, Tijuana blurs the line between fiction and reality, using multimedia as mechanisms to link work and life and give voice to overlooked moments in social and political history.
With movement and text, performer and director Lázaro Gabino Rodríguez depicts a man’s social experiment in which he mysteriously appears as a resident of a new neighborhood with a new sweatshop job and a secret history. Tijuana asks: What does democracy mean in Mexico today for some 50 million people living on the minimum wage? What do we expect from democracy today? What do we expect from politics beyond democracy? Presented in Spanish with English subtitles.
AMAL
Chicago Premiere
Combat Hippies, Miami
Presented at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. in Wicker Park
September 30-October 3
AMAL explores the quest for meaning, purpose and identity sought through enlisting in the military and shares the unifying experiences of combatants and noncombatants as people of color. AMAL relays stories of how veterans, refugees and civilians adjusted to life after war, placing Puerto Rico’s colonial status, cultural and military heritage center stage.
AMAL is written by Combat Hippies and Teo Castellanos and directed by Teo Castellanos. Presented in English.
Mal de Amores
Midwest Premiere
Casa de Teatro, Dominican Republic
October 8-10
An old man tells his love stories as a woman sings boleros, baladas and rancheras. Mal de Amores is a fusion of storytelling and song. Mal de Amores is written and directed by Ginebra. Presented in Spanish.
Corazón de Papel
Chicago Premiere
Agua, Sol y Sereno, Santurce, Puerto Rico
Presented at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division St. in Wicker Park
October 14-17
Corazón de Papel depicts post-Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico told through contemporary puppetry.
For more information and expected program additions, visit the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance website.
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