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Romances

Shakespeare's romances combine elements of the pastoral, tragedy, and comedy. The Winter's Tale involves two different locations and the passage of time, and it has been transposed to various Latinx settings for that reason. The Tempest, associated with the Caribbean, was largely absent from Latinx Shakespeares due to the depiction of Caliban, who is native to the island. In the last decade, various Latinx theatre-makers have staged and adapted the story to counter earlier pejorative stagings and interpretations.

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Scroll down or press these links for productions of Pericles, The Tempest, and The Winter's Tale.

Pericles

2009 Old Globe Theatre

San Diego, CA

Pericles

(dir. Vivia Font)

This production was one of the many bilingual summer shows with students that The Old Globe ran for several years.

All images courtesy of The Old Globe Theatre

The Tempest

2005 Resonance Ensemble

New York, NY

La Tempestad 
by Larry Loebell

(dir. Eric Parness)

Resonance Ensemble stages new plays - inviting the playwright to work with the director - in repertory with established classic plays.

All images courtesy of Resonance Ensemble
latinx theatre, latinx plays, latinx Shakespeares, cuban shakespeare, Cuban theatre, bilingual theatre

2006 Teatro Avante

Miami, FL

Otra Tempestad

by Raquel Carrió

(dir. Liliam Vega)

The play was created by Raquel Carrió and Flora Lauten for Teatro Buendía and first performed in Havana, Cuba, in 1997.

2007 Rorschach Theatre for the Washington Shakespeare Festival

Washington, DC

Rough Magic
by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa

(dir. Jenny McConnell Frederick)

Aguirre-Sacasa melds comic book super villainy and comedy into Shakespeare's play with Prospero as evil and his children - Caliban, Ariel, Miranda, and a new character, Sasia - are all on the fictional island as well. A character named Melanie shifts between the contemporary "real" world and the characters she can conjure, and by doing so, she reflects on the choices she makes with her magic.

All images courtesy of Rorschach Theatre

2014 Present Company Theatre

Austin, TX

The Tempest

(dir. Lindsay Doleshal)

Present Company Theatre staged their production outdoors on Rain Lily Farm in East Austin with amazing sets by IA Ensterä. Sergio Alvarado played Caliban and spoke Spanish; Miranda spoke some Spanish to him. The program included a synopsis in both English and Spanish. Translations by Lauren Waelder.

All images courtesy of Present Company Theatre

2015 FreeFall Theatre

St. Petersburg, FL

The Tempest: Esta Isla Es Mia 

by Eric Davis

(dir. James Oliver)

Eric Davis’ one-man show interwove Shakespeare’s story with a modern tale of a Cuban university professor and now refugee, Yuri. Davis alternated between several characters from The Tempest, and the post-colonial parallel to Yuri’s journey. Davis mixed in modern dialogue and some verse by José Martí.

All images courtesy of Mike Wood 

2015 Classical Theatre of Harlem

New York, NY

The Tempest

(dir. Carl Cofield)

The production was set in Hispaniola, the island that the Dominican Republic and Haiti share. Carl Cofield’s production included some Spanish, French, and Kreyòl (Haitian Creole). Ron Cephas Jones starred as Prospero and Haitian, Carl Hendrick Louis played Caliban, and Reynaldo Piniella played Ferdinand. It was performed in the outdoor Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Marcus Garvey Park and met with resounding acclaim by audiences and critics.

All images courtesy of Classical Theatre of Harlem
latinx theatrical adaptation, latinx plays, shakespearean productions and adaptations, latinx Shakespeares, productions and adaptations of Shakespeare's, latinx theatrical adaptations,

2016 Carthage College

Kenosha, WI

The Breath of Stars
by Caridad Svich

(dir. Neil Kristian Scharnick)

Caridad Svich’s modern-day transposition of The Tempest engages the digital age, loneliness, and the consequences of social media.

Image courtesy of Carthage College Theatre

2017 Milagro

Portland, OR

Óye Oyá 
Book by: Rebecca Martinez, based on a treatment by Rodolfo Ortega
Music by: Rodolfo Ortega
Lyrics by: Rodolfo Ortega and Rebecca Martinez
 

(dir. Estefanía Fadul)

Óye Oyá is a Spanish-language musical adaptation of The Tempest. Set in present-day Cuba, the show incorporates Cuban zarzuela and Santería (Oyá is the orisha of winds and storms). The show ran in Spanish with English subtitles.

All images courtesy of Milagro

2018 CTX Live Theatre / UT Austin

Austin, TX

The Tempest: A Gentrification Story

(dirs. Laura Baglereau and Khristián Méndez Aguirre)

Laura Baglereau and Khristián Méndez Aguirre adapted and co-directed this production when they were both graduate students at

All images courtesy of Laura Baglereau and Khristián Méndez Aguirre

2018 Rhode Island Latino Arts (RILA) and Trinity Repertory

Providence, Central Falls, and Pawtucket, RI - 2018

La Tempestad 
Translation by: Orlando Hernandez

(dir. Tatyana Marie-Carlo)

La Tempestad is a bilingual English-Spanish adaptation of The Tempest that was performed in various locations in Rhode Island between June 28 – July 27, 2018. It had an all-Latinx cast and was performed outdoors in parks and venues in areas throughout the state with high Latinx populations.

All images courtesy of Rhode Island Latino Arts (RILA)
El Huracán by Charise Castro Smith

2018 Yale Repertory Theatre

New Haven, CT

El Huracán
by Charise Castro Smith

(dir. Laurie Woolery)

Charise Castro Smith sets the action in Miami and creates a matrilineal story of loss.

Image by Magnus Stark.
Courtesy of GableStage Theatre Company in Miami
from their 2023 production.

2019 R.Evolución Latina and Pregones/PRTT

New York, NY

The Tempest

(dir. Luis Salgado)

The Tempest was a multilingual, devised theatre piece that included artists from across the Americas.

All images courtesy of R.Evolución Latina

2019 The Public Theater

New York, NY

The Tempest

(dir. Laurie Woolery)

Director Laurie Woolery chose to tell the story through a female perspective. African American actress Myra Lucretia Taylor played Prospera, Puerto Rican actress Nancy Rodriguez played Gonzalo, and Christopher Ryan Grant, the only white actor in the show, played Caliban. The show had a diverse cast and included elements of brujería.

latinx theatrical adaptation, latinx plays, shakespearean productions and adaptations, latinx Shakespeares, productions and adaptations of Shakespeare's, latinx theatrical adaptations,
Photo by: Carla Della Gatta
Courtesy of: Carla Della Gatta
Rough Magic by Andrew Siañez-De la O

2022 Huntington Theatre

Boston, MA

Rough Magic 

by Andrew Siañez-De La O

(dir. Melinda Lopez)

This play was originally presented as part of the Breaking Ground Festival of New Work.

Courtesy of: Andrew Siañez-De La O

2024 Ophelia's Jump Productions

Pomona, CA

La Tempestad, or Shakespeare Goes Caribbean
by Beatrice Casagran

(dir. Beatrice Casagran)

This bilingual adaptation was set in 1895 on La Isla de la Juventud, off the coast of Cuba.

latinx theatre; latinx plays; latinx shakespeares; bilingual theatre; bilingual Shakespeares; bilingual Shakespeare

The Winter's Tale

1997 Luminarias

San Francisco, CA

The Winter's Tale

(dir. Joseph Ponce)

This was the first all-Latinx production of The Winter's Tale.

All ephemera courtesy of Durand Garcia
Caridad Svich Perdita Gracia

2002 Denison University

Granville, OH

Perdita Gracia
by Caridad Svich

(dir. Jon R. Farris)

Svich's play inspired by The Winter's Tale centers on Perdita, who is grieving (and is haunted by) the loss of her mother. Set in the Florida Keys, the play embraces magic and includes music.

All ephemera courtesy of PCPA -Pacific Conservatory Theatre

2010 PCPA

Santa Maria, CA

Invierno  

by José Cruz González

(dir. Mark Booher)

Invierno resets The Winter’s Tale to the central coast of California between 1831 and 1848. Along with English and Spanish, Samala (the language of the Santa Ynez Chumash) is incorporated into the script.

 

Invierno is featured in Latinx Shakespeares (see p.94-107).

2014 Catholic University of America

Washington, D.C.

Perdida
Books and lyrics by: Kathleen Cahill
Original music by: Deborah Wicks La Puma

(dir. Elena Velasco)

Set during Day of the Dead festivities, this musical adaptation

All ephemera courtesy of Elena Velasco, Kathleen Cahill, and Deborah Wicks La Puma

2019 Bag N Baggage

Hillsboro, OR

The Island in Winter / La Isla en Invierno
by Carlos-Zenen Trujillo

(dir. Scott Palmer)

This was the first play commissioned by Bag & Baggage Productions as part of their Problem Play Project

2024 Dumke Arts Plaza

Ogden, UT

Ella Se Mueve / She Stirs
by Sarah Grunnah

(dir. Sarah Grunnah)

This 45-minute, bilingual (Spanish/English) adaptation of The Winter's Tale was performed locally and for student audiences.

latinx theatre; latinx plays; latinx shakespeares; bilingual theatre; bilingual Shakespeares; bilingual Shakespeare

©2022 by Carla Della Gatta

Shakespeare performance; Shakespeare adaptation; Latinx theatre; theatre archives; Shakespeare and Race; ShakeRace; Latino Shakespeare; Latinx Shakespeare; Bilingual Shakespeare; Spanish Shakespeare; Hamlet Latino; Macbeth Latino; Othello Latino; Hispanic Hamlet; Hispanic Shakespeare: bilingual theatre; Latinx adaptation; Puerto Rican Shakespeare; Cuban Shakespeare; Chicano Shakespeare; Chicanx Shakespeare, Boricua Shakespeare; Romeo y Julieta Shakespeare; bilingual dramaturgy

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