In this play about European expansion and cultural clashes at the dawn of the 16th century, a fictional world of magical realism materializes.
The plot loosely borrows from the narrative structure of Shakespeare’s The Tempest and is rooted in language and events from the discovery journals of Bartolome de Las Casas, Christopher Columbus and Alvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca. These chroniclers traverse a shipwreck story that probes the psychological depths of their brazen entitlement and utter disorientation. As the characters navigate dreamscapes informed by Taino and Mayan cosmologies and contemporary archeological and historical findings, poignant reflections on early struggles for human rights on the “American” continent emerge.
Cast
Joy A. Anderson, Sovereign Plumed Serpent / Anacaona
Lee Boek, Alvar
Dave Deany, Francisco
Joshua Duron, Voice of Francisco / Chorus
Jacob Friedheim, Voice of Bartolome / Chorus
Rebeca Hernandez, Heart of Sky Named Huricane / Iermao
Sol Mason, Bartolme
Tiffany Owens, Voice of Anacaona and Iermao / Chorus
Todd Pate, Cristóbal
Max Schafer, Shadow Player and Understudy
Paul Zografakis, Voice of Cristóbal & Alvar / Chorus
Music by Devin McNulty and Davin Givhan
Choreography by Rebeca Hernandez and Joy A. Anderson
Crew
Alisa De Los Santos, Co-Producer and Technician
Jill Newman, Set Design, Projections and Costumes
Tom McKenzie, Co-Producer
Paul Sand, Director