A world premiere from a Miami-based Pulitzer Prize winner can mean only one thing – internationally acclaimed Nilo Cruz has a new play. Sed en la calle del agua (Thirst On Water Street) is coming to Miami-Dade Country Auditorium’s (MDCA) On.Stage Black Box Theater from March 14 through March 17, presented as a partnership with South Florida’s own Arca Images and MDCA, with live simultaneous English translation. The play is about the redemptive power of art, and the possible salvation for one woman.
Set in a hospital, Sed en la calle del agua tells the story of an artist who has fallen into a state of depression after losing her daughter to an illness and not having enough money to pay for the fuel needed to survive the New Jersey winter. The psychiatrist in charge of her case realizes that art is vital in this artist’s life and may be the only thing that can save her. Will art be able to bring this painter’s life back? How can the creative process heal one woman’s soul?
“As an artist, of course I have always been interested in how creativity and the work we do can both feed our own souls, and affect the world,” says Cruz, who directs his own play in this new production. “It is a privilege to be able to world premiere a new play from Nilo and again have South Florida audiences be the first to see this work on stage,” says Alexa Kuve, Founding Executive and Producing Artistic Director of Arca Images, who also created the Spanish translation. The cast includes Claudia Tomás, Daniel Romero, Carlos Acosta Milián and special guest Orlando Urdaneta.
Arca Images has been a leader in providing high quality, bilingual theater that is accessible to Miami’s diverse audiences This production features original Spanish text with live simultaneous English translation voiced by bilingual actors over wireless headphones that are available for all patrons. This makes Hispanic theater in Miami widely available to both residents and visitors. After the 5:00 pm Sunday performance March 17 there will be a bilingual Q&A with the cast, the writer/director and the producer.
Playwright and director Nilo Cruz’ “Anna in the Tropics” had its Broadway premiere with Jimmy Smits in the lead role, and he was the first Latino to win a Pulitzer Prize, for this work. He is author of more than 16 plays and four translations and received his M.F.A. in theater from Brown University. In addition, he is an accomplished theater director who has frequently mounted his own plays and directed other classic and contemporary works. Cruz’ plays have been presented at New York’s Public Theater, New York Theatre Workshop and the McCarter Theatre, among others. His numerous awards and fellowships include two NEA/TCG National Theatre Artist Residency grants, a Rockefeller Foundation grant, a Kennedy Center Fund award, and a PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award. He has taught playwriting at Brown University, the University of Iowa, Yale and University of Miami. Two recent world premieres, “Hotel Desiderium” and “Kisses Through the Glass,” were commissioned and produced by Arca Images.
Tickets are $30 open seating, $25 seniors and students with valid ID. Advance tickets are available at www.arcaimages.org and the day of the show at Miami-Dade County Auditorium box office only. The theater is fully wheelchair accessible, with adjacent free on-site surface parking available. Performances are at 8 pm, Thursday, March 14 through Saturday, March 16, and 3 pm on Sunday, March 17. The Miami Dade County Auditorium On.Stage Black Box Theater is located at 2901 W. Flagler St., Miami, FL, with entrance in the rear. To request materials in accessible format, or any disability accommodation, visit www.arcaimages.org or contact Arca by email at arcaimages@gmail.com.
Support for Arca Images, and its performances, is provided in part by Miami-Dade County Auditorium; the Florida Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, and the Florida Council of Arts and Culture and the State of Florida; the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners; the National Latinx Theater Initiative; the Shubert Foundation; and other donors.
WHAT: World Premiere of Nilo Cruz’ ‘”Sed en la calle del agua” in Spanish with simultaneous English translation.
WHEN: 8:00 pm on Thursday, March 14 through Saturday, March 16, and 3:00 pm on Sunday, March 17
WHERE:Miami Dade County Auditorium On.Stage Black Box Theater, 2901 W. Flagler St., Miami, FL
ADMISSION: $30 open seating, $25 seniors and students with valid ID. Tickets available at www.arcaimages.org and day of show at theater only.
FOR MORE INFO: www.arcaimages.org
