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Hispanic Productions Take Center Stage for BYU Department of Theatre and Media Arts

Three evenings of performances explore the work of Cuban American playwright María Irene Fornés

Livestream performance schedule:

  • November 19, 7:30 p.m.
  • November 20, 7:30 p.m.
  • November 21, 7:30 p.m.

Please note: A free ticket is required to attend one of the livestreamed performances. See BYU Arts for full details.

At a time when important conversations about race are taking place across the BYU campus and throughout the country, the Department of Theatre and Media Arts is producing two livestreamed plays that feature a Hispanic cast, director and playwright.

"Letters from Cuba" and "Manual for a Desperate Crossing" were written by Cuban American playwright María Irene Fornés, who passed away in 2018. "Letters from Cuba" is based on three decades of letters Fornés received from her brother in Havana, while "Manual for a Desperate Crossing" is about a fictional crossing from Cuba to Key West, inspired by interviews with survivors who fled Cuba on homemade rafts. 

Director and BYU theatre professor Kris Peterson was scheduled to direct "Wendy and Peter Pan," this past March, only to have the event postponed until fall when campus shut down due to COVID. When the play was canceled for a second time, Peterson was asked if she would like to direct one of the fall virtual performances instead. 

Read the full article at BYU Arts.