Latin American Festival takes over downtown Orlando Fringe ArtSpace
This weekend brings live performances to Fringe ArtSpace as Open Scene’s Latin American Festival of Performing Arts takes over the downtown Orlando venue. Groups from Miami, Dallas and the homegrown talent of Opera del Sol/Central Florida Vocal Arts and Raymi Dance will present live entertainment daily.
Friday night at 7:30, HavanaFama of Miami brings its production of “Bernarda,” an adaptation of the Federico García Lorca’s theatrical classic “The House of Bernarda Alba.” The story, in which no male characters are seen, centers on the domineering matriarch of a Spanish family who rules over her five daughters. Looking at the high price of repression and conformity, the story ends in tragedy.
HavanaFama’s 75-minute production uses a blend of Greek theater methods and Japanese kabuki aesthetics to create a fresh visual experience. Its “Bernarda” has been seen in Los Angeles, New York City and Mexico, as well as at its home theater in Miami.
Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. production, from Teatro Dallas in Texas, is “Passport” by acclaimed Venezuelan director and playwright Gustavo Ott. A 75-minute tragicomedy, the show explores the theme of identity loss as it takes a look at the challenges posed by language barriers.
In the play, a traveler finds her worldwide exploration has gone on so long that at her latest border crossing she is trapped between peoples, documents and countries.
Finally, Central Florida Vocal Arts/Opera del Sol and Raymi Dance on Sunday will present “Night of Zarzuela” at 3 p.m. Zarzuela, which originated in Spain at the end of the 17th century, is a distinctly Spanish genre of combining operatic style music with comedy and drama. Lyrical in nature, zarzuela incorporates instruments, rhythms, dance and costumes that are intrinsically linked to Hispanic culture.
Mexican-Spanish artist Bert Rodriguez will stage and music direct the 60-minute show, joined by Venezuelan-Cuban viola player Daniel Cortes leading a quartet of musicians.
Vocalists include tenor Sahid Pabon (CFVA’s “The Secret Garden)”, mezzo-soprano Stefanie Diaz (“The Secret Garden,” “The Sound of Music”) and baritone Jose-Manual Lopez (“The Secret Garden,” “Melina”). They will be joined by Puerto Rican soprano Mariangel Cestari, recently seen in Opera Orlando’s “The Daughter of the Regiment,” making her Opera del Sol debut.
“The opportunity to be able to delve into a Spanish project is always tantalizing and exciting,” Lopez wrote in a statement. “I’m grateful to get in touch with my roots and enrich our beautiful local culture.”
Raymi Dance, which aims to educate on Latin American dance and culture through entertainment, has choreographed several numbers for the performance.
The productions will be accompanied by a fine-art exhibition curated by CityArts and SoTA Collection.
Productions are in Spanish, but translations are provided.
“This year, we invested in state-of-the-art artificial-intelligence technology that will allow us to offer all the content with subtitles and audio in more than 25 languages,” wrote Open Scene founderThamara Bejarano, festival director.
“We continue to grow and push the boundaries, buoyed by the drive to continue connecting communities through art and to provide professional Latino artists with exposure platforms that elevate not only our local cultural scene but the way we are represented in the current North American entertainment industries,” Bejarano continued. “Hispanicity is much more than flowers and songs; it is talent, mysticism and a deep respect for the richness of our cultures.”
Tickets for each performance are $25-$32, with a $2 discount for seniors, students, military and residents of 55 West. There are also $5 obstructed-view seats offered. A $60 festival pass includes all three shows. For tickets and more information, go to OpenSceneOrlando.com.
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