El Viaje

Based on interviews with my grandmother, Abuela, El Viaje uses storytelling and song as devices to share her exciting, and heart-breaking, journey from Cuba to Puerto Rico, to North America. A journey that immerses audiences in the captivating history of my Cuban family, set against the backdrop of Cuba's political and cultural history, accompanied by original live music. Using prose, comedy, movement, and my guitar, I recount my family’s extraordinary history. From my Bisabuelo (great-grandfather) fighting in the Cuban rebellion against Fulgencio Batista’s regime, to my Abuela’s incredible journey: escaping a dictatorship, winning a scholarship to study electrical engineering, and then becoming a prominent advocate for refugees throughout the Syrian crisis. This show vividly animates the challenges and triumphs of mine and my Abuela’s family. It is an honest and engaging account with themes of courage, empowerment, feminism, and justice echoing throughout.