CLATA Announces DESTINOS 7th Chicago International Latino Theater Festival

The Chicago Latino Theatre Alliance announced big plans for the return of Destinos, the Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, a seven-week, citywide festival showcasing Latino theater artists and companies from Chicago, the U.S. and Latin America, September 30-November 17, 2024.

Each fall, Destinos is the cultural apex of Chicago’s Latino Heritage Month, showcasing Latino theater artists and companies from Chicago, the U.S. and Latin America. The festival is produced by the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), and presented annually to drive Chicago’s vibrant Latino theater scene to a more prominent level locally, nationally and internationally.

This year, the Destinos 2024 line-up includes 22 productions at theaters large and small all over the city, including four world premieres, three North American premieres, three U.S. premieres and five Midwest premieres. 

“Once again, we look forward to showcasing the beauty and diversity of our Latinidad through the many international, national and local live theater productions being presented as part of Destinos all over the city this fall,” said CLATA Executive Director Jorge Valdivia. “I’m particularly excited about the multiplicity of offerings in this year’s Destinos, our most extensive line-up yet, from the world-renowned performance line-up of U.S. and Latin American companies presented alongside local Latine theater companies to workshops, celebrations and Alianzas, our programmers’ week.”

Tickets to international and national productions go on sale Friday, August 9 at clata.org. Whether solo works or large scale productions, Destinos performances do sell out, so Chicagoans and visitors alike are encouraged to get their tickets early to experience a diverse slate of shows playing on Chicago’s top stages throughout the fall.

Stay tuned for more information on shows, venues, ticket prices and performance schedules. In the meantime, bookmark clata.org, follow CLATA on Facebook, Instagram and Threads at @latinotheater for breaking news about Destinos 2024, and sign up for CLATA’s weekly e-newsletter.

The Destinos 2024 lineup includes (top, from left) Chile’s Astillero Teatro’s all-ages family show, the North American premiere of La Memoria de los Sésiles, at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Oct. 31-Nov. 3. The U.S. premiere of Desvenar from Mexico’s Kraken Teatro, explores the significance of the chile in Mexican Culture, Oct. 3-5 at the National Museum of Mexican Art. (Middle) Latin Standards, a one-woman comedy by San Francisco solo artist Marga Gomez plays Center on Halsted, Oct. 4-5. Albany Park Theater Project and Third Rail Projects present the return of their hit immersive production, Port of Entry, Oct. 17-Nov. 2. (Bottom) The North American premiere of El Brote from Compañia Criolla in Argentina features Roberto Peloni as an actor who can’t be sure who is writing the events in his own life, Oct. 2-5 at The Den. Chicago artist Satya Chavez stars in Brian Quijada’s Where Did We Sit on the Bus?, Nov.15-17 at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater. Download these and more show images here.

The 2024 Destinos festival is bringing four exciting international productions from Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico to Chicago:

The North American premiere of El Brote from Compañia Criolla in Argentina. The lines between fiction and reality begin to blur for an actor, and now he cannot even be sure who is writing the events in his own life. This riveting psychological drama, written and directed by Emiliano Dionisi and starring Roberto Peloni, has four shows only, October 2-5 at The Den Theatre. Press opening is Wednesday, October 2 at 8 p.m.

The U.S. premiere of Desvenar, from Mexico’s Kraken Teatro, written and directed by and co-starring Richard Viqueira. This spicy, theatrical mole sauce of a show explores the significance of the chile in Mexican history, culture, language, religion and mythology. Desvenar is co-presented by CLATA and the National Museum of Mexican Art, three shows only, October 3-5. Press opening is Thursday, October 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater hosts the North American premiere of Azira’i, a biographical one-woman show starring Zahy Tentehar, directed by Denise Stutz and Duda Rios, presented by Sarau Cultura Brasileira in Brazil. The play looks at Tentehar’s relationship with her mother, Azira’i, the first female Shaman from the Cana Brava reserve and Supreme Shaman of the Tentehar peoples. Performances are October 24-27, four shows only. Press opening is Thursday, October 24 at 7:30 p.m.

Chile’s Astillero Teatro is bringing the North American premiere of La Memoria de los Sésiles, an all-ages family show, to Chicago Shakespeare Theater, four shows only, October 31-November 3. The play is set in a not-too-distant future where all the trees have been cut down by uncontrolled real estate expansion. Sacha, an old hermit, and Tujo, a young environmentalist, embark on a journey deep underground and through their memories in search of the path that will make the forest emerge again. Filled with songs, games and beautiful stagecraft, it’s written by Nicolás Cancino-Said, and directed by Gabriel Contreras. Press opening is Thursday, October 31 at 7:30 p.m. 

U.S. productions, traveling from out-of-town for their Chicago debuts, include:

Latin Standards, a one-woman comedic family memoir by San Francisco solo artist Marga Gomez, is a loving, funny and true story of perseverance and creative and caffeinated addiction passed down from immigrant father to lesbian daughter. It’s presented in partnership with Center on Halsted, two shows only, October 4-5. Press opening is Friday, October 4 at 7:30 p.m.

Goodman Theatre builds on its long-running partnership with CLATA to bring the art of magic to Destinos with The Magic Parlour presents Siegfried Tieber. This year, legendary Chicago magician Dennis Watkins has invited Tieber and local Latine magicians to take the stage of The Magic Parlour for this exclusive limited engagement, October 9-20 at Petterino's. Originally from Ecuador, Tieber is a Los Angeles-based magician who has fooled thousands, including Penn & Teller, with his amazing sleight-of-hand, psychology and humor. Watkins considers Tieber one of his favorite magic entertainers, calling him “smart, funny, gracious and incredibly devious.” Twelve performances only, including two with special guest appearances by local magicians Luis Carreon and Mago Gozner.

Rising musical theater composer and 2023 Jonathan Larson Award winner Jaime Lozano comes to the American Music Theatre Project at Northwestern University to continue development of Desaparecidas, his new state-fair concert musical about stories of disappeared women from the borderlands. Told through the lens of Mexican folklore and music, writers Lozano, Florencia Cuenca and Georgina Escobar explore the strategic erasure of female voices in the fight to end gender-based violence and the disappearance of women and girls. From the missing, to the socially invisible, to the forgotten, Desaparecidas takes place in a classic and timeless Mexican state fair (a Palenque) where the audience will experience a special appearance by some stories of the missing. Performances are October 18-20 at Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts Chicago. Press opening is Friday, October 18 at 7:30 p.m.

I came here to weep, first presented at Brooklyn’s Chocolate Factory Theatre in 2023, is a performance installation led by Bessie Award-winning choreographer and interdisciplinary artist Yanira Castro. Co-created with the public, I came here to weep is a multimodal, interactive project with a built audio environment designed by Northwestern faculty member Stephan Moore. A culmination of Castro's design residency at Northwestern, I came here to weep examines U.S. territorial possession and Puerto Rican sovereignty and invites the audience into a collective exorcism. Experience I came here to weep November 15-16 at Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts Chicago. Press opening is Friday, November 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Chicago Latine companies, artists and shows participating in the 7th Destinos Festival are: Elvira, a world premiere from Colectivo El Pozo, tells the true story of Elvira Arellano, a Mexican immigrant, single mother, worker, and eventual activist, who, fearing deportation, took sanctuary for a year in a Humboldt Park church in 2005. Elvira, written by RaĂşl Dorantes and directed by Mark Litwicki, runs October 2-26 at St. Augustine College in Uptown. Press opening is Thursday, October 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Teatro Tariakuri in Marquette Park presents the U.S. premiere of El Piélago de las Calamidades, a comedy by Alejandro Licona, directed by Karla Galván, that tells the unwritten story of what happened to the nomadic actors who were hired by Hamlet to represent the murder of his father. Performances are October 5-27. Press opening is Saturday, October 5 at 7 p.m.

The setting is Wrigley Field, Cubs versus the Brewers, in the world premiere dramedy Que Te Vaya Bien from Subtext Studio Theatre, debuting October 10-27 at the Greenhouse Theater. After learning his wife is pregnant, Elias buys a ticket to the Cubs game to spiritually connect with his deceased father, in the hope of gaining some clarity on what it means to be a good father. A new play written by Omar Vicente Fernandez and directed by Octavio Montes De Oca. Press opening is Thursday, October 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Concrete Content presents the world premiere of Ruth on the Rocks, a dramady developed and directed by Ricardo Gamboa and written by and starring Ruth Guerra. Ruth Guerra is just your average Mexican American, middle-aged girl that grew up in the hood on Chicago’s Southside, is still grieving her late father, and loves a good drink or ten, her jams, and a messy relationship. Guerra performs her autobiographical one-woman show in the storefront that was her late father’s refrigerator repair shop in Back of the Yards. Performances are October 11-November 16 at Free Street’s Storyfront. Press opening is Friday, October 11 at 7 p.m.

Albany Park Theater Project and Third Rail Projects present the return of their hit immersive production, Port of Entry. Step inside the real-life stories of immigrants and refugees from all parts of the world living side by side in a single apartment building in Albany Park. Each performance welcomes just 28 audience members into an iconic courtyard apartment building meticulously recreated in a 12,000 square foot warehouse. With each step, guests experience the struggles, joys and triumphs of people forging new lives alongside one another. The Chicago Tribune called the original 2023 staging “an astonishing piece of work…a beautiful and fresh tribute to those who came first.” Performances are October 17-November 2. Press opening is Thursday, October 17 at 7 p.m.

Cabaret Parodia presents Más Dramáticas, written and directed by Esteban Pantoja, a comedy about an acting school director who shares the history of her prestigious academy and reveals the intense drama behind the auditions of five extraordinary students, each played by Chicago Latine drag performers. With fierce competition, high stakes and unwavering ambition, these girls are prepared to give it their all. Expect more music, more laughter, more wigs, and more drama. Two shows only, October 23 and 24 at the National Museum of Mexican Art. Press opening is Friday, October 23 at 7 p.m. 

Repertorio Latino Theater presents the Chicago premiere of Juicio a una Zorra, a dramatic monologue by Miguel Del Arco, directed by Sebastian Ligarde. Mafer Roussell plays Helen of Troy, also known as Helen of Sparta, famous for her beauty that sparked the most renowned war of Antiquity, and vilified as the adulterous queen of Sparta. Performances are October 24-November 10 at Citlalin Gallery & Theater. Press opening is Thursday, October 24 at 8 p.m.

Aguijón Theater, Chicago’s oldest Spanish-language theater, based in Hermosa, presents Adverses, a contemporary take on the Electra myth by Rey Andujar, directed by Sándor Menéndez and Marcela Muñoz. Audiences can look forward to a humorous yet poignant tragicomedy about the corrosive nature of the pursuit of power and the often-complicated relationship between mothers and daughters. Performances are November 1-December 15. Press opening is Friday, November 1 at 8 p.m. 

Celebrating its 35th anniversary, Aguijón Theater will present a remount of Cintas de seda, four shows only, November 7-10 at the National Museum of Mexican Art, where Aguijón first performed in 1990. On the eve of Day of the Dead, Frida Kahlo and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz come together in an impossible dialogue where ghosts, hallucinations, and images of the past are present from death in a poetic representation of life. This special run will also serve as a fundraiser for Chicago’s oldest Spanish language theater company. Press opening is Thursday, November 7 at 7:30 p.m. 

Where Did We Sit on the Bus?, the smash hit solo musical by Chicago native Brian Quijada, performed by the acclaimed multi-hyphenated Chicago artist Satya Chavez, runs for a very limited engagement, November 15-17 at Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater. During a third grade lesson on the Civil Rights movement and Rosa Parks, a Latina child raises her hand to ask, “Where did we sit on the bus?” Her teacher can’t answer the question. Performed by Chavez, an actor, singer, multi- instrumentalist, composer, and intersectional feminist, and infused with Latin rhythms, hip-hop, and live-looping, don’t miss this high-octane, tour-de-force theatrical experience that examines what it means to be Latiné in America. Press opening is Friday, November 15 at 7:30 p.m. 

Destinos Spotlight Week returns, a series of one-night-only performances highlighting Chicago’s local talent, featuring storytelling by Nestor Gomez on October 18, Antojitos Improv on October 19 and the Latine edition of Physical Theatre Festival's Scratch Night curated by Alice da Cunha on October 21. All performances will take place at The Den Theatre.

Jeff Award-winning Visión Latino Theatre Company presents the world premiere of Jocey y Las Mariachis, a one-woman musical created by Jocey Villa, directed by Yajaira Custodio. Experience one woman’s musical journey through culture, love and self-discovery in Chicago, accompanied by live mariachi music! Venue and dates to be announced.

Additional programming for Destinos includes:

The 2024 Destinos festival will mark the launch of Alianzas, a week of gatherings and events from October 21-27 dedicated to facilitating exchanges between artistic programmers representing international and national festivals and local Latine theater groups.

Another first will be the introduction of Intercambios, a series of workshops throughout the run of the festival focusing on different skill building sessions.

The U.S. premiere of Desvenar from Mexico’s Kraken Teatro, explores the significance of the chile in Mexican Culture, Oct. 3-5 at the National Museum of Mexican Art.

Celebrating its 35th anniversary, Aguijón Theater will present a remount of Cintas de seda, about an imagined encounter between Frida Kahlo and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, four shows only, November 7-10 at the National Museum of Mexican Art, where Aguijón first performed in 1990.

Chicago Shakespeare Theater hosts the North American premiere of Azira’i, a biographical one-woman show starring Zahy Tentehar presented by Sarau Cultura Brasileira in Brazil. The play looks at Tentehar’s relationship with her mother, Azira’i, a female Shaman.

Chile’s Astillero Teatro’s all-ages family show, the North American premiere of La Memoria de los Sésiles, runs Oct. 31-Nov. 3 at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.ators and artists.

For more information, visit clata.org

To post a comment, you must register and login.