Lineup Set for SOLFEST 2024 Featuring New Work by Anne García-Romero, Phanésia Pharel & More

The Sol Project has revealed the complete lineup for the seventh annual SolFest: A Latiné Theater Festival, produced in partnership with Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater.
 
The five-day program will run on October 6-10, 2024, with both online and in-person events including four evenings of live programming at PRTT in Manhattan. Admission to all events is free and tickets are available now at solproject.org or pregonesprtt.org. To attend any event at SolFest, patrons must RSVP in advance.
 
“SolFest has consistently served as a joyful gathering space and top-notch laboratory of what’s new and next in Latiné theater. This year, the weeklong festival coincides with National Hispanic Heritage Month, ushering in fall 2024 with a standout roster of seasoned and up-and-coming playwrights, performers, directors, and media makers,” says Rosalba Rolón, Artistic Director of Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater (PRTT). “We are ever excited to collaborate with The Sol Project in making this ambitious programming a reality. I can’t wait to greet and meet and cheer with SolFest artists and audiences alike!”
 
"SolFest is more than just a festival; it's a celebration of Latiné culture, a space for connection and an opportunity to experience the incredible new work being done by Latiné artists," says Adriana Gaviria, Co-Artistic Director of The Sol Project and the Producer of SolFest. “This National Hispanic Heritage Month, we're thrilled to partner once again with Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater and North Star Projects to bring you an exciting festival week. This year's festival explores the interconnected themes of social support systems and resilience. We are excited to share with you new work from our first open submissions; a new segment New York Historias, a series of fact-based short works that recenter Latiné narratives in NYC inspired by a multi-year initiative of The Clemente and LxNY Latinx Arts Consortium of New York, and an evening spotlighting Latiné filmmakers, directors, artists and digital creators at the NSP Latiné ShortsFest which returns for its second year during SolFest week. Can't wait to see you at the festival!"
 
The festival will kick off with the third annual SolFest Picnic in the Park on Sunday October 6, followed by four days of Latiné work, including works in progress, short pieces, solo and ensemble work, panels and screenings. The festival's readings will be held at Puerto Rican Traveling Theater on West 47th Street.
 
The programming for SolFest 2024 will include the following:
 

Sunday October 6 at 3:30 pm

SolFest Picnic in the Park
Central Park, Manhattan
 
SolFest kicks off the festival with the third annual SolFest Picnic in the Park. Join us for this communal event in Central Park to celebrate seven years of artistic excellence and programming.
 

Monday October 7 at 6:30 p.m.

Dolorosa
By Anne García-Romero
Direction by Laurie Woolery
PRTT, Manhattan
 
In a 1990 Boston suburb, Dolores, a bicultural Latina at midlife, struggles to be a good aunt to her troubled, teenage niece Rosa, while recovering from her own difficult past, with help from her cats, Felipe and Osvaldo.
 
Content Advisory: Family alcoholism, female infertility, and recovery from childhood sexual abuse.
 

Monday October 7 at 8:30 p.m.

North Star Projects Latiné ShortsFest (NSPLSF)
Curation by Andrés Nicolás Chaves & Adriana Gaviria
Quad Cinema (34 W. 13th St., New York, NY 10011)
 
Join us for the second NSP Latiné ShortsFest during SolFest! The evening will include 12 short films featuring Latiné filmmakers Claudia Mulet, Hedi B. Asencio, Ana Grethel Solis, Adriana Gaviria, Marissa Chibás, Alejandro Alviar, Pablo Mejia, Alessia Sanchez, Fernando Morett, Steven Luna and more.
 
There will be a Pre-Screening Mixer, beginning at 8 p.m. at the Quad Bar. Patrons will be invited to check-in for the event at 8:30 p.m. until the film screening begins at 8:45 p.m. Following the screening, there will be a Q&A with the filmmakers moderated by Adriana Gaviria and Andrés Nicolás Chaves, which is expected to wrap by 11:00 p.m.
 
The short films for the NSP Latiné ShortsFest are as follows:
 

“La Mañana Siguiente” | Direction by Ana Grethel Solis | 2023 | Panamá

Waking up hungover in a messy room, Alex grapples with fragmented memories of a night with her childhood friend Carlos, forcing her to confront the blurred lines between desire, regret, and denial.
 
Content Advisory: This film contains implied sexual content and explores themes of trauma that may be distressing for some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised.
 
The run time for “La Mañana Siguiente” is 10 minutes and 41 seconds.
 

“In Four Years” | Direction by Hedi B. Asencio | 2023 | U.S. (New Jersey)

A man, Jesus Armando Cruz, reflects on a special bond he shares with his uncle Jonny and the game of soccer. After the passing of a family member, he makes a promise to fulfill his uncle's last wish of attending a World Cup final.
 
The run time for “In Four Years” is 13 minutes and 6 seconds.
 

“The Mark of Spice” | Direction by Jazz Patterson and Adriana Gaviria | 2024 | U.S. (Miami)

Eat Your Heart Out. Even in a heart of darkness, the heart wants what the heart wants. A stone cold killer with a penchant for gorgeous gourmet gastronomy as his weapon of choice discovers that when it comes to love: if it's too hot in the kitchen, revenge is always a dish best served cold.
 
The run time for “The Mark of Spice” is 7 minutes and 44 seconds.
 

“Beyond” | Direction by Claudia Mulet | 2023 | U.S. (New York)

“Beyond” is a documentary inspired by the Beyond Workshop Series, an adult training program created by R.Evolución Latina for young Latinx performers in New York City. The documentary follows five young performers as they develop their skills to "make it" to the Broadway stage, while exploring the significance of their presence in the theater world for a more inclusive future.
 
The run time for “Beyond” is 23 minutes and 24 seconds.
 

“72” | Direction by Marissa Chibás | 2023 | U.S. (Los Angeles)

It’s New York City 1972 and Cuban immigrant Gloria Cienfuegos’s life and New Year’s Eve party are upended when her 18-year-old daughter Viv announces that she’s being sworn in that week as an American citizen, creating a showdown between the two women.
 
The run time for “72” is 15 minutes.
 

“Aquí Estoy” | Direction by Fernando Morett | 2024 | México

Emilio returns to his childhood home in Mexico City, now filled with the echoes of the past and the remnants of a life once whole.
 
The run time for “Aquí Estoy” is 12 minutes and 31 seconds.
 

“In Solitude/El Juicio de un Salto” | Direction by Alessia Sanchez  | 2024 | Cuba/Miami

A young cuban woman uses filmmaking & poetry as a means to express that which is otherwise ineffable.
 
The run time for “In Solitude” is 2 minutes and 5 seconds, while the run time for “El Juicio de un Salto” is 3 minutes and 26 seconds.
 

“Tierra” | Direction by Alejandro Alviar | 2018 | Colombia

Eight year old Luisa is forcefully displaced from her rural life accompanied by her mother and older sister. Danger haunts them, altering their efforts to cope with their new life, all in the exuberance and cultural beauty of a tropical city in Colombia where violence is inevitable.
 
The run time for “Tierra” is 15 minutes and 7 seconds.
 

“Perdidos” | Direction by Pablo Mejia | 2024 | México/Texas

Julio's past comes back to haunt him as his flowering queerness is revealed through his co-worker George.
 
The run time for “Perdidos” is 7 minutes and 3 seconds.
 

“Fiebre” | Direction by Steven Luna | 2024 | Dominican Republic

In the Dominican Republic, baseball is more than just a sport—it’s a way of life. "Fiebre" is a look at the fever dream that captures the attention of many young boys and their families on the island. This short documentary follows teenager Derrick Aquino among other teenage players at Elevate Baseball Academy, as they push forward with an unmatched resolve. Sacrificing time with their families while carrying the weight of generations, these kids work day-in and day-out towards their ultimate goal of getting signed and making it to the big leagues.
 
The run time for “Fiebre” is 16 minutes and 29 seconds.
 
The order and full lineup for NSP Latiné ShortsFest will be announced at a later date.
 
To RSVP, please visit: solproject.org or northstarprojects.org.
 

Tuesday October 8 at 6:30 p.m.

Three Short Works: New York Historias
PRTT, Manhattan
 
To learn more about Historias, a multi-year initiative of The Clemente and LxNY Latinx Arts Consortium of New York, visit www.lxnyarts.org/networkbuilding.
 

Te quiero en South Street Seaport

By Peter Pasco
Direction by Katherine George
 
Alfredo proposes to his long time girlfriend Yolanda at one of the most romantic spots in the city, South Street Seaport. What could go wrong?
 

Afro-Borinqueño

By Reynaldo Piniella
Direction by Reza Salazar
 
Afro-Borinqueño is a solo theater piece about Arturo Schomburg, a man who crossed oceans in a quest to preserve our history.
 

La Gringa No Baila

By Jen Diaz
Direction by Adriana Gaviria
 
"Where are you from?" seems like a simple question, but it's a little complicated when you were born on an island colonized by the U.S. & raised in the Deep South. Jen navigates the complexities of diasporic Puerto Rican identity and grapples with the question of where home truly lies. Join her on a heartfelt and humorous journey as she explores the intersections of heritage, identity, and belonging in this captivating one-woman show.
 

Lottery Boy

By Edwin Sanchez (Excerpt – Act Two)
Direction by Jorge B. Merced
PRTT, Manhattan
 
At the end of act one, Paco, a 16-year-old boy, had found a way to take control of his dead father's lottery winnings.  In act two, Paco learns just what money can and can't buy, and one can have all the money in the world and still be powerless to help the people he loves.
 

La Tormenta

By Ana Luz Zambrana and Aditya Joshi
Direction by Kathleen Capdesuñer
PRTT, Manhattan
 
In La Tormenta, Zaire and her daughter Estrella attend Abuela’s 93rd birthday in Castañer, Puerto Rico. Estrella resents her older sister Maria, whose distance from the family is the harshest form of abandonment, and she and Zaire don’t even expect Maria to show up and celebrate Abuela. But when Maria arrives at the same time as a hurricane and power outage, the standard-issue chaos of a Puerto Rican family devolves into something much more corrosive.
 

Wednesday October 9 at 6:30 p.m.

Dead Girl's Quinceañera
By Phanésia Pharel
PRTT, Manhattan
 
Being 15 is even more complicated when your best friend goes missing. Maria's besties are in a race against the clock to find out what happened to her and bring her home alive. A dark comedic thriller about secrets, sisterhood, and crime solving; Dead Girl's Quinceañera asks what it means to come of age in a messed-up world and what we need to do to survive.
 
Content advisory: Violence, guns, and sexual abuse.
 

Thursday October 10 at 6:30 p.m.

The Brunch Crowd
By Dillon Yruegas
Direction by Rula A. Muñoz
PRTT, Manhattan
 
Always wanted to know how transgender people of color go about their daily lives? Spoiler alert: they don't just talk about hormones, surgery, or anything else that The Cis seem to be so obsessed about; they go to brunch and drink too many mimosas, just like you! In The Brunch Crowd, follow the lives of four twenty-something queer trans friends who often meet at their favorite Mexican brunch spot in rapidly gentrifying Austin, Texas.
 

January 6th, A Celebration: A bodega princess remembers tradition, not insurrection

By Iraisa Ann Reilly
Direction by Estefanía Fadul
PRTT, Manhattan
 
In the basement cafeteria of St. Nicholas School in Egg Harbor City, NJ, the Latiné community held a huge celebration every January 6th to celebrate the Feast of Los Reyes Magos. For writer and performer Iraisa Ann Reilly, the fiesta in 1998 changed the course of her life forever. Reilly recounts four years’ worth of Reyes Magos celebrations, introducing the audience to members of her family and her hometown where she grew up between language and culture. This interactive one-woman show invites the audience to celebrate and reclaim the date, January 6th.
 
To RSVP for events and for the most up to date information on SolFest, visit the Sol Project’s website at www.solproject.org. Events are free and open to the general public. For streaming, visit northstarprojects.org.

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.