OUR PRODUCTIONS

Women of Ciudad Juárez (by Mexican actress Cristina Michaus) uses the theatre as a space to examine, reflect on, and speak about the femicides taking place in Juárez, Mexico. This English-language debut of the text, which was created in collaboration with Michaus, has been on tour since 2014. The production offers a voice and a space for the countless female victims whose murders have been reduced to contested numbers and a gross display of injustice. Showing multiple female perspectives of life in Juárez—from mothers and daughters, to factory workers and prostitutes—the production speaks out against all forms of violence against the female body and psyche. In this staging of the show, four actresses take on the roles of the women, their families, and the officials investigating the murders. This play has been performed multi-nationally: 34 times, in 17 locations, 4 countries (Belgium, Colombia, Canada, and across the US), and has been seen by over 12,000 audience members.

The company’s first production, Encuentro: Peru!!, was based on a five-week research trip to Peru and is about being a stranger in a foreign land. It is a self-reflective and artistic critique on border crossing, the commodification of culture, exoticism, and cultural and individual identity. The show was presented at four different locations in Peru: The Metropolitan Museum of Lima; Casa Teatro Arena y Esteras; La Universidad Científica del Sur; and Teatro Ensamble. In the U.S., it was performed at The College of Wooster. The cast of Encuentro: Peru!! was also invited to perform as the official U.S. delegation to the UNESCO/ITI World Festival of Theatre Schools, which was held in Romania.

Created in collaboration with playwright/performer Carlos Manuel, this show explores what it means to be a queer, undocumented Latino living in the United States. It touches upon the often “invisible” difficulties of living on the margins of multiple communities. It is the first play to take on the intersections of mixed-status (undocumented/citizen) gay relationships in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality. It debuted in 2016 and has been presented to sold-out crowds in Ohio and the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as for a one-week run at the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival in Ireland.

Trouble Down South, by Janna Haywood, is an autobiographical one-woman show. It  follows the protagonist’s journey through adolescence and into adulthood as she realizes she is nothing like the women around her. It explores sexuality, class, and being raised in a family where ladyness was close to godliness. Her story is a comic one, mixed with moments of pain and discovery, in which she finally realizes that there is no way to be her true self and the southern belle that her family wants her to be. It debuted in 2017. 

Teatro Travieso created this performance specifically for Cleveland Public Theatre's Station Hope in 2017. It is based on interviews and research into the experiences facing Latinx and African American students in higher education. The piece mixes artistic styles and genres to educate audiences about the challenges that "minority" college students face as they strive to dream big. The play examines the journey and personal commitment necessary for young people to survive in a system that often works against them, while also giving an intimate look into the struggles they face as they work toward a degree.