MALINALLI is an original, polyglot (Spanish, Nahuatl, and English) musical that seeks to reclaim the figure known as "La Malinche" from the shackles of popular history and mythology. MALINALLI (re)members the story of the fall of the Aztec empire for contemporary audiences, while celebrating (but also complicating) some of the languages, historical figures, and traditions at the very nexus of current Caribbean, Mexican, and American identities as byproducts of the Columbian Exchange. After several staged workshops, Dr. Marci McMahon, scholar of Latinx theater, wrote, "The pulse and beat of MALINALLI definitely shares similarities with Miranda's IN THE HEIGHTS. In many respects, MALINALLI is at once a Mexican American/Latinx, and Latin American musical. Overall, MALINALLI stands out as a fresh, original contribution to Latinx theater, well on its way to national success." MALINALLI is the first in my trilogy of plays that examines my Mexican-Cuban-American heritage. The second play, ROSES FROM CASTILE, reimagines the apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico in 1531 through contemporary drug cartel violence. The third play, tentatively titled TAINO, will be set in the Caribbean prior to the arrival of the Spanish and explore my AfroCuban roots.
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