PROPUESTAS

PROPUESTAS – translated as “proposals” – are 10 to 15 minute time slots meant to be executed as fully staged pieces with minimal design elements. PROPUESTAS present ideas in the early stages of development and allow artists to craft short pieces as introductions to their larger works.

PROPUESTAS will all be presented on the same stage with quick set changes in between.

Molcajete | Luis Rojas

Molcajete is a multidisciplinary solo performance that blends movement, rhythm, and ritual. Named after the ancient volcanic mortar used in Mexican kitchens, Molcajete becomes a metaphor for ancestry, memory, and transformation. Drawing on elements of puppetry, lighting, music, and performance, the piece explores what happens when tradition, identity, and creativity collide in one vessel. With shifting forms and textures, this work-in-progress invites the audience into a sensory ritual of mixing and making – where the past is ground into the present, and something new begins to take shape.

Playwright, Director, and Performer: Luis Rojas
Stage Manager: Kristell Marthié
Sound Engineer: Alfredo Lira
Video Editor: Rodolfo Peña
Props Assistant: Nicolas Peon

Love and Arepas | Lina Maria Aristizabal

Love and Arepas is an exploration of memory, love, and the tension between control and surrender. These select scenes follow Claudia, a woman disconnected from her cultural and familial roots, whose perspective shifts after meeting Elisa, a bold, wise, and hilarious Colombian curandera who has just moved in next door. Through weekly arepa-making sessions, they form a bond, prompting Claudia to reconnect with her past and start to open her mind to different way of being and living, with a little help from Elisa’s medicines. The piece reflects the complexities of diaspora identity and is a celebration of memory, culture, and love.

TEAM
Written and Directed by Lina Maria Aristizabal

Performed by Daniela Arango and Alexandra Barberena

Assistant Director: Carlos Cardona
Sound Design by Juan Villegas
Co-Producer Natalia Ruiz Cuartas

Age recommendation: 12+
Content Warning: This play includes references to and depictions of plant medicine use

Matria y Marta | Lilibeth Rivas

Matria and Marta is an exploration of the physical theater and the sound space. How the woman’s body shapes after a forced rebirth and a bold journey to reunite with her lost love. The bridge to find her is built by her memory and dreams; there’s no other option.

TEAM
Performer: Lilibeth Rivas
Sound ensemble: Leslie Ortiz
Photography: Josue Ortiz

Age recommendation: 13+

MicroVerse in Expansion | Maria Alejandra Cortes

Journey into the fragmented yet interconnected world of MicroVerse in Expansion. An interactive thought provoking piece that unpacks the weight of human connection and disconnection. From the quiet explosive despair of an individual contemplating a broken heart, to a movement piece in which love is masking a power imbalance, Microverse in Expansion culminates in a stark revelation. As audiences shape the characters’ identities, this piece invites an introspection of the ever-expanding universe of our inner lives.

TEAM

October 5, 2025 at 2:30 PM

Featuring artists from Colombia, El Salvador, and Mexico, this year’s Propuestas offer reflections on memory, diaspora, exile, and the transformations of our inner lives. A volcanic mortar, arepas, poetry, and a woman’s body as scenery create performance experiences that bring our extended community together to celebrate art – and to share some tamales afterwards also!

María Escolán, Propuestas Curator