By The Star Staff
The cultural and entertainment proposal Teatro en 15 will resume its billboard displays starting Thursday with the February theme of love and friendship, San Juan Mayor Miguel A. Romero Lugo said Tuesday.
“Teatro en 15 is a pioneering initiative in our Capital City and Puerto Rico where 15-minute micro plays on different social, comedy, sentimental, cultural and fantasy themes and more are presented,” Romero Lugo said. “Since its launch on Sept. 1, 2021, this initiative has provided exposure and space to Puerto Rican productions. Over the past two years, Teatro en 15 has managed to present more than 130 productions. We will continue with more proposals for the enjoyment of all attendees.”
Every weekend in February, the public will be able to enjoy six different Puerto Rican plays, each lasting 15 minutes, at the Old San Juan Cultural House on San Sebastián Street.
“Mientras Duermes,” by producer and writer Christian Ruiz Estrada and director José Cheo Vidal, will be presented in Room 1. In this play, a man manages to return to the happiest moments of his relationship. He discovers something that can change the doom of what is coming to a future of joy and new experiences.
From writer, director and producer Rafael Pagán, “I Wanted to Tell You” will be presented in Room 2. There are so many things that Héctor has kept silent for years that it is time to say them; perhaps courage will help him, or the constellations. If you want to know the answer that Esther will give him, you can’t miss this romantically strange comedy that happens door-to-door or heart-to-heart.
“Di Fiore in Fiore,” directed by Kiara Santana will be staged in Room 3. In the play, Amalia is an entrepreneurial florist who wants to remodel her flower shop. She hires Luis’ cabinetmaking service. The play continues with an uncomfortable meeting between the two. The story turns into a romantic comedy that invites us to believe in the opposite coincidences of fleeting love, that of a single time, a day and an instant.
“Exhausted Thoughts” will be in Room 4 and will have a sign language interpreter every Sunday. It is the story of a man who, for years, works in the basement of a post office. Through letters that he distributes, he builds an imaginary world of these people’s lives until a particular letter makes him remember a love that marked him and left him sunk in the darkness where exhausted thoughts dance in melancholy, searching for answers in a labyrinth of lost emotions. Each letter echoes what was, and each sigh attempts to release what is no longer. The heart is torn between remembering and forgetting, while the unsaid words weigh more than the spoken ones. The play is written by Israel Franko Müller and directed by Doel Ramírez.
In Room 5, attendees can see “Honey, I Think We Killed the Neighbor,” directed by Edgardo Soto. It is about a couple in crisis seeking help from their therapist neighbor, but a gun accident during therapy triggers an unexpected and comical situation that shows that love can overcome any obstacle.
Finally, in Room 6, the public can enjoy “Flor de Inframundo,” directed by Adrián Talledo and Neysha Morales. It is the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, a myth that audiences will sing and sing again. The piece will have performances in English on: Feb. 2, 3, 8, 9, 15, 16, 23 and 24.
Tickets to see Teatro en 15 cost $5 per play or $25 for the six micro plays and are available at the Old San Juan Cultural House on San Sebastián Street.
I didn't know anything about Teatro 15 until I read the Star's article. Mr. Romero Lugo deserve our congrats for nurturing the arts in San Juan and in particular, theater which can be used to educate as well as to entertain an audience. This demonstrates, again, the vitality of the Puerto Rican' spirit and nobility. Kudos to Mr. Romero Lugo.
On the other hand, where are the PPD/PNP government initiatives toward the arts and craft in PR? They are dysfunctional: governing, managing the country's economy, implementing and running an education department that educate, maintaining a health department that service effectively the population and above all, keeping corruption to a more or less minimal level. Unfortunately, they have proven ad nauseum…