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Latino Spin on Shakespeare's 'Midsummer Night's' Features 15-Foot Puppets

By Lisha Arino | May 27, 2015 12:26pm
 Performers from the upcoming production of "Sueño: A Latino Take on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream" give the public a sneak peak of their costumes as they march down Avenue C for the Losiada Festival Parade on May 24, 2015.
"Sueño: A Latino Take on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream" Costume Preview
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LOWER EAST SIDE — A new play with a latino spin on Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is set to open with 15-foot-tall puppets, Afro-Caribbean beats and dance.

“Sueño: A Latino Take on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream” opens on June 5 at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Educational Center, incorporating masks and carnival puppets created by a craftsman in Puerto Rico, according to the director, Manuel Morán, who is also the founder and CEO of Teatro SEA, one of the groups putting on the play.

The action in the play moves from Greece to the Caribbean, and features Puerto Rican folkloric characters called "vejigantes" and "cabezudos," which are typically part of festival celebrations. 

“It’s going to be very visually attractive,” Morán said.

 

Teatro SEA's #Sueño at the #LoisaidaFest #ShakespeareLatino #FreeShakespeare Harvey Padilla Rosado, Milteri Tucker, Roberto De Jesus, Miguel Flores, Alan Gonzalez, Irene Sivianes Fernandez, Lucrecia Novoa, Galan Ana-Jose, Keith Saari, Ingrid Harris, Manuel Moran,

Posted by Teatro SEA on Sunday, May 24, 2015

The free show will take place outdoors in Clemente’s parking lot — a space the venue has dubbed “La Plaza” — and will be performed in both English and Spanish.

Morán said the play was adapted in hopes of making Shakespeare’s work more accessible to local audiences, and to celebrate the area’s diversity.

“My goal is not only to entertain people but it’s also to expose them to the great piece of literature that is Shakespeare," he said. "Also, at the same time, maybe they’ll get more interested in the world of Shakespeare and become fans — as I am — a fan of his work."

Sueño: A Latino Take on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will run on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from June 5 to June 28 at 8 p.m. at 114 Norfolk St. Tickets are available online or at Teatro SEA's box office and the Clemente's reception desk.