Walter Mercado presents: a queer Puerto Rican (not just) Christmxs Carol
by Jayne Deely
January 19 and 21, 2024
We all need a little help sometimes. Identity is confusing. Dating is HARD. Some of us go to therapy. And some of us – wait until it gets bad enough that our dead abuela (who’s lookin HOT, btw) sends three Puerto Rican ancestors/icons our way on Christmas Eve to get us back on track by taking us on a tour of our past, present, and future. It was just supposed to be three dates, but Walter has other plans for Zee. Walter Mercado presents: a queer Puerto Rican (not just) Christmas Carol is a queer subversion of the classic ‘Christmas Carol’ narrative, a refreshing holiday story about Puerto Rico, progress, gender, and accepting a helping hand from some unexpected ancestors. In subverting the classic literary narrative of Dickens’ Christmas Carol to tell the story of a Puerto Rican nonbinary protagonist and the Puerto Rican ‘ancestors’ who guide them, we are claiming a place within the theatre for a new type of classic, one that diverges from the traditional, largely white, cis canon, especially when it comes to what we expect from a holiday show. Step aside, Scrooge?
Avant Bard would like to thank Sara Cormeny and Pete Miller for their support of the 2024 Scripts in Play Festival.
Performance Days and Times
Friday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 22 at 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Mason Exhibitions, 3601 Fairfax Dr, Arlington, VA 22201
Production Team
Director: Elena Velasco
Dramaturg: Kate Foster Vishniakova
Stage Manager: Jessica Schweizer