Microtheater 250: Across the Atlantic
About this Event
Join the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain for Microtheater 250: Across the Atlantic, an evening of contemporary Spanish theater in English translation.
The program presents staged readings of two short plays, The Invisible Network by Blanca Doménech and The Chair That Can Hold the World by Carolina África, followed by a conversation with director Luz Nicolás and performers María del Mar Rodríguez and Gabriel Alejandro Rodríguez. The event will conclude with a reception featuring Spanish wine.
Through science, theater, exile, and memory, the two plays explore cultural connections between Spain and the United States.
The plays
The Invisible Network
By Blanca Doménech | Translated by Don Bogen
Worcester, Massachusetts, 1899. On the eve of a lecture at Clark University, Santiago Ramón y Cajal confronts the question of whether science can foster understanding only months after the Spanish-American War. In a sleepless conversation with his wife, Silveria, he reflects on research and international exchange as forces capable of connecting societies beyond political conflict.
The Chair That Can Hold the World
By Carolina África | Translated by Don Bogen
Inspired by Margarita Xirgu’s 1967 rehearsals of Federico García Lorca’s Yerma at Smith College, this work follows the Spanish actress and director in exile as she guides American students through Lorca’s theatrical world. A simple chair becomes a vehicle for memory, imagination, artistic inheritance, and the transmission of culture across borders.
About Microtheater 250
This event launches Microtheater 250, a special project of the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain developed in the context of the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The project brings together three Spanish playwrights to explore three dimensions of the Spain-U.S. relationship: science, Hispanism and exile, and immigration. A full presentation of the three plays is expected on November 19, 2026, subject to final confirmation.
The November program will include the two works presented in September, alongside A Bit More Complicated by Tamara Gutiérrez, a play about migration, family memory, belonging, and assimilation within a Spanish-American family.
Creative team
Luz Nicolás | Director
Madrid-born bilingual actor and GALA Hispanic Theatre company member. Her credits include The House of Bernarda Alba, Fuenteovejuna, Native Gardens, Yerma, La Valentía, and Revoltosa. She received the 2018 HOLA Award for Best Actress for Exquisita agonía.
María del Mar Rodríguez | Performer
Puerto Rican actor, director, acting coach, and educator based in Washington, DC. Her credits include The House of Bernarda Alba and Choke at GALA Hispanic Theatre, Fiddler on the Roof in Puerto Rico, and Romeo & Juliet at Folger Theatre. She holds an MFA from the Shakespeare Theatre Company Academy.
Gabriel Alejandro Rodríguez | Performer
Puerto Rican actor, teacher, and improviser. A Teaching Artist with Shakespeare Theatre Company, Imagination Stage, and Young Playwrights Theater, he is also a company member of Chesapeake Shakespeare Company. His credits include Romeo & Juliet, Native Gardens, Marjorie Prime, and The Oresteia.
Grayson Moreno | Sound and Lighting Design
Sound designer and engineer based in the Washington metropolitan area. Recent credits include Aguardiente and Botiquín de Boleros de Columbia Heights at GALA Hispanic Theatre, Lotería: Game On, and So Into the Night.
Playwrights & Translator
Blanca Doménech Casares is a Madrid-born playwright and RESAD graduate. Her work includes Vagamundos, recipient of the Calderón de la Barca Prize, and La musa. She received a BBVA Foundation Leonardo Grant for Luz y sombra, a play inspired by neurology.
Carolina África is a playwright, director, actor, and educator, as well as a founding partner of La Belloch Teatro. Her work includes Verano en diciembre, winner of the Calderón de la Barca National Prize, Vientos de levante, and El cuaderno de Pitágoras.
Tamara Gutiérrez is a playwright and researcher from Santander, Spain. Her work includes Galerna, Wish You Were Here, Historia de un monstruo, and Mis zapatos en Praga. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Comparative Literature at Bar-Ilan University.
Don Bogen is a poet, critic, and translator, and Nathaniel Ropes Professor Emeritus at the University of Cincinnati. His translations include Europa: Selected Poems of Julio Martínez Mesanza. He has held Fulbright appointments in Spain and at Queen’s University Belfast.
Important Information (please read carefully)
- A reservation on Eventbrite is mandatory, printed tickets are not required.
- Seating is available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
- Doors open 20 minutes before posted showtime.
- Ticket holders will have access to the event while space is available. A reservation does not guarantee admission.
- Ticket holders should arrive at least 10 minutes prior to the start to guarantee seats.
- No Late Seating, ticket holders may not be allowed to enter 15 minutes after posted showtime.
- Right of admission reserved.
- If you need special assistance, please contact us at [email protected].
How to get there:
The best way to arrive is by public transportation. The closest Metro station is Columbia Heights (Green and Yellow line). Limited metered and two-hour zoned parking is available in the surrounding neighborhoods. Public parking garage is available at DC USA Shopping Mall (Columbia Heights Metro Station).
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Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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