Key Biscayne Wrights Theatre History
Mario Ernesto Sanchez, who moved to Key Biscayne when he was 21 years old, is undertaking a lifetime dream. His Teatro Avante produces the International Hispanic Theatre Festival each year, and it’s already gotten a decade under its belt. There have been tough times, especially lately, but last year a grant allowed them another two years of funding. Some people might take that opportunity to relax and rest on their laurels, and for this company there are a lot of laurels, but relaxing is very far from his mind.
He would certainly like to relax, and spend more time away from the city so he can enjoy all that the island offers, but there’s simply too much work to be done. He’s been able to mobilize large numbers of people to move forward with his vision, but he’s still the one who likes to drive the bus. The festival happens every year in the summer, making it the perfect time for travelers to book hotels. Key Biscayne is a wonderful place all year round, but this is a particularly good opportunity to check out the island life as well as enjoy some of the world’s best theatre.
The 2010 Festival focuses on Mexico with a sumptuous offerings of plays from one of the most exciting countries making theatre right now. The plays are usually subtitled or supertitled, in order to make them more accessible to audiences who don’t have the Spanish language. This is a vital step in introducing ways of entering into the theatrical worlds, and in Latin America, it’s much more common to see work in other languages. But in the Miami area, and in many places in the U.S., it’s not yet a part of the culture, and efforts like these to change that will open up the audiences so that they can enjoy some splendid work.