SYNOPSIS

El Ciclón (𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦) (2018 - 2027) is a radical neo-womanist mythology trapped inside an underground Riot Grrrl musical and a cinematic camp thriller all in one. Filmed in front of live audiences and edited in real time, El Ciclón features Ava, who's car is stranded amidst the swampy waters of South Florida, while the radio reports of a looming hurricane about to hit the area. A feminist pirate radio station plays punk inspired tunes, while calling our communities to action against the violent system actively disappearing them. Ava soon faces an impossible moral decision. Yara Travieso’s magical-tropicalist production is kaleidoscopic awakening out of the trance of patriarchal and colonial dominance.

The original iteration of El Ciclón was workshopped in 2018 taking over an entire city block in Miami Florida, my home town. I wrote the play while hurricane Irma swept through the region, including my mother's home, and destroyed so many of our communities while revealing so many systemic and social inequalities, as most natural disasters tend to do. This new 2026 adaptation of El Ciclón was created through a workshopped version created with the University of Maryland artists & designers. OFFICIAL PREMIERE PENDING.

PRESS
DC Theater Arts
The Diamondback
Maryland Today

2026 PRODUCTION CREDITS

Writer, Director, Editor, Choreographer: Yara Travieso
Composer, Librettist, Sound Designer: Sam Crawford
Music Director: Lizzy de Lise
Stage Manager: Heather Hernandez
Scenic Designer: Amirmahdi Mahdavi
Costume Designer: Emil Mendoza
Lighting Designer: Hannah Kelly
Projection Designer: Hailey LaRoe

CAST (in order of appearance)
Jane (Avaglades band): Rebeccah Chambers
Cassandra (Avaglades band): Evangelyn Olson
Noni (Avaglades band): Sonia Thanicatt
Lizzy (Avaglades band): Lizzy de Lise
Keyboardist (Avaglades band): Kelly Shatkin
Drummer (Avaglades band): Alyssa Resh
Ava (shared role): Agnes Grant
Ava (shared role): Lexie Jones
Ranger: Kevin Volland
Man: Jordan Richard
Tierra: Aïda Shakuur Nyabingi
Honey: (Pheebs) Phoebe Coleman
Camera Operator: Kate Slaysman
Camera Operator: Trevor MacWilliams
Camera Operator: Elizabeth Shepley

El Ciclón was originally commissioned and produced by the National YoungArts Foundation.

BOOKING INQUIRIES

For inquiries to present El Ciclón’s official stage premiere, please contact studio@yaratravieso.com