EL SILENCIO ÁRIDO DEL AGUA

Brava Presents

EL SILENCIO ÁRIDO DEL AGUA

Performances from August 5–16

Previews on August 5 and 6, Opening on August 7

Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM – Sundays at 4 PM (PST)

Brava Studio (2nd floor)

2781 24th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110

In Spanish and English with supertitles

Running time: 75 minutes, no intermission.

tickets

ABOUT THE PLAY

Synopsis: A family living in rural Puerto Rico is experiencing a drought topped by a heat wave. New neighbors’ eccentric water use leaves the family without water, prompting them to investigate and leading to unexpected consequences. New technologies, colonialism, and the water crisis swirl with poetry and create confusion about what is real or imaginary in a survival situation. It is a surreal line between tragedy and comedy.

Using elements of realism, magical realism, and surrealism, the piece raises questions about the true meaning of progress, the enduring human costs of colonization, and the inequity of access to natural resources. Who really pays the price? Are we willing to put our lives on the line to claim back what is ours?

Originally developed and staged as part of La Lengua Theater’s 2024 Historias de Descolonización (Decolonization Stories) playwright residency and new plays festival, ‘El silencio árido del agua’ marks the California debut of Puerto Rican playwright Viviana Calderón. ‘El silencio’ launches La Lengua’s 2026 season and paves the way for the 3rd edition of the Historias de Descolonización festival, this year focused on climate change, which will be presented on October 24–25, 2026, at Brava Theater. The Historias de Descolonización residency and festival serve as a platform to promote work about the ongoing legacy of colonization in the Americas. The project works to combat misinformation by centering narratives that shed light on the real impact and consequences of colonization that persist today.

In Spanish

ACERCA DE LA OBRA                                                                

Sinopsis: Una familia que vive en la zona rural de Puerto Rico sufre una sequía agravada por una ola de calor. El peculiar consumo de agua de sus nuevos vecinos los deja sin agua, lo que los lleva a investigar y desencadena consecuencias inesperadas. Las nuevas tecnologías, el colonialismo y la crisis hídrica se entrelazan con poesía y generan confusión sobre qué es real y qué es imaginario en una situación de supervivencia. Es una línea surrealista entre la tragedia y la comedia.

Mediante elementos de realismo, realismo mágico y surrealismo, la obra plantea interrogantes sobre el verdadero significado del progreso, el perdurable costo humano de la colonización y la desigualdad en el acceso a los recursos naturales. ¿Quién paga realmente el precio? ¿Estamos dispuestos a arriesgar nuestras vidas para recuperar lo que nos pertenece?

Originalmente desarrollada y realizada como parte de la residencia dramatúrgica y festival de nuevas obras de Historias de Descolonización d...