Diaspora Stories: Spring offers a bounty of Latinx Theater Festivals

Over the past decade, theater festivals focusing on the experiences of Latinx people have increased, a trend ever more important as immigration enforcement targets people they classify as un-American. It makes sense to examine the experiences of Latinx people in more detail, to provide opportunities for these artists, and to make space for these stories. Visibility is a powerful and necessary act during times of repression.

In Houston, Stages Theater produces the Sin Muros festival; 2026 will be its ninth season. This year, from June 11 through June 14, Sin Muros will feature readings of three new plays that represent different aspects of the Latinx experience: Caravan by Sumaya Zeidat, Dolores, Who Now Knows Everything by Kathleen Culebro; and A Plausible History of Xicotencatl II by James Sanchez. These plays feature topics like Indigenous history, death, and family tension. Festival Coordinator Cesar Jaquez says the readings are only one of several goals.