NHCC News:

The National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) is proud to announce the premiere of Lion Island: Cuba’s Warrior of Words, an original play adapted from Margarita Engle’s award-winning young adult novel. This first-of-its-kind adaptation debuts at the NHCC Wells Fargo Auditorium April 3.

Set in 1870’s Cuba, Lion Island delves into the complexities of racial, ethnic, linguistic, and national identities. The story centers on historical figure Antonio Chuffat, a young man of Chinese, African, and Cuban descent. Through dynamic elements of dance, puppetry, and music, the play explores the historical forces – diaspora, colonialism, immigration, and the transatlantic slave trade – that have shaped Hispanic and Latine identity.

Tickets cost $26, with a $2 discount for children 10 years old and younger, seniors and NHCC members. Visit nhccnm.org/events for more information. Details about a free matinee for middle and high school students are available here. This program is generously supported by the Brabson Family Foundation and U.S. Bank.

7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, 1 p.m., Sundays. The schedule opens with a special preview and community night Thursday, April 3, with $5 tickets.

The Center has worked with New Mexico playwright Patricia Crespín to bring this unique story to life. Crespín’s plays include Confessions of a Hispanic American Woman (2007), The Medea Complex (2008), Living Purgatory (2009), The Sad Room (2012), and Fallout (2017).

This unique, intergenerational production invites audiences to reflect on identity, resilience, and the enduring struggle for justice and belonging.