Stories in Song: Three-Day Carnaval Celebrates New Latinx Musicals

Washing dishes is an opportune time to write a musical. Or at least it was for Darrel Alejandro Holnes, author of the new musical called “Bayano.”

An epic tale inspired by Homer’s “The Odyssey,” the story explores the history, spirituality and liberation of Bayano, an African who struggles to escape slavery in 16th-century Panama. Music for the work bubbled up as Alejandro Holnes occupied himself with chores at home during the pandemic. “Washing dishes is the worst, but it’s a great place to think,” he said. “The songs just started coming, and they kept coming for about two years.”

“Bayano” was among 16 works chosen to be highlighted at the recent Carnaval of New Latinx Musicals, a national showcase for original work by Latinx playwrights. The event drew more than 200 theatre professionals who are interested in supporting the realization of fresh stories, with hundreds more community members joining four public readings of new musicals at UC San Diego’s Epstein Family Amphitheater.

Carnaval was launched in 2015 by the Latinx Theater Commons, a network of theatre makers across the nation dedicated to promoting Latinx narratives as central to the American narrative. Professor Lisa Portes is a founding member and became the driving force behind the Carnaval. When she arrived at UC San Diego in 2024 to chair the Department of Theatre and Dance, one of her goals was to bring the event with her. 

“I’m thrilled to introduce the San Diego community and the nation to the incredible Latinx musical theatre artists that we presented during the Carnaval,” Portes said. “Being located in a binational city, and with a goal of uplifting the work of many cultures, this opportunity is very exciting for the School of Arts and Humanities and university at large.”

Portes led the three-day event with co-champion Maria Patrice Amon, co-founder and co-artistic Director of TuYo Theatre and leader of the Latinx New Play Festival at La Jolla Playhouse. The Carnaval was held in place of the festival this year, produced in partnership with UC San Diego’s Department of Theatre and Dance, La Jolla Playhouse and TuYo Theatre. The event exemplifies how the arts serve as a unique connection point between people, ideas and communities at the university.

Nearly 60 new musicals were submitted for consideration, and 16 were chosen to be featured – presented as four readings, five slams and six honorary mentions. Works were required to be fully developed with a complete script and score. Artists participating as performers in the readings resided in UC San Diego’s Theatre District Living and Learning Neighborhood and participated an intensive 29-hour professional workshop to rapidly assess any major revisions needed.

It was the new work “Ybor City” that struck a chord for UC San Diego Theatre and Dance MFA alumna Daniella Toscano, who traveled from Kansas City to attend the Carnaval. “By telling this story about a very specific time and place and a very specific group of people, we actually uncover the universality of the human condition and that there is so much we can learn from each other,” she shared. “It brought to light the importance of the work of the Latinx Theater Commons of bringing new and different perspectives into the greater American theatre landscape.”

Toscano is an assistant professor of costume design at the Conservatory of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She was drawn to Carnaval for the chance to connect with others in the Latinx Theater Commons and experience firsthand the kind of work being created by Latinx theatre-makers today.

In addition to the readings, scholars and artists explored what defines a Latinx musical and the ways embodied movement serves as an integral part of storytelling. In addition, librettists shared how they weave language, music, history and culture together to compose a compelling musical. 

As a warm-up, audience members were asked to share familiar musicals that had a Latinx connection. Works like “In the Heights” and “Real Women Have Curves” received applause, while titles such as “West Side Story” and “Hamilton” spurred debate.

Between scholars in the panel and professionals in the audience, a more expanded definition of what a Latinx musical can be emerged. Beyond being written by a Latinx playwright or featuring music and language from Latinx and Afro-Caribbean traditions, these musicals represent authentic, lived experiences of Latinx people. And these experiences can – and should – encompass a spectrum of stories, music traditions, dance forms and histories that reflect diverse diasporas.

Associate Professor of Theatre and Dance Jade Power-Sotomayor reminded the audience that these art forms often represent a way of life. In living rooms, backyards and neighborhoods, music and movement coalesce into a shared expression of identity, history and belonging. “These are ways of life; it is not just the dressing on top,” Power-Sotomayor said.

She also provided a historical perspective, noting that Latinx characters can be seen in Broadway productions dating back to the early 1900s, yet were not played by Latinx people. She emphasized that Latinx creators have always been producing but have not always been seen. “People have been working, laboring in these industries to write, to perform, to execute, to design all of this, but just in highly invisible ways.”

Amon spoke about the need to continue building trust with audiences, and how musicals hold a unique capacity to bridge gaps. “I’ve recognized audiences are shifting and being a little more comfortable…they don’t need an instant translation, they can understand from body language,” she shared during the event. “They can understand from rhythm of music. They can understand from all the bigger nonverbal contextual information that’s given in a musical. I think that’s where musicals have a little bit of an advantage because music can tell you emotions. Music can tell you so much more information about what’s going on.”

Consensus was reached quickly about the importance of specificity in storytelling. While it may seem counterintuitive, works that explore a personal experience or the dynamics of a close-knit community tend to resonate deeply with audiences. Such was the case with author of “(Fruit)ion,” a live-looping musical that examines the inheritance of queerness through the lives of two young queer women and their mothers.

“It’s very personal to my relationship with my mother,” explained creator Krystal Ortiz, a Cuban American actor and writer, during one of the panels. “I was in this period of thinking about all of the queer ancestors that I must have had that didn’t have the opportunity to live their life in the way that I get to, and that I’m choosing to.”

For Jesse J. Sanchez, who wrote music and lyrics for “Sueños: Our American Musical,” the goal was to present a distinct story. “I really wanted to write a Chicano, West Coast, LA story for Chicanos, Mexican Americans…the more specific you can be, the more universal it is,” he explained at the start of the reading.

That commitment to specificity extended beyond the stories themselves. Throughout the Carnaval, artists and scholars discussed how language, dance and music must come together from the start to create a cohesive work — and how each can help ground a story in the communities and experiences it represents. Dance, they noted, can establish authenticity by honoring both the lineage of the form and the diverse experiences individuals bring to it. Choreography can’t simply serve as a garnish; it must be a central ingredient in the makeup of the work.

Associate Professor of Theatre and Dance Ana María Álvarez expanded on that idea, describing the body itself as a source of knowledge, where lived experience and movement coalesce into expressions of identity, history and culture. “What does it mean for us to…be responsive to people’s humanity, so that there’s not this cookie-cutter thing…what does it look like to tell stories with integrity?” she asked.

That attention to specificity, authenticity and lived experience speaks to the larger purpose of the Carnaval. Artists not only expanded what a Latinx musical can be, but also built pathways for new stories to reach audiences across the country. For Portes, that means ensuring these works — and the communities and experiences they represent — have a lasting place on the American stage.