Brava Theater: EL SILENCIO ÁRIDO DEL AGUA [The Arid Silence of Water]

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’ [The Arid Silence of Water] 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.