RED BANK — Two River Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst, has announced the lineup for its fifth annual Crossing Borders Festival, which will run from Aug. 5-9 at 21 Bridge Ave., Red Bank. All events are free. This year’s festival will celebrate Cuban theater, food and music.
The works of two Cuban playwrights and two Cuban-American playwrights will be featured, and a company of writers, directors and actors will be in residence at Two River Theater throughout the festival.
Curated by Director Jerry Ruiz and Two River’s artistic staff, the festival will feature readings of four plays, including two that will be read in English and Spanish, an outdoor neighborhood party with Cuban food and live music, a lecture on Cuban theater and conversations with artists.
Reservations are encouraged for the following scheduled events. At 5:30 p.m. Aug. 5, an outdoor Neighborhood Party featuring Cuban food and music will be held at the theater’s Two River Plaza. At 7 p.m., Yael Prizant will discuss the history of Cuban theater.
At 7:30 p.m. Aug. 6, Rogelio Martinez’s “Cocktail Time in Cuba” will be presented. Directed by Lou Moreno, the political thriller is about an American journalist, Michael, who travels to Cuba in 2006 in hopes of interviewing Fidel Castro, who has disappeared from public view. As Michael waits for his interview, navigating the bureaucracy and slowly falling under the country’s spell, he begins to realize that nothing in Cuba is quite what it seems.
At 7:30 p.m. Aug. 7, readings of Agnieska Hernández Díaz’s “Anesthesia” will be presented in both English and Spanish. Directed by Leyma López, the gripping story focuses on Pedro, a successful plastic surgeon, who attempts to balance an ongoing affair with a stripper and his marriage to a beautiful oncologist, Ana. The short play sheds light on the complicated class dynamics and deep divisions within contemporary Cuban society.
On Aug. 8, readings of Abel González Melo’s “Chamaco” will be presented at 3 p.m. (English) and 7:30 p.m. (Spanish). Directed by Jose Zayas, the story is about two teenage boys who play chess in a Havana park on Christmas Eve. The tragic outcome of their game sends ripples through their friends and family. The powerful one-act play portrays the lives of quiet desperation lived by a contemporary Havana community.
At 3 p.m. Aug. 9, Charise Castro Smith’s “The Hunchback of Seville” will be presented. Directed by Jerry Ruiz, the comedy takes place in 1504 in Seville, Spain. Lady Maxima Terrible Segunda, the hunchbacked adopted sister of Queen Isabella, just wants to be left alone. However, several people and events create a rough day for her.
For reservations or more information, call 732-345-1400 or visit www.tworivertheater.org.