The Miami theater company behind Miami Motel Stories has a new show on Calle Ocho, and this one is set inside a home. Juggerknot Theatre Company's La Casita opens Thursday, Nov. 19, at 1340 SW 8th St. in Little Havana and runs through Sunday, Dec. 20.

The company bills it as an intimate immersive experience in three settings at once: a gallery, a salsa class and a home. Its question is what happens to the people of a neighborhood when the neighborhood moves on without them.

How immersive theater works here

There is no seat and no stage in the usual sense. Audiences stand and walk through the space for about 75 minutes, following the story from room to room as it plays out around them. Juggerknot asks guests to wear comfortable shoes and leave large bags and purses at home. Limited seating is available for anyone who needs to sit down during the performance.

Capacity is limited at each showing, which is the nature of the format: the audience is in the room with the actors, not watching from the dark.

The people making it

La Casita is written by Juan C. Sanchez, a Cuban-born Miami playwright whose credits include the immersive Miami Motel Stories series and Miami Bus Stop Stories: Tropical Dreams, drawn from HistoryMiami Museum's collection.

It is directed by Ana Margineanu, a theater director and conceptual artist who co-founded PopUp Theatrics, a company that creates immersive theatrical events around the world. Juggerknot's artistic director, Tanya Bravo, produces.

The cast is Therese Adelína, Vanessa Elise, Andres Mejia Vallejo and Glenda Pezuela. Pezuela, a Cuban-born actor and singer based in Miami, trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, sings jazz and bossa nova, and makes her immersive debut in La Casita.

Showtimes

  • Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.
  • Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.
  • Sundays at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

The first four performances, Nov. 19 to 22, are previews. There is no performance on Thanksgiving, Thursday, Nov. 26.

Before you go

Arrive early. Juggerknot asks guests to be on site at least 15 minutes before showtime. The show starts on time and late entry is not allowed once it begins.

Age: Guests must be at least 16.

Tickets: Booked through the company's La Casita page. Tickets are nonrefundable, but they can be transferred: email [email protected] with the booking details and the name of the person going in your place. The checkout runs on Zeffy, which suggests an optional contribution to Zeffy itself, not to Juggerknot; choose Other and enter $0 to skip it.

Parking: Street parking is available around Little Havana, and the company recommends a rideshare.

Dinner nearby: Juggerknot's own page points guests to Café La Trova, Tin Tin, Ball & Chain and Old's Havana in the neighborhood.

Accessibility questions: Email [email protected].

Sources