Puerto Rican Nocturne

While not officially a Flamboyán production, the team behind the Emerging Playwright’s Project first came together to produce Puerto Rican Nocturne, written by our founder, Jon Marcantoni. Flamboyán was created as a result of the play's success, whose collaborative spirit and bold vision provide a template for the work we seek to create going forward.

Puerto Rican Nocturne is a chronicle of the Cerro Maravilla murders, which took place in Puerto Rico on July 25, 1978. A group of statehood-supporting cops assassinated two independence activists at the direction of undercover agent Alejandro “Gonzo” Gonzalez Malavé. The aftermath of the killings lead to Puerto Rico’s biggest scandal of the 20th century. The play is told from the alternating perspectives of Gonzo and Adria, the mother of the younger of the two victims, and comments on subjects such as grief, the sociological effects of police violence, and the internalized racism that is the legacy of colonialism.

Puerto Rican Nocturne had 14 performances, ten at The Bug Theatre in Denver from August 5-21, 2022; as well as four at Factory Five Five in Aurora from October 13-16, 2022.

The play received a positive review from The Denver Post, as well as coverage on Colorado Public Radio, The Denver Gazette, KGNU’s Metro Arts program, and the local theatre podcast The Ghost Lights Podcast.

Follow these links to watch performances of Puerto Rican Nocturne at The Bug Theatre and at Factory Five Five.