ISLA, the latest full-length work from acclaimed theater company Hit the Lights!, is a uniquely original family history led by founding company member Samantha Blain. In her Caribbean coming-of-age story, Blain’s American lineage is born when three young women learn that sometimes the real world can be stronger than magic.
Based on the true saga of one family exodus to Miami via the 1960’s Freedom Flights, ISLA is a visually sumptuous, musically driven play that evokes the rustic spirit of pre-Castro Cuba’s kitchens, fields, dance halls and public squares. Blain, in the role of her aunt, must ally with her sisters to chart a path to an uncertain and newly imagined future.
Every performance features a full original songbook and a live Latin jazz-influenced score. Cinematic projections, recorded interviews with Blain’s mother and aunts, and an extended cast of handmade shadow puppets revitalize this carousel slideshow of generational memory through the exquisite craft of HTL’s technical team.
ISLA is an intergenerational experience. Bring the whole family.
Use code SKINT15 for 15% off tickets during previews August 8–12.
PERFORMANCE DETAILS
August 8 – 29, 2026
21 Performances · 75 Minutes · Ages 12+
WP Theater, New York City
Tickets from $15
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