September 17-20, 2026
Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing and Media Arts in Chicago (Wirtz Center Chicago)
710 North Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60611
Written by Indigo Rael, Caroline Reck, & Gricelda Silva
Additional text by Jesus Valles & Connor Hopkins
Directed by Caroline Reck
Yamel Cucuy won 12 B. Iden Payne Awards in Austin, Texas for Outstanding Production, Outstanding Direction and Puppetry Performance among others
Yamel Cucuy is the story of a girl on the precipice of adulthood, contending with the physical and metaphysical violence of borders. Yamel is hunted by immigration agents while haunted by specters from the folklore of her youth in Mexico
On the shadowy frontier between worlds, she forges her own spirit of courage and wisdom, in the refusal to be “taken away,” either by legendary phantoms or agents of human law. Blending sophisticated puppetry with live actors, Yamel Cucuy draws upon frightening folk tales and modern horror movies to create a terrifying psychological landscape of pitfalls both legal and spiritual
Magical Realism/Thriller
80min
Created for adult audiences. Teens welcome.
English and Spanish with Spanish and English subtitles.
This production is made possible through the generous support of our sponsoring partner, the WIRTZ CENTER CHICAGO
Cost: Students/Seniors/Military: $28.52
General Admission: $33.85
Elijah Curtin-Adelman
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