Venue: Soulpepper Theatre’s TD Finance Studio, 50 Tank House Lane
Remaining showtimes: July 8, 9, 10, 12 (various times, see Fringe site for more info)
Nina is 13 years old and has decided that living with the stray dogs outside her town is preferable to her broken home. Too young to understand her mortality, she embarks on a journey of self-actualization and of breaking the cycle of intergenerational trauma plaguing her family since the Chilean coup in 1973 and subsequent right-wing dictatorship.
Written as part of Yasmine Agocs’ master’s thesis, her story weaves together Nina’s memories with those of her ancestors, intercut with parts of president Salvador Allende’s iconic farewell address before his death during the coup.
Both Alejandra Angobaldo and Cheyla McNally Rondon play Nina. They seamlessly trade off memories, prompting the question: Which memories come from our ancestors and which belong to us alone? Agocs’ storytelling is fresh and powerful; she is someone to watch.
My only complaint is that the projections of the speech translations were difficult to read.
Still, Quiltro is a dramatic gem!