Main Street Players, located at 6766 Main Street in Miami Lakes, presents the first play of its 41st season, A Bicycle Country, by Pulitzer-Prize award winning playwright, Nilo Cruz.
A Bicycle Country will run from February 6 through March 1 Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. The play is set against the backdrop of early 90’s when the Russian government’s long-standing financial support for Cuba ended which brought severe hardship and austerity to the Cuban people.
The play, directed by John Oliveras and produced by Clara Lyzniak, follows the daunting journeys of three rafters, or balseros, who embark on a raft to reach the Florida shores, despite the odds, in the quest for freedom. Cut between two acts, the first titled “Tierra,” and the second “Agua,” A Bicycle Country shows the desperation and oppression experienced by the Cuban people who are trapped in a jail surrounded by water.
Julio, played by Michael Fernandez, Ines played by Michelle Antelo and Pepe played by Luis Acosta together make an unlikely crew who set their sights on the freedom America offers. Julio, trapped both by water and his recuperating body, offers a metaphor for the Cuban people, crippled and paralyzed, until Ines, a dreamer, and his friend Pepe push him to aspire to something greater.
Faced by the encroaching land of Cuba, and surrounded by tumultuous waters, the group decide to risk it all and are the “voice of those who made it and those who did not,” said Oliveras.
Tickets are available online or at the door, $25 for adults, $20 for seniors (62+) and $18 for students (with current ID). For more information about the play or to learn how to become a Main Street Players sponsor, visit the new website at www.mainstreetplayers.com or call 305-558-3737.