Epsiode 105 | Chloé Cofresí, actress, writer, playwright
I met Chloé very recently and was taken with her simplicity and openness. She wrote a play titled, La hija del pirata / The Pirate's Daughter. Chloé is a direct descendant of the rebel pirate himself!
She realized the reason people know about el pirata Cofresí is because of the little daughter left behind after Cofresí was shot to death by the Spaniards. No one ever spoke about her. She took that under considered point and wrote a play. Here Chloe shares how the legacy of the pirate still runs through the family veins. Cholé rescues these voices for herself and for audiences to learn and honor the woman whose life was silenced by history.
Live long and prosper,
Sol
Pull quote from the play’s website:
In 1825, the Puerto Rican Pirate, Roberto Cofresí was shot to death by a Spanish firing squad after being charged as a pirate and enemy of the crown. At his murder, Cofresí left behind a single heir: a young girl of three years old, Maria Bernada. La hija del pirata/The Pirate’s Daughter is a new play I wrote that flows between time to explore the journey of Maria and her female descendants as they search for their own inheritance. Four Latina actors rotate through the five women as their stories move through time, interweaving the Latinx storytelling traditions of magical realism and epic family dramas.
The show is produced by La Pirata Productions together with Hemlock Theatre Co., and has received partial funding as a grantee of the DCA Premiere Grant through Staten Island Arts. We’ve raised nearly $1,500 in addition to the grant, and We are looking to raise an additional $3,500 in the next two weeks to truly make this an event that will never be forgotten. To do that, I am asking for your help. Please click here to donate to La Pirata Productions and become part of our legacy. And, tickets are still on sale but are running out, so don't forget to book your tickets to the show on June 4th at 8 pm! I can’t wait to see you there as we kick off the maiden voyage of this magical show!