Stage/Toronto Fringe 2024

What: GRINGAS
Where: Native Earth’s Aki Studio, 585 Dundas St. E.
When: Sat., July 13 at 12:15 pm; Sun., July 14 at 1:00 pm.
Highlight: Clunie’s writing is intricate and vibrant
Rating: NNNNN (out of 5)
Why you should go: Whether you speak Spanish or not, GRINGAS will have something for you

PLEASE raise your hand if you’ve ever been personally victimized by the term “gringa.”

“Gringa,” as they explain in the show, is a term used by some Latine people to essentially label a second-gen Latine as “white-washed.” This show follows a group of seven “gringas” who get hauled off to a summer camp to learn Spanish, much to their dismay. What unfolds during this summer at camp is a tale of camaraderie, debauchery and good old-fashioned coming of age.

Let’s just say there’s a reason why playwright Mercedes Isaza Clunie’s script is three-time award-winning. Clunie empathetically explores a multitude of perspectives, the story is paced beautifully and her sentences are dripping with poetics. It feels like a tribute to the Latin American tradition of magic realism, easily incorporating folklore and dreamscapes with the help of Blythe Russell’s gorgeous movement direction.

The style of the script is difficult to pull off, especially in the sections where the ensemble overlaps in quick succession, but this show is incredibly tight. No doubt due to the labours of director Zoe Marin, whose directorial touch is clear, cohesive and, dare I say, magical. The cast works like one smooth machine — hats off to this ensemble who all hold their own and deliver powerful performances. Rachel Quintanilla’s performance in particular is fervent as she gives a bone-chilling monologue at the end of the play (completely in Spanish).

One of my only complaints about the show is I wish it were longer than 60 minutes. With seven girls on stage, the story naturally only explores the stories of a couple of the girls in-depth, and I was left wanting a bit more from the rest of the characters.

This show is entirely sold out (and deservedly so), but luckily for the GTA theatre world, it’s going to be at Hamilton Fringe too. Don’t you dare miss it.