Urban Theater's BRUJAJA Premieres October 23-24 At The 2021 Destinos Fest Finale

In Spanish, "bruja" means witch, and "ja ja" is slang for ha ha. Add these two magical ingredients together, and you get Brujaja, a world premiere filmed theatrical experience via Chicago's UrbanTheater Company.

Written by Melissa DuPrey and directed by Miranda González, Brujaja is a contemporary Latine family drama about an accidental witch who, after living above her mother's botánica her whole life, finally finds her purpose by tapping into her ancestral power.

Meet Ife, a 20-something, queer, progressive Boricua who wants nothing more but to follow, if not surpass, her no-nonsense, Afroboricua, faith healer mother, Iya, by becoming a great Santera. Ife and her lighter-skinned sister, Omi, live with their mom in an apartment above the family botánica. There, Brujaja is conjured up as a magical theatrical potion mixed with humor, sharp dialogue, big suspense, blunt truths, deep joy, and moments of powerful witchcraft. In the end, Ife finds that being a bruja holds more responsibility than she anticipated in the larger fight against systemic oppression. Brujaja also lays open the disturbing disparity of access to health and wellness resources between black and white, rich and poor, barrio and 'burb.

Brujaja is the finale of Destinos-4th Chicago International Latino Theater Festival. The play-on-film will be presented on a big screen at four in-person, world premiere showings - Saturday October 23 at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, October 24 at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. - at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture, 3015 W. Division St. in Humboldt Park. Tickets are $32.50. For tickets and information, visit clata.org/destinos.

Note: Brujaja is presented in English with sprinkles of Spanish, and runs 90 minutes. Masks must be worn at all times. Proof of vaccination or a recent negative Covid test is required for entry.

Stay tuned: Following its big-screen debut at Destinos, UrbanTheater will present a virtual run of Brujaja in November. Streaming dates and ticket information are to be announced.
For more information, visit urbantheaterchicago.org.

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