THE MIRACULOUS MIXES OF DJ SANTA CECILIA Comes to The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center
Amalia Ortiz's latest play explores vibrant themes in upcoming San Antonio performances
By: Stephi Wild Feb. 20, 2026
The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center Theater Arts program has announced the premiere of The Miraculous Mixes of DJ Santa Cecilia, an electrifying new theatrical work written by Amalia Ortiz and directed by Robin LaVerne “Dragonfly” Wilson. Performances will run March 19–21 and March 26–28 at 8 PM at SAY Sí's Black Box Studio, located at 1310 S. Brazos St., San Antonio, TX 78207.
Tickets are also available for purchase by visiting the Latino Bookstore at 1300 Guadalupe St. San Antonio TX, 78207 or by calling 210-271-3151 ext. 250 (or opt 4). Bookstore hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10 am – 4 pm. Tickets can also be purchased at the door on performance nights while seats last.
Set in a Los Angeles sweatshop warehouse during the height of the underground 1990s rave movement, The Miraculous Mixes of DJ Santa Cecilia imagines an alternate history in which a congregation of Indigenous immigrants encounter electronic dance music (EDM) within sacred ceremony—melding tribal tradition with industrial techno beats at the end of the millennium.
When mute immigrant Cecilia mysteriously disappears, an investigation unveils the story of her traumatic border crossing and transformation from a homeless queer outcast disowned by her family into a shamanic DJ who leads clandestine underground rituals. A chorus of undocumented sweatshop workers bears witness to her miracles and to the power of music, memory, and community.
Employing the Latin American tradition of magical realism—popularized by authors such as Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel García Márquez—the play offers an entertaining snapshot of 1990s U.S. rave culture while re‑envisioning it through the lens of an undocumented queer immigrant.
Amalia Ortiz is an award-winning poet, performer, and playwright who appeared on HBO's Def Poetry and the NAACP Image Awards. She received the 2020 American Book Award for Oral Literature, and her book, Rant. Chant. Chisme., was named one of NBC Latino's “10 Great Latino Books of 2015.” Amalia is a CantoMundo Fellow, Hedgebrook alumna, and former ArtPace performing-artist-in-residence. Her honors include grants from NALAC, the Mellon Foundation, and the City of San Antonio. Her play Pass It On was featured in the 2024 Teatro Salon series, and her band Las Hijas de la Madre received multiple project grants. Amalia holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
Dragonfly (Robin LaVerne Wilson) is an interdisciplinary performance artist whose ABSCONDED PROJECT has been featured in Ecumenica, Performance Art Journal, Hyperallergic, and Brooklyn Rail. Her work has been presented by venues such as Guggenheim Gallery at Chapman University, Theatre Neumarkt, and Grace Exhibition Space. A long-term collaborator with EARTH L.A.B. and La Pocha Nostra, she is also an alum of Creative Change, EmergeNYC, and Franklin Furnace. Dragonfly's interactive game show Who Wants to Win $5 has been commissioned by multiple organizations. As Jump-Start Theatre's 2025 INKubator artist, she launched SNACKED UP IN PRAYER, a touring solo show on caregiving and dementia. Robin holds a magna cum laude degree from Rutgers and completed MA coursework at CUNY. She is Gemini Ink's 2025 volunteer of the year and an officer of Toastmasters Club 2207. Her primary vocation is caring for her mother.
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