Sites that Speak:

Sites that Speak is a multimodal publication that focuses on the development of Spanish theater in Miami through the re-search of its performing spaces from 1959 to 1980. It maps-- literally and figuratively-- the development of Spanish theater from garages to warehouses, from Teatro Martí --a Ku Klux Klan meeting space in the 40s-- to the Gables Cinematheque, previous home of Teatro Avante. By doing a deep cultural mapping of Spanish theater in Miami, I demonstrate the ways in which claiming a space as a theatrical space, in addition to adding to the cultural development of our city, has contributed to the survival of theater as an art form, as intangible cultural heritage of a community in the making. In so doing, I also analyze the economic and socio-political transformation of the different communities that have contributed to the transformation of Miami into a global city.