Past the local convenience store, past the forest, past the electric fence, a pack of stray dogs resides. Amid her parents’ divorce, 13-year-old Nina runs away from home to join the rumoured pack of dogs. As a peculiar child, Nina has the power to feel and experience other people’s memories. To rid herself of her own family’s trauma, she seeks to join the dogs at the margins of society, at the borders of existence.
As Nina embarks on her journey, she experiences moments in her internal psyche, the blackout, where her identity is split in two: Ninacita, her younger, physical self, and Nina, an older, more critical self. She weaves in and out of reality, reflecting on her own memories, her family's memories, and the memories of her country, Chile.
Along her journey, she meets Hombre, a man experiencing homelessness. He, too, harnesses the power to experience other people’s memories and joins Nina in her efforts to find the stray dogs to honour the passing of his puppy, Perrita.
Many obstacles impede her journey, from crashing her bike to robbing a convenience store, but one “thing” stalks her from the deep, dark corners of her mind. As a reminder of the pain and trauma caused by the 1973 Chilean coup, the monster preys on the fear of his victims. Nina’s all-time pursuit of belonging transcends time and space, shifting fluidly between memory, the past, the present, reality, imagination, and the subconscious.
Keywords: dogs, coming-of-age, poetry, Latin American, magical realism, monster, journey, borders
Genre: Dark Comedy, Drama
Acts: 1
Run time: 75 minutes
Content notes: Contains mature language, references to violence.
This play is intended to be read and performed by two actors, representing the past and present. The unique experiences written within are specially chosen to address the Chilean Coup of 1973. As such, all performers must be cast with ethnicity and nationality in mind. Lines are to be read and split between all by the director’s discretion as well as blocking. The stage directions are intended to be suggestions, as this is a physical piece and all forms of blocking, dance, and structure remain in the hands of the director.
Cast size: 2 actors
Female roles: 2
Casting notes: Intended for two or more female actors. Cast with ethnicity and nationality in mind, prioritize Chilean and Latina/o actors.
"Quiltro is a mutt, mongrel, a dog of mixed breeds, defying genre via the small acts of revolution speckled throughout its fur."
- Intermission Magazine
"It’s dark, it’s powerful but it’s ultimately hopeful."
- Opera Ramblings
"An impressive script weaving a painful moment in Chilean history with a young teen’s journey of self-actualization."
- The Grind
"QUILTRO is a solid, passionate work, full of dogged determination."
- Broadway World