What I liked
One of the most encouraging things I noticed was how engaged the children in the audience were. They clearly connected with the show, and there is something genuinely beautiful about introducing young audiences to live theater. The concept itself is strong and has the foundation for an effective children’s production. The performers playing Inky and El Niño stood out as the strongest actors in the cast, bringing confidence, commitment, and a sense of training to their roles. There is a good idea at the heart of this piece, and with further development, the production could better realize its potential.
What I didn't like
The biggest opportunity for growth is story clarity. Several plot points felt contradictory or underdeveloped. For example, Inky goes to the council to change the city, but then spends much of the play looking for help while seemingly abandoning that goal. Her sister’s asthma is presented as an important motivation, yet Inky never appears to connect poor air quality to her sister’s condition, which weakens the central conflict.
There were also storytelling choices that felt unnecessary or confusing. The voiceover at the end explains that Inky is planting a tree, but the audience can already see exactly what is happening on stage. Since no voiceover had been used previously, its sudden appearance felt out of place and drew attention away from the final moment rather than enhancing it.
The acting style often felt pushed beyond what the scenes required. Many performances relied on heightened emotions, exaggerated reactions, and increased volume rather than grounded character choices. At times, it felt like actors were demonstrating emotions instead of experiencing them, which made it difficult to connect with the characters. Vocal control was also an issue, with intensity frequently replacing nuance. I would encourage the cast to focus more on listening, responding truthfully to scene partners, and trusting quieter moments. The strongest performances in the production were the ones that felt specific, grounded, and authentic.
My overall impression
SOMOS AIRE is an ambitious production with heartfelt intentions, and I recognize how difficult it is to develop and stage original work. However, in its current form, the piece feels underdeveloped and not yet ready for a major festival platform.
If the intended audience is young children, the production may find a more receptive audience in children’s theater. For adult audiences, however, the storytelling struggled to connect. The plot contained significant gaps that made it difficult to follow, and the dialogue often felt amateurish and unclear, preventing the emotional stakes from landing effectively.
Performance-wise, the standout was the actress portraying Inky, who brought commitment and authenticity to the role. A later appearance by the actor playing El Primo also added a welcome level of confidence and presence. Unfortunately, the rest of the performances did not consistently reach that standard.
While I respect the effort and passion that clearly went into creating this production, I believe the script, structure, and overall execution would benefit from substantial development before reaching its full potential
