La Jornada: Sonora musical premieres at independent theater festival in New York

Hermosillo, Son., Sonoran theater is presented this week in one of the most important showcases of the international independent scene with the play Monarch A Mexican-American Musical at the Midtown International Theater Festival (MITF) 2026, in New York, a production created with talent from Sonora that places the experience of Mexican migrants in the United States at the center.

Written by Sonoran brothers Alfonso Molina and Mayu Molina Lehmann, and directed by Rodolfo Nevárez, the work was selected to be part of the official programming of the festival, considered one of the main platforms on the Off-Broadway circuit for independent productions from different parts of the world. The play opens today and will have two more performances at the American Theater of Actors, as part of a stage meeting that concludes Sunday in New York.

The story follows Luis, a Mexican worker who has built his life in the United States, but whose stability is threatened by immigration persecution and the risk of deportation. While seeking refuge in a church, the protagonist reconstructs his memories of Mexico and the monarch butterfly sanctuary, where he met his wife, establishing a parallel between the lepidopteran’s journey and the journey of millions of people who cross borders in the hope of a better life.

Act of cultural resistance

In interview for The DayRodolfo Nevárez explained that the musical addresses topics such as discrimination, the invisibility of undocumented people, belonging and the construction of identity, supported by a musical proposal that fuses Mexican influences with contemporary resources to create a stage experience aimed at both Latin and international audiences.

“In a global context marked by polarization, the work stands as an act of cultural resistance that supports dignity, memory and representation; it not only tells a story, it challenges,” said Nevárez.

The director also highlighted that the project seeks to make frequently ignored experiences visible from an artistic perspective. “As Mexican artists, we have the responsibility to tell these stories of marginalized communities, but also full of strength, dignity and humanity,” he stated.

The arrival of Monarch… to the MITF represents a new step in the international projection of Sonoran artistic creation. The production, which had its premiere in 2022 at the Los Angeles Theater Center, subsequently consolidated its trajectory by obtaining the support of Ibermúsicas 2025, a recognition that boosted its international circulation and confirmed the quality of a proposal that combines music, theater and a story deeply linked to the reality of the Mexican-American community.

The production also brings together a creative team made up of Sonorans Horacio Castelo, Melva Olivas, Miranda García and Ana María Madrid, who bring to the stage an artistic vision built from the northern border of Mexico, a region historically marked by cultural exchange, human mobility and the complex migratory dynamics between both countries.

With its incorporation into the MITF, the musical becomes one of the Mexican productions with the greatest international presence this year and once again positions Sonoran talent in one of the most competitive stages of independent theater, bringing from the northern border a story that dialogues with contemporary problems of global reach.