Latino Wings finds home and migration in theatre, music and memory

Review by Markus Hamence – Latino Wings. Performance date: Saturday 14 November 2026. Marion Cultural Centre, Marion, South Australia.

You can pack a suitcase, book a flight and change your address, but the places that made you have a habit of coming along for the ride. That’s the rich emotional territory behind Latino Wings, the Hispanic Women’s Association of South Australia’s celebration of Latin American identity, migration and belonging at Marion Cultural Centre’s Domain Theatre.

And there’s plenty to explore. Led by director Marcell Sierra, leaving home can mean chasing possibility while missing the very things you were ready to leave behind. Excitement and grief can occupy the same suitcase. Building a new life takes courage, certainly, but it also takes the everyday determination to keep showing up while everything familiar feels a world away.

“New postcode, same roots - Latino Wings celebrates the stories we carry and the courage it takes to begin again.” - Markus Hamence

Bringing together theatre, live music, dance, photography and visual art, spoken and sung in Spanish, Latino Wings approaches these experiences through several creative languages. It’s an appealing framework for a subject that refuses to sit neatly inside a single story. Migration involves people of different backgrounds, ambitions and circumstances, each carrying their own version of home.

The inclusion of dance and music alongside the performance is a particularly thoughtful part of the concept. This preserved the moment; and gave the theatre story movement and voice. Placing those forms together offers an intriguing way to consider the relationship between the lives we remember and the lives we are still creating.

The cast are excellent and give their guts, spirit and culture on stage with pride... Nelson Martinez as Frank, Sandy Patarroyo as Yahaira, Maria Escobar as Maria and Dalila Rosero as Carmencita are committed to their characters and at various times you wipe a tear from your cheek seeing their struggles knowing full well this is real-life. The few musical performances woven into the story fit like a glove with the talents of the beautiful Belinda Martinez and rising Adelaide based singer and actor Ewerton Silva serving their vocal prowess with glory. The musicians Jorge Gualdrón and Christian Cifuentes bring the culture through sound, and they deliver it well. And, then the dancers, they are pure joy... The leads, Dayan Pérez, Lucy Santiesteba and Joanna Campos give it all.

Again, presented in Spanish, the production also places the community’s language at the centre of its storytelling. There is value in that choice: allowing stories to be expressed in the language that helped shape them, with all its personal and cultural associations.

“At its heart, Latino Wings carries a beautiful idea: you can build a new home without leaving your identity at the door.” - Markus Hamence

For Adelaide’s arts landscape, projects such as Latino Wings deserve attention. A vibrant cultural scene needs space for people to tell their own stories, bring their traditions into the present and contribute to the city’s evolving identity. HWASA’s initiative makes room for that exchange through creativity and connection.

The idea at its heart is a compelling one: belonging somewhere new doesn’t require us to abandon everywhere we have been. We can grow new roots while keeping the old ones alive.

New postcode. Same roots. Room to spread those wings.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

EXTRA: Word on the street is there is going to be an English version of this very swell play performing during Adelaide Fringe too. Stay alert for when this is announced and tickets sales go on sale AND get them!

CAST

Nelson Martinez - Frank
Sandy Patarroyo - Yahaira
Maria Escobar - Maria
Dalila Rosero - Carmencita
Jorge Gualdrón (Musician)
Belinda Martinez (Vocals)
Christian Cifuentes (Musician)
Ewerton Silva (Vocals)
Dayan Pérez (Dancer)
Lucy Santiesteban (Dancer)
Dalila Rosero (Dancer)
Belinda Martinez (Dancer)
Joanna Campos (Dancer)

CREW

Marcell Sierra (Director)
Dalila Rosero (Production)
Martha Egas (Visual Artist)
Eliana Espinosa (Visual Artist)

CONNECT WITH HWASA

Above (L-R): Vanessa Arenas, Markus Hamence, Ewerton Silva and Dalila Rosero

Markus Hamence and Ewerton Silva