Milagro is proud to produce the world premiere of City Without Altar by award winning, Dominican-American playwright, Jasminne Mendez. City Without Altar is a two-act play in verse that amplifies the voices and experiences of victims, survivors and living ancestors of the 1937 Haitian Massacre that occurred along the northwest Dominican/Haitian border during the Trujillo Era.

In City Without Altar, the audience finds themselves between the present and the 1930’s on the Haitian-Dominican border, in a time and place where ‘where are you from?’ is a question of life or death. This play follows a Haitian family in their struggle to hold onto their sense of home, culture, and body as the looming shadow of genocide theatens to strip them of everything.

Told entirely in verse, this piece of theatre takes the form of a poetic ritual, transforming the stage itself into an altar where the spirits of the Parsley Massacre victims can once again have a voice. Featuring a diverse and colorful collection of characters—from the wise, healer grandma Madame Telsaint, to the wounded Maria, to the embodiment of violence simply named Machete—the cast of City Without Altar guides the audience through a reflection of pain and grief and leads them to a resolution where closure, joy, and moving on is finally possible.

City Without Altar will be partnered with Community Artes events highlighting and celebrating Dominican and Haitian culture. More information can be found on each events page.