ISLA is a bilingual shadow puppet play with music which explores the realities of exile, the strength of family, Cuban mythology, and the spirit of sisterhood. Inspired by the true story of Co-Artistic Director Samantha Blain’s mother and aunts’escape from Cuba in 1969 during the Freedom flights, the piece blends magical realism and documentary theater through puppetry, original music, recorded interviews, and poetry by Maria De Lourdes Blain to to explore what it means to be torn from one’s home and the journey to create another. Set on an island unraveling under political revolution, ISLA follows three sisters whose once-vibrant world is collapsing under surveillance and isolation. Guided by visions of a magical manatee spirit from Cuban mythology, they face impossible choices about loyalty, survival, and the meaning of home. Their journey builds toward a daring nighttime escape across the ocean, where they risk everything for the chance at freedom.