Displaying items by tag: Cafecito Loops

Teatro Vista Productions (TVP), the Midwest's only Latine-led Equity theatre company, in collaboration with Audible, presents Cafecito & Loops: A Mexodus Listening Tour Headed South, a FREE series of Sunday listening parties leading up to the Chicago premiere of Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson's hip hop musical Mexodus, playing at The Studebaker Theater November 7-21, 2026.

Cafecito & Loops will be held Sundays, October 11, 18, 25 and November 1, from noon to 4pm, at various locations throughout Chicago, with each stop mirroring a chapter in the play's journey.

"Teatro Vista is thrilled to partner with Audible, the Studebaker and P3 Productions to support Mexodus with Cafecito & Loops, an intentional journey that connects our communities directly to the play's groundbreaking music and message," says Teatro Vista Productions Artistic Director Wendy Mateo. "By mapping this listening tour southward we are tracing a path of artistic expression and resistance across Chicago. This free series is about making space for connection, conversation, and collective joy in neighborhoods that power our city's vibrant cultural landscape."

Teatro Vista Productions will host four listening parties featuring excerpts from the Audible Original, which features the entire musical recorded in immersive Dolby Atmos sound design, each stop acting as a chapter in the experience. These listening parties will be scattered throughout the city, strategically en route from Teatro Vista Productions' homebase at The Exchange in Jefferson Park to where Mexodus is playing at the Studebaker Theater downtown. The events are free and open to all.  Reservations are encouraged at: https://www.teatrovista.org/cafecito-and-loops-rsvp.

Teatro Vista Productions previously produced the world premieres of Brian Quijada's critically acclaimed Where Did We Sit on the Bus in 2016 (in association with DCASE and Victory Gardens Theater) and Somewhere Over the Border in 2022 as part of a rolling world premiere with Syracuse Stage and GEVA Theatre.

The Cafecito & Loops schedule is as follows:

Sunday, October 11, 12pm-4pm

The Exchange, home of Teatro Vista Productions in Jefferson Park

4800 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago

Sunday, October 18, 12pm-4pm

Magnifico Coffee Roasters & Coffee Shop in Avondale

3063 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago

Sunday, October 25, 12pm-4pm

Caña in West Town

1406 W Grand Ave, Chicago

Sunday, November 1, 12pm-4pm

Groundswell Coffee Roasters at the Fine Arts Building in the Chicago Loop

410 S Michigan Ave, Chicago

About Mexodus

Studebaker Theater, P3 Productions and Audible,

in collaboration with Teatro Vista Productions present

Mexodus

Written and performed by Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson

Choreographed by Tony Thomas

Directed by David Mendizábal

Studebaker Theater, 410 S Michigan Ave, Chicago

November 7-21, 2026

Press Opening: Saturday, November 7, 2026 at 7:30pm

Creators Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson perform this groundbreaking hip-hop musical, using live instruments to build a soundscape live each night incorporating looping to layer rhythms, melodies, and harmonies to create full arrangements on the spot at each performance.

Told through bold storytelling and sick beats, Mexodus reimagines the Underground Railroad heading south to Mexico—unearthing a powerful, untold chapter of American history. Called "thrilling" by The Washington Post and "genius in motion" by the San Francisco Chronicle, this is theatre you feel in your body and your bones.

Tickets for Mexodus are available through the Studebaker Theater Box Office, https://www.fineartsbuilding.com/events/mexodus/ or by calling (312) 753-3210.

About Teatro Vista Productions

Teatro Vista is a non-profit theatre and production company dedicated to multidisciplinary artists of color whose artistic expression on stage and beyond is rooted in the transformative power of owning and telling our own stories.

When the Chicago theater world wasn't ready for us, Teatro Vista Productions made space. For 36 years, we've told true stories that reflect our community. We're not just building on this amazing legacy; we're strengthening and expanding it for the future. Today we continue to actively engage in advocacy that seeks to increase the authentic representations of us on stage and screen.

Teatro Vista Productions believes we are stronger together — across disciplines, across experiences, across mediums, across diasporas. We center our collective of artists at the heart of everything we do. We empower our artists to create with their own authentic voice by providing the tools and resources they need to thrive in the industry. Our work is timely, relevant and authentically reflects our community. Now, as always, We Are Theater With A View.

The company is led by Executive Director Lorena Diaz, Artistic Director Wendy Mateo, and Associate Artistic Director Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel.

Follow TVP on social media & YouTube to experience the multidisciplinary talents of our Artistic Collective and stay connected. @teatrovista