La Pluma Theatre, the newest professional theater company in the DMV, goes literally underground for its inaugural production. The Swallow (La Golondrina) makes good on the company’s mission to produce bold, often bilingual, international work that amplifies the city’s diverse communities. The cast and creative team set a striking example of what’s possible in this unique venue, Dupont Underground, where an intimate, flexible theater space waits at the end of the tunnel. Co-founders Victor Salinas and Gabriel de la Cruz Soler have declared their organization proudly queer and Latine. They chose La Golondrina by Spanish playwright Guillem Clua, a work inspired by the 2016 Pulse nightclub mass shooting, to take us on a harrowing yet powerful journey about claiming identity, speaking truth, and finding acceptance and love. Luz Nicolás as Amelia and Victor Salinas as Ramón in ‘The Swallow (La Golondrina).’ Photo by Malu Veltze. The drama is carried by two beloved bilingual DC artists — Luz Nicolás and Victor Salinas — who deliver this supercharged emotional two-hander in two languages, performing in Spanish (with subtitles) and in English, on alternating nights. It’s an impressive feat.  Nicolás plays Amelia, a buttoned-up, tightly disciplined, old-school voice teacher. Salinas is Ramón, a young man who has come to her home studio, we are told, to get coaching so he can perform a song at the mass for his recently deceased mother. Things quickly unravel. Ramón appears to be a hopeless singer; even simple breathing warm-ups leave him dizzy and in discomfort. Even when Ramón acknowledges he had met Amelia’s son years ago, when they sang together in a boys’ choir, he seems over-inquisitive, while she grows evasive and restless. When he pushes her to face the inconvenient truth about her son’s death, her reluctance turns to anger. “Get out!” she screams. She would rather be alone with her memories. Reynolds Robledo directs with a finesse that elevates a seemingly naturalistic two-hander into an achingly poetic work of symbolism. Stage Designer Daniel Ruiz Bustos reinforces this by placing the action on the elevated stage platform like a room floating in space, surrounded on all four sides by a translucent curtain. When Amelia first draws open the front curtain, rolling back the long shower-like drape, it becomes more than an apartment dweller greeting a new day. It’s a ritual of letting in the light to reveal and work through long-buried secrets. The two actors, whom many will have seen in GALA Theatre productions, share a close rapport, and one can feel that while their characters fight each other, taking each other to the mat, the artists have each other’s backs, supporting each other in the emotional work demanded of this piece. They are also delicious performers in their physicality, mapping every moment through shifting energy, and where in their bodies they carry the pain of two people coming to terms with the tragedy that has stolen the most important person in their lives and marked them forever. I saw the production twice to discover if and how it might change when delivered in the two languages. I found it did change, at least on the two nights I attended. In Spanish, there was something explosive, even volcanic, about the erupting anger: larger than human, but raw like nature itself. Salinas used this anger to call out the generations around the globe who criminalized homosexuality or, through silence and denial, continued to rob people of their humanity. Nicolás roared with the rage of all mothers, finally breaking into paroxysms of pain and grief. In English, there was still anger in the confrontations, but the build, especially in the monologues, proceeded more slowly and deliberately, making me wonder about the discreet power of expression inherent in different languages. A projection greets the audience as they enter and leave the theater space: “What is it that makes us human… What is it that really defines our humanity?” Theater such as this helps us in our search. And we need to ask these questions and hear each other’s stories now more than ever La Pluma Theatre has led out of the gate with a powerful first production — and will return as part of a carefully curated consortium of “resident companies” in Dupont Underground. DU’s Executive Director Ana Harvey is busily turning the old, abandoned trolley station into one of the most exciting cultural and gathering places in the nation’s capital, with the coolest vibe and hippest programming. Don’t take my word for it. Go and see for yourself. Victor Salinas as Ramón and Luz Nicolás as Amelia in ‘The Swallow (La Golondrina).’ Running Time: A little over an hour, no intermission. The Swallow (La Golondrina) plays through December 14, 2025, presented by La Pluma Theatre performing in the Dupont Underground, 19 Dupont Circle NW. Tickets are $25 and available online. The Swallow (La Golondrina)By Guillem CluaDirected by Reynolds RobledoProduced by Gabriel de la Cruz Soler CASTLuz Nicolás as AmeliaVictor Salinas as Ramón CREATIVE TEAMAssistant Director: Esteban Marmolejo-Suarez, Stage Designer: Daniel Ruiz Bustos, Graphic Designer: Isabel Canino, Lighting Designer: Alana Isaac The post La Pluma Theatre launches with harrowing, powerful ‘The Swallow’ appeared first on DC Theater Arts. ...read more read less