| GableStage Theatre Company proudly presents Sotto Voce, written and directed by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Nilo Cruz (Anna in the Tropics). The production runs January 23–February 15, 2026, at the Wolfson Family Theatre, located at GableStage’s historic Biltmore Hotel home.
Receiving its first full English-language production in Miami, Sotto Voce drifts between past and present in a lyrical, haunting tale inspired by the true story of the MS St. Louis. The play traces the ripples of the ship’s tragic 1939 voyage, which carried 937 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany, only to be turned away by Cuba, the United States, and Canada. Rather than a direct retelling, Cruz uses the St. Louis as a point of departure to examine memory, longing, and the weight of what remains unspoken. At the center of Sotto Voce is Saquiel Rafaeli, a young Jewish-Cuban researcher whose fascination with the St. Louis leads him to Bemadette Kahn, a reclusive, German-born novelist haunted by the memory of her first love, Ariel Strauss. As a young woman, Bemadette watched Ariel and his sister, Nina, board the doomed ship in Hamburg. Saquiel’s impassioned petitions to speak with the retired writer about the St. Louis bring Bemadette’s memories of her lost love to life. The two are drawn into an intimate, cross-generational relationship through emails and phone calls shared in sotto voce (which translates to “under the breath”). Returning to GableStage are South Florida favorites Sara Morsey (Summer, 1976, The Year of Magical Thinking) and Gabriell Salgado (El Huracán). They are joined by Cuban actress Claudia Tomás, who makes her GableStage debut as Lucila Pulpo, Bemadette’s spirited companion and caretaker. Salgado, whose credits include Anna in the Tropics(Miami New Drama, directed by Cruz), and Tomás, who has appeared in Cruz’s A Park in Our House and Thirst on Water Street, also portray the 1939-era Nina and Ariel Strauss. |
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| Claudia Tomás (left), Sara Morsey*(center), Gabriell Salgado* (right). Photo credit: Magnus Stark, 2026. *Member of Actors’ Equity Association. |
| Nilo Cruz gained national prominence in 2003 when he won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Anna in the Tropics, which also received the Steinberg Award and a Tony Award nomination. His acclaimed body of work includes Two Sisters and a Piano, Lorca in a Green Dress, Hortensia and the Museum of Dreams, and Bathing in Moonlight, among many others. In addition to his plays, Cruz has written opera librettos including The Last Dream of Frida and Diego, which opens at the Metropolitan Opera in 2026, and an adaptation of Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto for Lyric Opera of Chicago. He holds an MFA from Brown University and has taught at Yale, Brown, NYU, the University of Iowa, and the University of Miami.
“I’m delighted to be directing Sotto Voce at GableStage—a play that feels both urgent and intimate, because it asks a question that never stops returning: What happens to a society—what happens to our souls—when we close the doors to those who arrive at our threshold fleeing war, political oppression, hunger, or simply the violence of having no future?” said Nilo Cruz. “Sotto Voce is not only about a ship. It is about the hush that follows a refusal, the silence that history keeps when it cannot bear to name what it has done. It is about memory—how it haunts, how it returns, how it demands a witness. Theatre cannot repair the past. But it can create the space where we listen, where we reckon, where we remember that every “stranger” is also someone’s beloved.” |
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| Nilo Cruz (seated), Gabriell Salgado* (left), Sara Morsey* (center), Claudia Tomas (right). Photo credit: Magnus Stark, 2026. *Member of Actors’ Equity Association. |
| Sotto Voce had its world premiere in February of 2014 at New York’s Theater for the New City, in a well-received production staged by the Cuban-American playwright. The following month, the play had a bilingual four-day run at Miami-Dade County Auditorium’s On.Stage Black Box theater. Presented in English with Spanish supertitles, this limited run was the only time the play has been performed for Miami audiences.
“When Nilo approached me about producing Sotto Voce, I was thrilled by the opportunity for GableStage to present the first full English-language production of this play in Miami,” said Producing Artistic Director Bari Newport. “It is the only play I know that gives voice to this chapter of Jewish and Cuban history. Nilo’s lyrical, poetic language, brought to life by this extraordinary cast under his direction, makes Sotto Voce a rare and deeply moving theatrical experience.” Sotto Voce by Nilo Cruz is presented by Rhoda Levitt, with leading sponsorship from Alan Bernstein and Dan & Ann Bernstein, and made possible through the generous support of donors to Jewish Philanthropy Initiative*: Marc & Robyn Abrams • David & Jan Ichel • In Loving Memory of Ronald Hinds • Elaine & Daniel Katz • Zelda Kloner’s Gift Fund / Heidi Berghuis • Richard & Susan Lampen • Lynn & Linda Newport • Aaron & Dorothy Podhurst • Adele & Joel Sandberg • Debbie & Dr. Michael Troner • Susan & Steven Caller • Alfred & Susan Feingold • Carolynn & Michael Friedman • Jill & Hal Gaffin • Norman & Nancy Lipoff • Stanley & Barbara Schwartz. Season funding is made possible with the support of Knight Foundation, and with the support of the City of Coral Gables Cultural Arts Division, and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor, and the Board of County Commissioners. |
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PERFORMANCE SCHEDULEPerformances are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm, with matinees on Wednesdays and Sundays at 2pm, plus an additional matinee on Saturday, February 14. The performance runs approximately 90 minutes, plus a 15-minute intermission, and plays from January 23 – February 15, 2026. *JEWISH PHILANTHROPY INITIATIVE The Jewish Philanthropy Initiative was launched this season to ensure that Jewish stories are told with power and purpose. A growing community of supporters is helping bring two powerful productions to life: Sotto Voce (January 23 — February 15, 2026) and Prayer for the French Republic (March 20 – April 19, 2026), works that explore legacy, identity, resilience, and what it means to belong. To add your name to this vital effort, contact Kate Kramitz at KKramitz@gablestage.org or 305.446.1116 ext 307. WINDOW ON THE WORKAward-winning pre-show talks with a member of the artistic team, 30 minutes before each performance (except opening nights). WINE DOWN FRIDAYSAudiences are invited to enjoy a free wine tasting before each Friday evening’s performance, courtesy of Clementine’s Wine Gourmet. AFTER WORDSRobust post-show discussions with the cast and creative team following the first Sunday matinee and all Wednesday matinees. MOSAIC MIAMIEach season, GableStage partners with MOSAIC Miami to present Can We Talk?, a series of post-show conversations designed to spark dialogue and reflection around the themes onstage. For Sotto Voce, audiences are invited to stay for: Whispered Histories: Love, Memory, and the Echoes Between Sunday, February 8 | Immediately following the 2pm matinee Moderated by Matt Anderson, Executive Director of Mosaic Miami, this talk features Susan Gladstone-Pasternack, Executive Director of the Jewish Museum of Florida–FIU, and Susana Behar, Havana-born Sephardic singer based in Miami. DRAMATICALLY SPEAKINGNow entering its fifth season, GableStage’s popular community speaking series Dramatically Speaking brings artists, scholars, and community leaders into dialogue around timely themes inspired by the theatre’s mainstage productions. Presented in partnership with The Hub at Temple Beth Am, these public programs foster civic dialogue and community connection. Haunted Waters: The MS St. Louis, Sotto Voce, and the Weight of Memory Raw. Revelatory. Unmissable. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and director Nilo Cruzand renowned Holocaust scholar Dr. Michael Berenbaum (Founding Project Director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and Director of the Sigi Ziering Institute) conduct a riveting conversation about Sotto Voce, and the real-life history that haunts it. Led by Artistic Director Bari Newport, this powerhouse exchange explores themes of exile, memory, and the enduring legacy of the MS St. Louis. This event took place on December 16, 7:30pm. Watch the recording on GableStage’s YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/6G6TAF6ZAOA? STUDENT/TEACHER RUSHStudents and teachers may attend any performance free of charge by arriving 45 minutes prior to curtain and filling any open, unsold seat. Valid ID required. STUDENT MATINEES Two special 10:30am student matinees will be offered on January 30 and February 6 for 300 Miami-Dade High School students. This program is offered through the Miami-Dade County Cultural Passport Program. SINGLE TICKETSSingle tickets begin at $50, with special rates for military, students, teachers, artists, and groups of 8+. Tickets are available at www.gablestage.org or by calling (305) 445-1119.
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THE FACTSWhat: GableStage presents Sotto Voce, a lyrical, whimsical and haunting tale written and directed by Pulitzer-Prize winner Nilo Cruz. Who: Written and Directed by Nilo Cruz Associate Director: Samantha Pazos Featuring Sara Morsey, Gabriell Salgado, Claudia Tomás Scenic Design: Frank J. Oliva Lighting Design: Tony Galaska Projection Design: Jamie Godwin Sound Design: Erik T. Lawson Costume Design: Michiko Kitayama-Skinner Assistant to the Costume Designer: Nico Walker Set Dressing & Properties Design: Jennifer Wake Production Stage Manager: Madelyn Lopez Assistant Stage Manager: Amy Zamora Audio Engineer: Hector Martinez Director of Production & Operations: Katie Ellison Technical Director: Victoria Murawski Master Carpenter: Sean Deam Master Electrician: Art Garcia Where: The Wolfson Family Theatre at GableStage in the historic Biltmore Hotel 1200 Anastasia Ave, Coral Gables, FL 33134 When: January 23 – February 15, 2025 Wednesdays–Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays & Sundays at 2 p.m. Additional matinee Saturday, February 14 at 2 p.m. How: Contact the Box Office: 305-445-1119 | BoxOffice@GableStage.org Tickets available at www.gablestage.org and by contacting the Box Office. For group rates contact groups@gablestage.org
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