←Recommendations of Calling Puerto Rico

I am truly gutted that I never got to see this play Iive as reading it alone was an emotional experience. Juan has created a truly wonderful and multi-layered character in Joel and we, as an audience are privileged to look into his world that has been tarnished by disaster and watch as he reaches out to others and connects people. Its a play that will tug at the heart strings and you can't help but keep reading as the story is presented in a way where you NEED to know how it unfolds. No wonder its had great success!

I was lucky enough to see this live at Seven Angels in CT. It was a magical experience. Such a true to life telling of the tragedy that befell PR. It touched on personal lives as well as the overarching issues that effect Puerto Ricans and the governments regulations that put the residents more at risk. I laughed, cried, and sat with bated breath. For me, the hardest and my favorite part, was when all three storylines are calling for help. Produce this again and again. Trust me.

The depiction of Hurricane Maria and its aftermath is intense and heartbreaking. From NYC to PR to ISS, this play will take you on a powerful journey.

This play hits hard. I was on the edge of my seat waiting breathlessly for the hurricane to come as these wonderful characters play out their relationships with humor and love. I was not ready for that gut-punch.

Hurricane Maria was one of the most devastating storms in history and this play boldly, but gently takes you to the "eye of the storm." You will feel dread, loneliness, anticipation, desperation, and even hope. I still think about this play every time a new hurricane is about to make landfall. Beautiful work!

An amazing play that tackles disasters huge and personal. Each character is rendered with clarity and nuance and each are written with such distinct voices. The balance of humor, fear, grief, and terror is human, engaging, and devastating. What an unexpected and supremely effective cross-section of people Ramirez has chosen to highlight here. Their incredibly specific and complex story is supremely compelling and serves as a powerful exploration of family, fracturing personal relationships, mental health, and disastrous government response to tragedy on a large scale. Extremely theatrical and powerful stage images.

CALLING PUERTO RICO is a richly human work.

It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. God, it will make you cry. It will grab you with its beautiful characters, with all their flaws, and all their spirit, and they will wring your soul until you feel drained of everything.

And yet you will still feel, despite all the trials you'll go through in this work, the peace at the coquí sound and radio static.

Read the play. Better yet, to all the Latinx theatres out there. Produce this play.

Playwrights Foundation congratulates CALLING PUERTO RICO as a Finalist for BAPF 2020. This play rose to the top 35 out of 735 plays submitted, and was discussed at length by our Bay Area Literary Council for consideration in our season. We loved how this play uses the language of theater to illuminate challenging perspectives and compelling intersectional questions. This play ultimately moved & inspired us and spoke to the core mission of PF. We hope that once we’re allowed to return to our theaters again, it will be considered for production to reach new audiences.

This play does such a good job at distilling the Hurricane Maria tragedy -- and the tragic malfeasance in the human response -- into a powerful, touching and heartbreaking tale of four people. Mr. Ramirez tells an amazing story about disaster on a grand scale and how powerless we all feel to change it.

This play hits home hard for me. The way Juan spotlights the personal relationships through tragedy and let the hurricane winds roar within the script is painful. The hope that is gained through it its deserved, but the second to last scene will leave you shaking.