CreArte Latino Cultural Center explores mental health issues with 'VOICES of Hidden Minds

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

CreArte Latino Cultural Center will host “VOICES of Hidden Minds” (“VOCES de mentes escondidas”), a dramatized reading presented in Spanish with English surtitles, on May 8 through May 10 from 8 to 9:30 p.m., followed by a bilingual audience talkback.

The original production, created and directed by Angélica Castro and Marcela Vanegas, is based on testimonies from members of the Hispanic community in Sarasota and Manatee counties. Their voices are woven into a narrative that explores the experience of those facing mental health challenges.

The performances take place at CreArte’s new home at 1913 Northgate Blvd. in Sarasota. Tickets are $20 and available at CreArteLatino.org.

“'VOCES de mentes escondidas' emerges as a dramatic reading of testimonies interwoven to show the reality experienced by people who face a mental disorder, and all that it entails in their lives, their context, and their environment,” Castro said. “The aim is not to provide solutions or opinions; rather, it seeks to generate a conversation with the community about a topic that remains taboo and has a latent need to be acknowledged and heard.”

Castro said that the performance invites audiences into a safe space – one where stigma gives way to storytelling, and the reality of mental health in the Latino community is brought into the light.

“Having had the opportunity to co-create ‘VOICES of Hidden Minds’ with Angelica has been an honor and further proof that art is a beautiful path to generate conversations and awareness for the growth of all as humanity,” Vanegas said. “All voices can be heard, and in them we will always see more things that unite us than those that separate us.”