Caught between worlds, a first-generation story takes the stage at FIU Theatre

What does it mean to live between two worlds? For many first-generation Americans, it is a constant, wearying inner conflict. On one side are your roots, your family, and the culture that shaped you. On the other are your ambitions, your future, and the life you’re trying to build in this country. The space between them is not something you simply cross. It’s something you learn to navigate, negotiate and carry with you.

That inner conflict takes center stage in FIU Theatre’s latest production of The House of Ramón Iglesia, running April 3–12 at the Wertheim Performing Arts Center. Written by acclaimed playwright José Rivera, the play centers on Javier, a young Puerto Rican man growing up on Long Island in 1980 as he wrestles with who he is, where he comes from and who he is trying to become.

When José Rivera wrote The House of Ramón Iglesia in 1980, he was just 26 years old, still searching for his voice and his place as a writer in this country while working odd jobs. There was no guarantee of success, and few spaces in American theatre at the time were telling Latino stories. This early play reflects a young artist grappling with identity, belonging and the urgency to tell a deeply personal story about a Puerto Rican family rarely seen on stage.

“I’m always struck by how the most personal stories are often the most universal,” said Ivan R. Lopez, associate teaching professor in FIU Theatre and the production’s director. “There’s an honesty in this play that immediately resonated with me as a first-generation son of immigrant parents. Working on it has been cathartic in many ways, seeing those messy struggles I faced in early adulthood reflected on stage and recognizing how those two worlds can come together and begin to integrate.”

That personal connection to the play’s story is something many in the cast are experiencing as well. For sophomore Kevin Garcia, who plays Javier, there is a clear recognition of the character’s inner conflict. A second-generation Cuban American, Garcia sees his own journey reflected in the role.

“I was born here, but my grandparents are Cuban, and I grew up with them, so I grew up with Spanish,” Garcia said. “Then I kind of lost that, because my parents mostly spoke English at home. So growing up, I was kind of Cuban but not really.”

Over time, that relationship to his culture has shifted.

“I feel like I’m on a similar journey,” he said. “For a while, I wanted to separate myself, but as I’ve gotten older, I want to embrace that part of myself instead. I feel like that’s something Javier struggles with too.”

Another theme at the heart of the play is the economic reality many immigrant families endure. The strain of poverty is ever-present in the Iglesia household, shaping their environment and fueling Javier’s desire to distance himself from the very culture that defines him.

That reality is reflected not only in the story, but in the physical world of the production.

“You can see it in the silhouette,” said FIU Theatre associate professor and the play's costume designer Marina Pareja. “A lot of the clothing feels like it’s from the ’70's. It’s not current to 1980, because fashion didn’t move that quickly, especially for a family without the means to keep up.”

The details, she explains, reveal the family’s circumstances.

“You see things being passed down, maybe from an older brother to a younger brother,” she said. “Some of the clothes don’t fit exactly right. They’re worn, mended, lived in. Those are the indicators of where the family is economically.”

Through its intimate storytelling and layered design, The House of Ramón Iglesia captures the experience of living between worlds.

As Lopez puts it, “It’s a reminder that stories like this aren’t just immigrant stories, they’re American stories.”

The House of Ramón Iglesia runs April 3–12 at the Wertheim Performing Arts Center.