PHOTO BY JACK ROMAN
Orlando Family Stage (Website) will open its 2026-27 season with “Havana Hop,” an interactive production by (incredibly photographic) multidisciplinary artist Paige Hernandez (Website), with public performances scheduled for Saturday, September 19, at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.
The show marks Hernandez’s Orlando Family Stage performance debut, though Orlando audiences were previously introduced to her work last season through “Tiara’s Hat Parade,” which she wrote based on the book by Kelly Starling Lyons.
Written, choreographed, and performed by Hernandez, “Havana Hop” blends hip-hop, salsa, storytelling, and movement. The show follows Yeila, a young girl who dreams of becoming a superstar but struggles with stage fright. With encouragement from her mother and grandmother, Yeila travels from Washington, D.C., to Cuba, where connecting with her family’s roots helps her find her own rhythm and confidence.
Audience participation is central to the production, with children invited to respond, move, and dance as Hernandez transforms into three generations of women onstage.
“What I love about Paige is that she is as incredible a performer as she is a playwright,” said Orlando Family Stage Artistic Director Jeff Revels, according to the official press release. “She is a remarkable storyteller, and there is a real generosity and joy in the way she performs.”
Hernandez has been recognized as one of American Theatre magazine’s “Six Theatre Workers You Should Know” and has served as a Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Fellow. “Havana Hop” was commissioned by the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning and developed by Playhouse Square, and has toured nationally and internationally.
Tickets range from $20 to $48 and are available HERE.
