‘La Dama de Negro’ @ Inclusion Productions
—Teresa Marrero
Ghosts in Spanish: La Dama de Negro Haunts the Kalita Humphreys Theater
At the historic Kalita Humphreys Theater in Dallas, Inclusion Productions’ La Dama de Negro arrives not simply as a horror play but as an important event for Spanish-language theater in North Texas. Presented entirely in Spanish for the first time in the United States, this adaptation of The Woman in Black transforms the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed theater into a chamber of memory, fear, and theatrical illusion. Under the direction of Rodrigo Caraveo, the production embraces both the intimacy and vastness of live storytelling, reminding audiences that terror in the theater rarely comes from spectacle alone. Instead, it emerges from the unstable territory between imagination and memory.
Originally adapted by Stephen Mallatratt from Susan Hill’s celebrated modern (1983) gothic novel, The Woman in Black has long been regarded as one of the most successful horror plays in the world. Yet Inclusion Productions’ Spanish-language staging gives the material renewed cultural immediacy. The production feels less like a translation than a reclamation, allowing Spanish-speaking audiences to experience a canonical ghost story within the emotional textures and rhythms of their own language.
Jonathan “Joty” Collet brings an agile theatricality to the role of the Actor, functioning as both collaborator and destabilizing force within the narrative. Collet’s outstanding performance understands the metatheatrical architecture of the play, where storytelling itself becomes a dangerous act of resurrection. His ability to move fluidly between roles, humor, skepticism, and mounting terror gives the production much of its momentum. The chemistry between actor Bismark Quintanilla and Collet is central to the evening’s success.
Quintanilla anchors the production as Kipps, the tormented lawyer attempting to recount the terrifying events that have shaped his life. Quintanilla avoids melodrama, instead building the character through restraint and emotional fragmentation. His performance captures the difficult balance at the center of the play: Kipps is simultaneously narrator, witness, and victim.
The spectral figure at the center of the play is embodied by Regina Amador and Alondra Estremero, whose appearances as the Woman in Black operate less as conventional characterization than as haunting visual interruptions. Their performances rely on timing and stillness. The production wisely resists turning the Woman in Black into a theatrical gimmick, yet better lighting transitions would have alerted the audience of her many whereabouts in various spaces throughout the theatre.
Director Caraveo demonstrates a strong understanding of the play’s minimalist mechanics. The production trusts theatrical suggestion over technological tropes, inviting the audience’s imagination to become an active participant, while relying on long narrations—although that created a feeling of dragging at times. This is a play for people who savors the Spanish language and are willing to witness a minimalist approach to staging.
The technical design team contributes significantly to the production’s atmosphere. Jose Torres’ set design embraces theatrical economy. Gerry Guerrero’s lighting design uses shadow as both visual texture and psychological weapon, sculpting moments of suspense through carefully controlled visibility. Dustin Parsons’ sound design could have better engaged the audience to feel the tension of the terror, rather than hearing about it through the characters’ narration. This is pivotal to balance minimalist staging.
Costume designer Breianna Bairrington grounds the production in a visual world that feels simultaneously timeless and haunted by the past. The production management team—Reagan Fitzgerald, Ruby Lopez-Pullum, and Cassandra Juarez—maintains a sense of rhythm and precision throughout the performance, particularly in a play so dependent on atmospheric transitions.
At a cultural moment when Spanish-language theater in the United States continues to fight for visibility and institutional support, this production carries importance beyond its immediate artistic accomplishments. Inclusion Productions demonstrates that Spanish-language performance in Dallas can occupy major theatrical spaces while drawing audiences eager for ambitious, genre-driven work. The decision to stage La Dama de Negro at the Kalita Humphreys Theater feels especially significant: a globally recognized gothic narrative now echoes through one of Texas theater’s most iconic architectural landmarks.
La Dama de Negro reminds audiences that ghost stories endure because they dramatize unresolved grief, buried histories, and the terrifying persistence of memory. Inclusion Productions’ staging understands this deeply, offering a theatrical experience that is not frightening, but emotionally resonant.
Shows on Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16, 2026
In Spanish with English supertitles.
For information: https://www.inclusionstage.com/
Teresa Marrero is professor of Spanish and Latine Theater at the University of North Texas.Teresa.Marrero@unt.edu
