Merging urban development and Miami history.

“We’re building relationships between developers and the artistic community, while highlighting Miami’s up and coming neighborhoods. We want to give Miami audiences an opportunity to rediscover their city by telling stories in their historic buildings.” ~Tanya Bravo, Founder and Artistic Director of Juggerknot Theatre Company.

With support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s Knight Arts Challenge and a partnership with Chivas Regal, History Miami Museum and urban development moguls, The Barlington Group, Juggerknot Theatre will redefine the use of venue space by taking residence in Miami motels to tour audiences through the city’s history.

Three local playwrights will help to bring the narratives of some of Miami’s oldest and emerging neighborhoods to life in a series of three theatrical installments; the first taking place in Little Havana’s Tower Theatre this October, written by Miami playwright, Juan Sanchez, and directed by NYC veteran director, Tamilla Woodward.

The work will reflect the undercurrent of history, both real and imagined, bringing artistry, responsible growth, and home-grown craft to Miami’s ever-quickening rush to develop.
Miami Motel Stories is a real-time immersive theatre experience that takes place inside one of Little Havana’s most beautiful and iconic building this October- the Tower Hotel. Built in 1920, this newly-restored boutique hotel has nearly a century of deep-rooted history in the neighborhood, and Juggerknot Theatre Company is telling those stories, inviting guests on a journey of Miami’s past, present, and future one room at a time.

Three ticket types unlock different experiences at the Tower Hotel. The first floor allows guests to come and go as they wish through 12 hotel rooms. They will meet and mingle with characters from the neighborhood, and get to the heart of Little Havana in an experience through decades of its music, culture, history, and crime. The second floor is designed to be an intimate experience; guests will enter these rooms, two at a time, for a close-up look at the people who lived or stayed in the hotel through time, including jazz icon Billie Holiday, who was a frequent visitor in the 50s.

Three storyline tracks are available, and guests can book their stay by choosing a Blue, Pink, or Yellow key. If they enjoyed their first visit and would like another, different experience, they can come back and purchase a different color key for a different story track. The result will be an interactive theatre experience that will have audiences navigating through Miami’s rich, multi- layered narrative. Migration, gentrification, segregation, love, and family feuds – audiences will filter through and watch, as they glide from one room to the next (led by actors), until a picture of the city comes into focus.

Miami Motel Stories runs October 26 – November 12 (Thursdays – Sundays) at the Tower Hotel (1450 SW 7th St, Miami) in Little Havana.

Juggerknot Theatre Company was founded in Miami, Florida in 1998. The company helped redefine the burgeoning theatre scene emerging from Miami’s urban core, showcasing and developing works from local and national playwrights. In 2001, Juggerknot began to establish closer ties with writers and directors in New York City, making it a part of their mission to facilitate talent exchange between the two cities. Today, Juggerknot continues to push the boundaries and expectations of its audience by delivering alternative, experimental, and non-traditional theatre works to audiences in Miami and New York City.

Sunday shows are supported by 305 Cafecito. Stay tuned (on the Juggerknot website) for the secret code to get into the Tower speakeasy after the last show featuring live music from Miami’s favorites.