Lumbrada

When Lalo invites his friends into the deep dark woods for a camping trip, he quickly realizes that they all might be a little out of their element. The campground is expansive, the woods are dense, and the nights are unforgiving. In most cases, nature can provide a serene escape away from outside pressures. Instead, this new environment becomes the perfect storm for revealing hidden truths and secret rivalries. Trying to regain control of the situation, Lalo proposes an activity to keep everyone entertained for the remainder of the evening: a scary story competition.

One by one, the friends take turns recounting stories from their pasts, most of them stories they’d never even spoken aloud, let alone shared with each other. Lalo starts the first round by telling his friends about the time he was stung by a scorpion in El Paso. His story is followed up by Xavier, who shares about his supernatural encounter with a nagual; the nagual isn’t even the most horrifying part of the tale. In a moment of vulnerability, Gabby opens up about her experiences with the paranormal after the loss of a loved one. Her ghost story teaches her friends what it means to grieve and the fear of being forgotten. Upholding their guarded exterior, Eli shares a story from Mexico when they came face-to-face with lechuzas. The latest addition to the group is also the last to share her story. Monse uses this moment to craft a scare aided by a secret weapon, the haunted doll she’s been carrying in her backpack.

Monse’s haunted doll story reveals a lot more about the secret nature of this trip and the horrors of the woods that surround them. The haunted doll and Lalo disappear into the woods, and it’s up to his friends to find him. They use clues from his stories to lead them to his whereabouts. It’s not long before the lingering fears that have followed them since the moment they arrived start to materialize. To survive the night, they must not only find their friend but also confront their innermost fears.

Genre of Performance: Theater

Genres of Horror: Coming of Age, Comedy

Ratings:

Strong Language 2

Blood 1

Suggested Age 13+

Warnings: Loud Animal Noises, Religious Trauma, Drug Use, Death, Grief, Animal Cruelty