This holiday season, Hit The Lights! Co. invites you to join ISLA’s Path to a Premiere: The Design Journey; the first chapter of our From Island to Stage fundraising campaign. Your support will help bring our bilingual puppet play with music ISLA to its Off-Broadway premiere at WP Theater in 2026. ISLA has been in development since 2018 and producing this premiere will be our company's biggest undertaking, both financially and logistically. We are looking to cover the gap for some our crucial production needs leading up to the premiere. We’re thrilled to begin this next chapter and hope you’ll join us on the journey.

WP Theater has long championed women and historically marginalized voices in the arts, making it the perfect home for ISLA. With your help, we’ll bring this world to life in full color and ensure its message of inclusion reaches every audience. ISLA will be joining as part of the WP Space Program that provides affordable producing options for smaller companies who might otherwise not be able to produce because of the financial constraints of renting performance space in NYC.

ISLA is a bilingual shadow puppet play with music, created through handmade artistry and collaborative storytelling. The show investigates the harsh realities of political refugees, the love of family, Cuban mythology and the spirit of sisterhood. ISLA is inspired by the family history of Hit The Lights! Company’s Co-Artistic Director Samantha Blain and her mother and aunts' escape from Cuba in 1969 during the Freedom flights. Mixing puppetry, an original live score, recorded audio interviews of the Blain sisters and poetry from Maria De Lourdes Blain reflecting on their time in Cuba, ISLA blends magical realism and documentary theater to explore the experiences of being torn from one’s home and the journey to create another. 

From the flowing fabrics to the tactile set pieces to the expressive hands signing each lyric in ASL, every design choice invites audiences of all backgrounds to feel part of ISLA’s world.

✨ What Your Gift Supports
Thanks to the generosity of the Jim Henson Production Grant and the NYC Women’s Fund, ISLA has already taken inspiring steps toward its premiere. But we still need vital support to bring this story to life in full.

Your gift this season fuels the artistry, materials, and accessibility that will make ISLA an unforgettable experience for every audience member.

Help us craft the colors, textures, and movement that define ISLA’s world. Your gift supports:

      Designer fees for our costume designer and their team
      Fabric and materials that evoke oceanic landscapes and handmade detail
      Construction and fittings for both performers and puppets

Every stitch and texture helps transport audiences to ISLA’s vivid, sensory world.

Support the creation of the landscapes, light, and movement that shape the story. Your contribution ensures the physical world of ISLA feels alive, immersive and fluid.
Your donation helps cover:

      Design and drafting fees for our scenic designer
      Build materials such as wood, fabric, and lighting elements
      Installation costs for an adaptable set for an Off-Broadway environment.

Accessibility is central to ISLA’s mission. We are committed to offering at least three ASL-interpreted performances during our Off-Broadway run. Your support helps fund:

     ASL interpreter fees for both rehearsal and live performances
     Accessibility coordination and training to integrate signing seamlessly into the show’s.     
     Marketing and outreach to ensure Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences can attend

Your gift this holiday season helps transform ISLA from island to stage, funding the essential design and accessibility work that brings this world to life.

Donate today to be part of ISLA’s Path to a Premiere: The Design Journey.

Help us share this story far and wide! Tell your friends, family, and fellow theater lovers about ISLA and our campaign.
Tag @hitthelightsco and Use the hashtag #FromIslandToStage and help us bring this world to life together.