El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom began during playwright Matt Barbot’s first childhood trip to Puerto Rico, where, to his comic book addled brain, traditional vejigánte carnival masks looked like superheroes’ elaborate costumes. Over the years, these ideas became the story of Alex, an out-of-work comic artist who creates a hero called El Coquí Espectacular, an avatar of all he thinks it means to be Puerto Rican – everything Alex fears he is not. When Alex begins dressing up as El Coquí, he inadvertently drags his brother Joe – an advertising executive – and an aspiring photojournalist named Yesica into the mix.
Produced in collaboration with the Hispanic Federation and directed by Nelson T. Eusebio III, El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom explores a question faced by more and more Americans every day: what does my heritage mean to me?
See Matt talk about his project here.
“I’m deeply honored that the Kevin Spacey Foundation has chosen to recognize a story so close to my heart, and help our team bring it to life with all the color and excitement we imagined. Thank you for allowing us to think big.”