The 28th annual International Hispanic Theatre Festival (IHTF) of Miami, presented by Teatro Avante, the Adrienne Arsht Center and Teatro Prometeo of Miami Dade College, showcases some of the best theater throughout the month of July. The festival takes places in several locations around Miami-Dade County and this year honors Peru’s cultural impact on the arts.

Mario Vargas Llosa.

In addition to Peruvian works, highlights this year include plays from several countries, including Colombia, Spain, Mexico, Brazil and among other nations. This weekend, July 19 – 20 at 8:30 p.m. at Miami Dade College’s Koubek Center Theater, Tribo-Comopanhia de Artes Cencias from Bahia, Brazil will stage “Entre Nos” (Between Us). “Entre Nos,” written and directed by João Sanches, is a comedy that is a play within a play where the actors discuss the plot in which they’re tangled.

Teatro Avante’s “Al Pie Del Tamesis” (On the Banks of the Thames) examines the interplay of fiction and reality in determining destiny. Written by the Peruvian Nobel Prize-winning writer Mario Vargas Llosa and directed by Mario Ernesto Sánchez, the play runs Thursday and Friday, July 25 – 26 at 8:30 p.m. at the Carnival Studio Theater at the Arsht Center.

The IHTF was my favorite event to cover last year because of the quality and depth of the performances. Each performance left me wanting more, and my wish has come true. Don’t miss IHTF. It only runs through July.

For more information on specific performances, visit www.teatroavante.com/english/program.aspx.