Tropical Storm Issac, with its medium rains and so-so winds, nevertheless ruined my plans to see “El juego de Electra/Electra’s Play,” which is part of FUNDarte’s fabulously fun and must-see Absurd Celebration: The First International Festival of Virgilio Piñera’s Theatre. The festival, which opened August 17th, features four extraordinarily intelligent and deliciously absurd plays that will make you laugh out loud. The festival runs through September 22nd at the University of Miami’s Jerry Herman Ring Theatre.

Los Siervos/The Serfs.

Despite the cancellation of “El juego de Electra/Electra’s Play,” I’m excited about the next play in the series: “Los Siervos/The Serfs” by Teatro de la Luna from Cuba. Piñera wrote the play in 1955 “as a mockery of the false ideology of Soviet Communism. It is an anti-bourgeois farce that derides hierarchies, dictatorships, and the many uses and abuses of power that determine human conduct.” So, obviously, “Los Siervos/The Serfs” is going to tear down the political farces that impact and impel us to act out in excruciatingly human ways. It runs August 31–September 2.

Absurd Celebration is more than just a festival of absurd plays. It’s also an exploration into the creative mind of Virgilio Piñera. This week FUNDarte will host a series of discussions and colloquiums at the University of Miami Richter Library (Thursday) and at the University of Miami Wesley Foundation Gallery (Friday and Saturday). The colloquium opens Thursday, August 30th at 6 p.m. with a discussion by Dr. José Quiroga: “Virgilio Unbound: “The Piñera Reality Show.” For more information, download the flyer here.

The colloquim wil continue Friday and Saturday from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. with Piñera experts such as Antón Arrufat, Norge Espinosa, Carlos Espinosa Domínguez, Matías Montes Huidobro and Alan West Durán. This will be held at the University of Miami’s Wesley Gallery. For directions, click here.

And don’t forget to get your tickets for “Los Siervos/The Serfs.”

“Los Siervos/The Serfs” runs August 31–September 2. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. Single tickets are $15-$20; full festival ticket are $60-$75. For tickets and information, call 305-284-3355 or visit www.miami.edu/ring.