The actress and producer from Cuba, Claudia Valdés, announced the 2026 tour of her one-woman play "My Daughter is an Astronaut", which will travel to six cities in the United States between June and August, delivering a message about autism, love, and resilience to stages in Florida, Kentucky, and Texas.
The production, which Valdés describes as “a work that was born to give a voice to autistic families, but ultimately speaks to the heart of anyone who has faced the unexpected,” is the result of a deeply personal process: her daughter Lucía was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the age of two, although the actress noticed the first signs when the child was just a few months old.
In the tour announcement video, Valdés was straightforward about where she places her fears today: "My biggest fear is not autism, not at all. My biggest fear is us, it's society. We do not adapt to finding and understanding people who are different, to things that are different. And we judge a lot."
The tour kicks off with the final performance of June in Miami, scheduled for June 18 at 8:30 PM at the Teatro Trail, where tickets can be purchased at www.teatrotrail.com. The journey continues on July 22 in Louisville, Kentucky, with a performance at 8:00 PM at The Clifton Theater, and on July 26 in Naples, Florida, at 6:00 PM at the Dimension Event Center.
Texas welcomes the performance on two consecutive dates: on July 30 in Houston, at 8:00 PM at the MATCH – Midtown Arts & Theater Center (Room 4), and on July 31 in The Woodlands, at 7:30 PM at Vibrant Church, with doors opening at 7:00 PM.
The confirmed end of the tour is on August 9 in Tampa, at 6:00 PM at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center, with doors opening at 5:00 PM. For all cities except Miami, tickets can be purchased at www.claudiavaldes.net.
The work originates from the eponymous book that Valdés wrote when Lucía was four years old, as a form of personal therapy. The title plays on the phonetic similarity between "autistic" and "astronaut," seemingly aiming to soften the impact of the diagnosis without shying away from the reality of the spectrum; it also encodes a hopeful vision regarding the abilities of autistic individuals. The actress publicly thanked Florida Kids Therapy Medley and Florida Kids Homeschool for supporting her daughter since she was 10 months old.
The visibility work that Valdés does with this production takes on a special dimension when considering the reality of autism in the world. Estimates from the World Health Organization place the prevalence at 62 cases per 10,000 inhabitants. Cuban academic studies report a rate of just 0.4 cases per 10,000 inhabitants, mainly attributed to underdiagnosis, late diagnosis, and a lack of research, which leaves thousands of families on the Island without the institutional support they need.
Valdés, born in Havana in 1988 and based in Miami since 2008, built her career between Cuban cinema —with titles such as "Los dioses rotos" and "La edad de la peseta"— and television in exile. She is the partner of fellow Cuban actor and comedian Alexis Valdés. Both have maintained a critical stance toward the Havana regime.
With this tour, the actress brings her most personal story to the stage, promising that "it will reach you at the moment you need it," along with the announcement that new cities will soon be added to the itinerary.
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