a puerto rican landscape inside el choliseo
Inside San Juan’s Coliseo de Puerto Rico, José Miguel Agrelot’s No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí residency by Bad Bunny transforms the arena into a landscape of mountain trails, weathered concrete, sycamore leaves and the familiar roof of a Puerto Rican house. Designed by STURDY. with Adrian Martinez in collaboration with Bad Bunny, the production he builds his atmosphere through place before scale, as the island’s architecture and terrain take center stage.
The residency, which ran for thirty nights in 2025 with early bird tickets reserved for residents of Puerto Rico, was a major cultural event for San Juan. His direction gave that greatest moment a natural language. A tent mimicking a mountain faced a smaller la casita-shaped B-tent, so the arena becomes a cross-section of Puerto Rican memory, from the countryside to the front yard.
images © STURDY.
la casita as a second stage
At the heart of Bad Bunny’s show is la casita, a typical Puerto Rican one-story house that serves as a second stage and entry point. Scenography studio STRONG. it forms a pink facade, rattan patio furniture, flat gray roof and air conditioning condenser, leaning into details that many members of the audience could recognize at once. Production designer Mayna Magruder worked with art director Natalia Rosa on the house, which was modeled after a real house in Humacao associated with the film Debí Tirar Más Fotos.
The house carries the feeling of dwelling because it seems built from memory instead of arena logic. Bad Bunny and guest performers roam the courtyard and rooftop, while select fans and celebrities take over the terrace during the show. From the upper seats, the roof becomes the strongest image, with a deliberately weathered surface that looks like something seen from across the street or from a family balcony.
the arena becomes an atmospheric landscape of mountain paths
a mountain built for music
Throughout the space, the center stage rises as a mountain inspired by the Puerto Rican countryside, with references to the Cordillera Central and the mountainside town of Adjuntas. Production designer Mónica Monserrate developed the first concept drawings, while architect Gabriela Escalera translated the concept into a buildable structure with scaffolding, access points, lights and stage traffic. The form avoids symmetry, giving each side its own paths and vegetation.
The mountain is full of picturesque details. A plane tree farm is on one side, a flamboyant tree on the other, and a small cave appears near the top. A thirty-foot billboard-style mesh LED screen is being processed on stage, which is used for events from Puerto Rico before the show and live graphics once the show starts. The artificial plants were individually handled to feel real, while the dry plantain leaves included natural material treated for safety throughout the residence.
a typical one-story Puerto Rican house “la casita” serves as a second stage
light, sound and atmosphere
STURDY’s complete production design. it extends beyond the set, into the lighting and original visual content, so the show reads as a continuous environment rather than a stage with decoration added around it. The lighting moves through wet washes, warm backlighting and slow tonal shifts, letting the house and mountain change mood throughout the night. Screens support the architecture rather than taking over the room.
The fixed residency format gave the group decision-making leeway that a touring show could rarely convey. The raised screen, hidden sound development and dense graphic construction were possible because the production remained in one space.
plantain leaves, a flamboyant tree and rocky paths give the show its vernacular
