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LAUREN VELEZ Joins the Cast of Second Stage's THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST

Posted by:	Official_Press_Release 07:44 pm EST 01/14/14

LAUREN VÉLEZ JOINS THE COMPANY OF THE HAPPIEST SONGS PLAYS LAST AT SECOND STAGE THEATRE Previews Begin Tuesday, February 11 LAUREN VÉLEZ, best known for her role as Captain Maria LaGuerta on the hit Showtime series, “Dexter,” will play the role of Yaz in the upcoming Second Stage Theatre production of THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegría Hudes and directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Ms. Velez replaces the previously announced Elizabeth Rodriguez. THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST continues Second Stage Theatre’s 35th anniversary season with previews beginning February 11th; opening night is Monday, March 3 at Second Stage Theatre (305 West 43rd street). For subscription or ticket information, please call the Second Stage Box Office at 212-246-4422 or visit the company’s website, www.2ST.com. LAUREN VÉLEZ is best known for playing Captain Maria LaGuerta for seven seasons of Showtime’s Emmy award-winning series, “Dexter” for which she received several awards, including four Alma Award nominations, and one win for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series. With her co-stars, she also received four consecutive nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Prior to joining the cast of “Dexter,” Velez appeared as Dr. Gloria Nathan on HBO’s critically acclaimed show, “Oz,” and as Det. Nina Moreno in the TV series, “New York Undercover.” Her breakout role was in the film, I Like It Like That, which earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Lead Actress. Other career highlights include working with Al Pacino in City Hall and with Meryl Streep in the presentation of the play, Seven for the Women, in the World Conference. Lauren has appeared on stage in the off-Broadway production of Lynn Nottage’s play, Intimate Apparel. LAUREN VÉLEZ joins a company that also includes ANTHONY CHISHOLM (Radio Golf, Jitney), DARIUSH KASHANI (Homebody/Kabul), TONY PLANA (Ugly Betty), ARMANDO RIESCO (2ST’s Water by the Spoonful), and ANNAPURNA SRIRAM (Pericles at Berkeley Rep). Cousins Elliot and Yaz, having long searched for their place in the community, discover the joy in coming home again and the comfort of family, both by blood and by love. While Elliot gets a lucky break in the film business, Yaz takes on the role of familial and neighborhood matriarch, nourishing those who pass through her door. Beating to the sounds of traditional Puerto Rican folk music led by the Grammy-nominated Nelson González, The Happiest Song Plays Last invites you to spend a year with Elliot and Yaz on their journey to peace and purpose in an ever-changing world. THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST will have scenic design by Michael Carnahan, costume design by Karen Perry, lighting design by Rui Rita, and sound design by Leon Rothenberg. The Music Director and composer is Nelson González. The production is sponsored by American Express, with additional generous support from The National Endowment for the Arts. * * * * * * ABOUT SECOND STAGE THEATRE Founded in 1979 under the leadership of Artistic Director Carole Rothman, SECOND STAGE THEATRE produces a diverse range of premieres and new interpretations of America’s best contemporary theatre, including Tiny Alice and Peter and Jerry by Edward Albee; The Good Times Are Killing Me by Lynda Barry; The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane; Little Murders by Jules Feiffer; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin; A Soldier’s Play by Charles Fuller; Afterbirth: Kathy & Mo’s Greatest Hits by Mo Gaffney and Kathy Najimy; Becky Shaw by Gina Gionfriddo; Painting Churches and Coastal Disturbances by Tina Howe; Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants and On the Stem by Ricky Jay; Next to Normal by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey; Living Out by Lisa Loomer; This Is Our Youth and The Waverly Gallery by Kenneth Lonergan; Some Men by Terrence McNally; By the Way, Meet Vera Stark by Lynn Nottage; eurydice by Sarah Ruhl; Everyday Rapture by Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott; Let Me Down Easy by Anna Deavere Smith; Saturday Night by Stephen Sondheim; Crowns by Regina Taylor; Uncommon Women and Others by Wendy Wasserstein; Spoils of War by Michael Weller; Before It Hits Home, Jar the Floor and Birdie Blue by Cheryl L. West; Jitney by August Wilson; Lemon Sky, Serenading Louie and Sympathetic Magic by Lanford Wilson; and Metamorphoses and The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci by Mary Zimmerman. The company’s more than 130 citations include the 2010 Pulitzer prize for Next to Normal, the 2009 Tony Awards for Best Score, Best Orchestrations, and Best Actress in a Musical (Alice Ripley) for Next to Normal, the 2007 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (Julie White, The Little Dog Laughed), 2005 Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical (Rachel Sheinkin, ...Spelling Bee) and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Dan Fogler, ...Spelling Bee), 2002 Tony Award for Best Director of a Play (Mary Zimmerman for Metamorphoses), the 2002 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work, 27 Obie Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards, two Clarence Derwent Awards, 12 Drama Desk Awards, nine Theatre World Awards, 16 Lucille Lortel Awards, the NY Drama Critics Circle Award and 15 AUDELCO Awards. In 1999, Second Stage Theatre opened The Tony Kiser Theatre, its state-of-the-art, 296-seat theatre, designed by renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. In 2002, Second Stage launched “Second Stage Theatre Uptown” series to showcase the work of up and coming artists at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre. The Theatre supports artists through several programs that include residencies, fellowships and commissions, and engages students and community members through education and outreach programs. SECOND STAGE THEATRE AT THE HELEN HAYES Second Stage Theatre has acquired the right to purchase the historic Helen Hayes Theatre, located at 240 W. 44th Street. With this new home, Second Stage will be the only theatre company on Broadway dedicated exclusively to the development and presentation of contemporary American theatrical productions. Second Stage will also become one of only four non-profit theatre companies that own and operate theatres on Broadway. The company will continue to lease and operate their original theatres on the city’s Upper West Side and in Midtown Manhattan. For more information, please visit www.2ST.com
Link	www.2ST.com

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