| ¡AMERICANO!, a new musical inspired by the true story of a DREAMer comes to NYC this spring | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 10:58 am EST 02/17/22 | |
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| ¡AMERICANO!, a new musical inspired by the true story of a DREAMer comes to NYC this spring Following an acclaimed and record-setting run at Arizona’s Phoenix Theater Company, ¡Americano!, a new American musical comes to New York this spring in a 12-week limited engagement, March 31 – June 19, at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street.) Opening night is April 21 at 7PM. ¡Americano! features an original score by acclaimed singer-songwriter Carrie Rodriguez ("Lola," named as one of NPR's top 50 albums of the year), a book by Michael Barnard (Producing Artistic Director, Phoenix Theatre Company), Jonathan Rosenberg, and Fernanda Santos (award winning author, The Fire Line: The Story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots), and additional lyrics by Barnard and Rosenberg. Michael Barnard also serves as the director. ¡Americano! was conceived and is presented by Quixote Productions (Jason Rose, Lead Producer) in association with Chicanos Por La Causa (Executive Producer).Tickets are now on sale at Telecharge.com, (212) 239-6200. ¡Americano! is the true story – the life, the challenges, and the trials – of Tony Valdovinos, a DREAMer brought to America by his parents when he was two years old. Inspired by 9/11, on his 18th birthday Tony walked into a Marine Corps recruitment office to enlist, only to discover his parents hadn’t told him he was an undocumented immigrant. But Tony did not give up on his dream to serve the only country he had ever known. Instead, he discovered alternatively powerful ways to serve and inspire by combating voter suppression and galvanizing a community to fight for representation in government. ¡Americano! casts a deeply human light on what it means to be a DREAMer, at a time when America’s ongoing debates over immigration and disenfranchisement continue. ¡Americano! premiered at Arizona’s The Phoenix Theatre Company in 2020. The Arizona Republic wrote “¡Americano! is a groundbreaking musical [that] sends you spiraling out of the theater with hope. A rare musical that can explain the political predicament of DREAMers [with] exquisite music and top-of-the-line dancers.” Arizona Governor Doug Ducey called Americano! “powerful and inspirational,” while former Mayor of Phoenix and Congressman Greg Stanton said “I am so proud of this story and can’t wait for it to help change America. …An inspiring story [with] great music with an important message.” Tony Valdovinos, whose life story serves as the inspiration for ¡Americano!, also serves as a consulting producer. "I knew it was a big opportunity," says Valdovinos. "I was approached by these creative people who wanted to write a story of an immigrant. They had read an article about me. I met with them and I told them my whole life story. Imagine someone calling you out of the blue and then a year or so later, you hear 20 songs involving the most intimate details of your life? Here were these incredible artists investing their best talent in the depiction of some of my most personal challenges. But this journey is worth it to share the story of DREAMers and what their families are going through. And now, to see our story opening in New York, that’s a dream that I had never even considered dreaming. I hope that ¡Americano! will inspire, unite and also put a smile on audiences faces." ¡Americano!, developed in association with Amas Musical Theatre (Donna Trinkoff, Artistic Producer), features choreography by Sergio Mejia; orchestrations & arrangements by Sergio Mendoza (a member of the Grammy Award winning band Calexico); music direction & vocal arrangements by Jonathan Ivie; scenic design by Robert Andrew Kovach; costume design by Adriana Diaz; lighting design by Jamie Roderick; sound design by Kevin Heard ; and hair & make-up design by Krystal Balleza. Two-time Tony Award winning producer Ken Davenport is Executive Consultant. ¡Americano! is co-produced by Sayu Bhojwani, David Tedesco, Lynn Londen, George Weisz and Keith Mishkin. Ryan Duncan-Ayala, Donna Trinkoff, Amas Musical Theatre and Sarah Bentley serve as Associate Producers. General management is by Visceral Entertainment. Advertising and marketing is by The Pekoe Group. Casting is by Michael Cassara, CSA and will be announced in the coming weeks. The original ¡Americano! concept album is available on streaming sites including Amazon Music, Apple Music and Spotify. On the album, nine of the more than 20 songs from the musical are performed by ¡Americano! composer/lyricist Carrie Rodriguez, and the musical's orchestrator & arranger, Sergio Mendoza and his band Orkesta Mendoza. “Tony Valdovinos may not yet be an American citizen, but he is a true American hero,” says Conceiver and Producer Jason Rose, Quixote Productions. “Tony’s passion to make a better America inspires at a moment when tribalism continues to dominate the headlines. Our incredible creative team has seen to it that Tony’s story sings, dances and inspires with an optimism that reflects Tony’s spirit. We could not be more thrilled ot bring ¡Americano! to the New York stage following our record-breaking Phoenix run.This was always our goal since beginning this journey in Spring, 2015. It’s a thrill to be here.” “We are particularly proud to partner with immigrant community leaders and activists, including co-producers Sayu Bhojwani and Chicanos Por La Causa, in presenting ¡Americano!,” Associate Producer Ryan Duncan-Ayala says. “Sayu Bhojwani is truly an inspiration as a first generation immigrant to the U.S., the first Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs of NYC, and founder of South Asian Youth Action and New American Leaders. Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC) is a trusted non-profit organization with a long history of advocating for education equity and political and economic empowerment. Both Sayu Bhojwani and CPLC are beacons for today’s American immigrant community, and we are honored to collaborate with them in bringing Tony’s story to light.” Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC), a social justice organization founded in 1969 to confront the oppression facing Latinos as part of the civil rights movement led by Cesar Chavez. ¡Americano! is an extension of CPLC's mission of empowered lives. CPLC became the show’s leading investor based on a strategic decision to bring the story of Dreamers to new audiences and encourage them to take action to bring about long-overdue policy change. LISTINGS INFORMATION: ¡Americano! will play 12-week engagement, March 31 – June 19, at New World Stages, Stage 3 (340 West 50th Street.) Opening night is April 21 at 7PM. Performances are Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday at 7PM, Friday and Saturday at 8PM, with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2PM. Tickets are $49 - $99. Premium seating is available. Tickets are now on sale at Telecharge.com, (212) 239-6200. For further information visit AmericanoTheMusical.com. ABOUT THE ARTISTS TONY VALDOVINOS (Consulting Producer) ¡Americano! is the true and inspiring life story of Tony Valdovinos. ¡Americano! is based on Tony’s life and the challenges, perils — and promise — faced by DREAMers. Tony wanted to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps on his 18th birthday after 9/11 to serve the country he loves only to learn of his undocumented immigration status. Valdovinos is a graduate of Camelback High School. Tony was brought to the U.S. from Mexico when he was two years old. Like other DREAMers, Valdovinos grew up American and did not know of his undocumented status. ¡Americano! chronicles his emotional journey and uncertain status in the country he loves. ¡Americano! also shows how Tony and other DREAMers serve their country in other compelling and inspirational ways. CARRIE RODRIGUEZ (Music & Lyrics), a singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas, finds beauty in the cross-pollination of diverse traditions. A passionate performer, she melds fiery fiddle playing, electrifying vocals and a fresh interpretation of new and classic songs with an “Ameri-Chicana” attitude. Her most recent release, the critically-acclaimed bilingual album, Lola, was named as one of NPR’s top 50 albums of the year. Carrie has performed on stages across North America and Europe for the last decade, as well as on programs such as Austin City Limits, The Tonight Show, A Prairie Home Companion, and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts. In the words of author Brené Brown, “She’s the trifecta for me – beautiful singer, soulful songwriter, and kick-ass fiddler.” MICHAEL BARNARD ( Book, Additional Lyrics and Director) is currently entering his 20th season as The Phoenix Theatre Company’s Producing Artistic Director. Barnard is also the head of The Phoenix Theatre Company’s New Works Incubator, which assists in the development of new plays and musicals. He is the co-author and director of ¡Americano! after recently directing West Side Storyand Cookin’s a Drag for The Phoenix Theatre Company. Barnard, who has a master’s degree in theatre from Northwestern University and a fine arts degree from Arizona State University, was a senior show director for The Walt Disney Company. Barnard’s nine-year tenure with Disney included producing stage productions of Pocahontas and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Barnard has directed more than 560 productions and more than 1,000 special events. He has directed and choreographed for Disneyland, Universal, Osaka Japan, Donny and Marie Xmas Show, 100th Anniversary of the Calgary Stampede, National Tour of Veggie Tales, Childsplay, San Jose Rep, PCPA, Santa Barbra CLO, Arkansas Repertory, Phoenix Theatre Company and many more. He received National Arts and Letters Award for outstanding contribution to the field of Musical Theatre in 2011 and was named Artist of the Year by the Governor’s Art Awards in 2008. He has honored with the Leadership in Arts Award from the YWCA, the Arts Leader Award from the Phoenix Boys Choir and in 2018 won the Ellis Island Medal of Honor award for his commitments to tolerance and diversity. JONATHAN ROSENBERG ( Book & Additional Lyrics) For over four decades, Jonathan Rosenberg was an educator and administrator involved with Special Needs children. In addition to having his Masters degree in Special Education and Doctorate in Psychology, Jonathan has been a radio personality, arts reporter and lead singer/songwriter in San Diego rock bands. His most recent musical, the critically acclaimed 33 1/3 – House of Dreams, broke attendance and box office records at the San Diego Repertory Theater in August, 2019. FERNANDA SANTOS ( Book) is an award-winning author and journalist with a long reporting career, including 12 years at The New York Times. An immigrant from Brazil, Santos has reported in three languages (Spanish, Portuguese and English) on immigration, the U.S.-Mexico border, race relations, public policy and criminal justice, among other topics. Her first book “The Fire Line: The Story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots,” won the Western Writers of America 2017 Spur Award for Best First Nonfiction Book and was one of two finalists in the Contemporary Nonfiction category. She is a professor of practice at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, a contributing columnist for The Washington Post, a board member of the Arizona Latino Media Association and vice president of The Sauce Foundation, which raises money for journalism scholarships and pancreatic cancer research. SERGIO MEJIA ( Choreographer) Sergio Mejia has served as a choreographer and creative director for events around the world. He has been a choreographer for Christina Aguilera, Leann Rimes as well as for productions for the Walt Disney Company, MTV, Nickelodeon, the NCAA, Clear Channel and Universal Studios Japan. He has also been the choreographer for Disney Channel’s Spanish-language productions Violetta and Soy Luna . SERGIO MENDOZA ( Orchestrator & Arranger) is a singer, guitarist and Latin music pioneer. Mendoza was born in the Arizona border town of Nogales. He is the founder of Orkesta Mendoza, a band in Tucson that melds Indie Rock with Latin music. Mendoza’s musical influences come from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. JONATHAN IVIE (Music Direction / Vocal Arrangements). Born in Seattle, raised in Phoenix, 'Jivie' is a Basset hound dad. Based in downtown Brooklyn, he practices inclusion as a vocal coach, bandleader, arranger, and pianist. IU Hoosier alumnus ('99), initially thought this was a musical about coffee. off-Broadway debut. "Familia, got you surrounded, keepin' you grounded / Familia, count on us always, you're never alone". JASON ROSE ( Producer) is one of the driving creative and motivational forces behind making ¡Americano! and the true story of an Arizona DREAMer a reality. Rose is the president of Rose + Allyn Public & Online Relations. Rose and his firm are recognized as one of the most creative and cutting-edge public relations and public affairs firms in the Southwest. Rose is also the creator of the Bentley Scottsdale Polo Championships. The Scottsdale event is now the most attended polo event in North America. For more than 53 years, CHICANOS POR LA CAUSA [CPLC] (Executive Producer) has been a trusted source of programs, representation, and information for the community. Today, CPLC drives economic and political empowerment through education, housing, healthcare, economic opportunity, and advocacy with operations in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and California. CPLC’s investment in “¡Americano!” is an extension of its mission for empowered lives. Equally important in 2022 for the Dreamers’ journey to justice is Arizona’s November vote to re-establish in-state tuition for Dreamers such as Valdovinos. CPLC is supporting passage of the ballot measure. In fact, over the years CPLC has advocated in the boardrooms, courtrooms, public forums, newsrooms, and alongside local and national strategic partners to seek a legislative solution for Dreamers. Dreamers represent our future workforce and our future leadership. CPLC.org PHOENIX THEATRE COMPANY ( Producer, World Premiere Production) is the largest regional theater production company in the Valley with close to 500 performances on multiple stages. Phoenix Theatre Company entertains and inspires more than 100,000 theater and performing arts fans each year. The Phoenix Theatre Company was originally founded in 1920 as the Phoenix Players. The oldest art organization in Arizona and one of the oldest arts organizations in the country, Phoenix Theatre Company is forged with the mission of creating theatrical experiences that use the arts to inspire hope and understanding. The Company believes the arts are an essential vehicle to fostering the ‘hero within’ and cultivating greater understanding of our cultural and political differences. The arts are where anyone can go (the popular, the geeks, the affluent, the broken down) and be welcomed and learn empathy and what it is like to walk in another’s shoes. KEN DAVENPORT (Executive Consultant) is a two-time Tony Award winning producer and writer. Davenport is the founder of Davenport Theatrical Enterprises (DTE). He has created and produced numerous shows the past 15 years. Davenport has produced more than a dozen Broadway shoes including the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Kinky Boots, the first Broadway revival of Godspell, Altar Boyz, Macbeth, Once on This Island and Deaf West Theatre’s Spring Awakening. |
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