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Celebrated musical ‘In the Heights’ comes to Austin

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Celebrated musical, 'In the Heights' comes to Austin on April 9.
Celebrated musical, ‘In the Heights’ comes to Austin on April 9.

The Tony award winning musical In the Heights will be running from Apr. 9 through Apr. 19 at the B. Iden Payne Theatre. The University of Texas at Austin Theatre and Dance department along with director Jerry Ruiz present this celebrated and critically acclaimed musical.

In 2008, In the Heights won four Tony Awards out of its 13 nominations including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Choreography and Best Orchestrations. Creators Lin- Manuel Miranda (music and lyrics) and Quiara Alegría Hudes (book). The celebrated musical chronicles the spirited Washington Heights community in New York. The score combines colorful Latin pop and hip-hop that brings energy and life to the story about exploration and identity.

Again, performance dates begin April 9 and end April 19 at the B. Iden Payne Theatre located at 300 E. 23 St. Ticket prices range from adults to UT students and staff. Prices begin at $15. Tickets can be purchased online at Texas Performing Arts or through JoinTheDrama.org, most H-E-B stores and all Texas Box Offices. 

Below is a snippet of the play circa 2008.

Zach Theatre to present bilingual play ‘Salt and Pepper (Sal Y Pimienta)’

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salt-and-pepperOn Friday, Sept. 27, Zach Theatre will begin its presentation of bilingual play, Salt and Pepper. The play will launch the new season of its family show series. This year also marks the second year Zach Theatre will be offering bilingual programming for families and schools, including students from low-income schools who will be seeing the play at a reduced price or no price at all.

Written by José Cruz Gonzalez and directed by Jessica Hutchinson, the cast features Michael Quinlara as “Salt,” Abigal Vela as “Pepper,” Ben Bazan as “Andy,” Karen Alvarado as “Hannah,” and Rodney Garza as “Grandpa.”

Official synopsis:

This bilingual play celebrates the bonds of family and friendship. Salt is a boy whose family has a secret—his grandfather cannot read or write. When Salt befriends Pepper, her love of books sparks his interest in the world of words. Then, a mysterious box of postcards sheds light on Salt’s family!

ZACH’s intimate Whisenhunt Stage is located at 1510 Toomey Road. Salt and Pepper is staged in partnership with the University of Texas Department of Theatre and Dance. Performances take place on Saturdays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., with added performance on Sunday, Oct. 20 at 4:30 p.m. To order tickets call 512-476-0541 ext. 1 or visit www.zachtheatre.org. Tickets are $14 for children and $16 for adults. Purchase tickets online here.

Austin Latino Theater Alliance peresents annual play, ‘La Pastorela’

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The Austin Latino Theater Alliance (ALTA) and sponsor “El Taquito Sabor a Mexico” invite everyone to sit and watch their comedic play, enjoy the holiday spirit, and absorb the family filled aura where the community comes together to celebrate. With 14 years of Austin holiday tradition, ALTA presents their annual La Pastorela Christmas play where morals and family values are taught through humor and tradition. The classic La Pastorela brings a “novela” theme to their annual show titled La PastoreNovela.

This year’s play is a Latin “soap opera”comedy with a contemporary feel to the traditional Yuletide play. La PastoreNovela brings the original Yuletide traditions with the shepherd’s journey of evil and unfortunate encounters that keep them from having a peaceful destination. Writer Miguel A. Santana returns with a new witty play La PastoreNovela that focuses about a family who experiences misfortunes, sticky situations, and personality differences that they must overcome together. With the help of eleven actors, Director Alejandro Pedemonte, and writer Miguel A. Santana bring the community of Austin a family filled show. The cast includes well-known actors such as Mario Zamora, Karla Longnion, Diego Villarreal, Anjanette Gautier and Trini Martinez, and up-and-coming actors appearing with ALTA  Mirta Marella, Barbara Mojica, Veronica Pomata, Juan Cuspinera, Monica Fossi and Alfonso Gutierrez. Check out their teaser below.

Shows will begin Nov. 30 and end Dec. 15. Performances will be held only Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. A special and one-time matinee is set on Saturday Dec. 8 at 4 p.m with the original evening showing at 8 p.m. La PastoreNovela production is located at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexico-American Culture Center (MACC), 600 River St. Austin, Tx 78702. Ticket prices for general admission are $18 but for students, seniors, and groups of 10 or more people are $13. Tickets can be purchased through all branches of El Taquito, Sabor Mexico, Eventbrite, or ALTA or at the theater entrance. On Wednesday Dec. 12 ALTA and LupeARTE celebrate the Posada holiday tradition at 6 p.m. at the MACC. La PastoreNovela will start at it’s scheduled time 8 p.m. The ticket for this performance will be a food donation to benefit the Food Bank at El Buen Samaritano.

Austin Latino Theater Alliance presents “CUERDAS” a play by Barbara Colio

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The Austin Latino Theater Alliance kicks off its 2012-2013 season with the presentation of the play Cuerdas (strings) written by Barbara Colio, and directed by Daniela Ruiz. Colio is one of the most celebrated contemporary Mexican playwrights and winner of the 2009 National Bellas Artes in Mexico.

Colio will be talking about her work as a playwright, the impact of Latin American realities in contemporary theater, and her play Cuerdas which will open in the USA for the first time here in Austin at Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (TheMACC) on September 12.

Colio will also be available to the media and the general public for “Habla Teatro,” a special conversation regarding her writing process and perspectives on contemporary Latin American dramaturgy. This special “master class” will be held at the MACC at 4 p.m. For details click here.

Read the official synopsis for Cuerdas below:

Cuerdas (Strings) is the story of a journey into adulthood by three brothers who receive a letter from their father, an internationally renowned wire artist, who is announcing his retirement from the show and invites them to see his last performance. The brothers, played by Alejandro Pedemonte, Chuy Velasquez, and Mario Zamora, reconnect on their journey with the holes left by their childhood, the ties that bind them together, and the imbalances of the daily life which weigh heavily on their experiences. Through humorous and sometimes poignant reminiscences, the brothers realize that this journey, and their individual lives, has become a balancing act of love and resentment.

The MACC is located at 600 River St. Performances will take place in Spanish with English subtitles and will run for 2 hrs with a 15-minute intermission. General Admission $18, Students and seniors $13, groups over 10 people $13. Advance tickets for Cuerdas performances are available here.

Watch the trailer for Cuerdas below.