Broadway Class Will Be in Session for John Leguizamo's LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS This Fall

Emmy winner John Leguizamo (Ghetto Klown) will make his highly-anticipated return to Broadway this fall in his original one-man comedic play LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS, direct from his acclaimed engagements at The Public Theater and Berkeley Repertory Theater, producers Nelle Nugent and Kenneth Teaton announced today.

Beginning performances on Thursday, October 19, 2017 with an official opening on Wednesday, November 15, 2017, the production will play a strictly limited engagement through Sunday, February 4, 2018 at Broadway's Studio 54 (254 West 54th Street).

Directed by Tony Taccone (Wishful Drinking, Bridge & Tunnel), LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS is written and performed by Leguizamo, featuring scenic design by Rachel Hauck, lighting design by Alexander V. Nichols, and original music and sound design by Bray Poor.

In LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS John Leguizamo schools his son-and the rest of us-on the buried and forgotten history of Latinos in the Americas in this outrageously funny, satirical one-man play about uncovering the truth, and recovering from the past.

Inspired by the near total absence of Latinos in his son's American history class, Leguizamo embarks on a frenzied search to find a Latin hero for his son's school project. From a mad recap of the Aztec empire to stories of unknown Latin patriots of the Revolutionary War and beyond, Leguizamo breaks down the 3,000 years between the Mayans and Ricky Ricardo into 95 irreverent and uncensored minutes in his trademark style.

LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS marks Leguizamo's sixth one-man venture onto the stage, following success on Broadway with Ghetto Klown (Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award), Freak (Drama Desk Award) and Off-Broadway with Mambo Mouth (Obie Award), Spic-O-Rama (Drama Desk Award) and Sexaholix...A Love Story. Mambo Mouth, Spic-O-Rama, Freak and Ghetto Klown all went on to be filmed for presentation on HBO.

LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS "slyly poses sharp and timely questions of what culturally defines American identity," says Ben Brantley of The New York Times. "A veteran of the one-man show," as awarded by WNYC's Audie Cornish, Leguizamo's latest play has been celebrated by audiences and peers alike. In a story for Vanity Fair, Lin-Manuel Miranda penned a tribute to Leguizamo, an icon he revered from a young age, whom he credits for opening the door for fellow Latino artists.

"John Leguizamo is a brilliant actor, a comic genius, and an artist of astonishing integrity and insight," said Public Theater Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis. "In these troubled times, his voice is a joyous reminder of what is best in America. LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS is spectacular entertainment, but it is also the cure for what ails us. The Public is thrilled to be partnering with Nelle Nugent and Kenneth Teaton to bring this show to Broadway."

LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS is produced by Nelle Nugent, Kenneth Teaton, The Public Theater and Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Although playing at Studio 54, LATIN HISTORY FOR MORONS is not a Roundabout Theatre Company production.

101 Productions, Ltd. will serve as General Manager.

Emmy Award winner John Leguizamo, has appeared in over 100 films and countless television shows while establishing a career that defies categorization. With boundless and visceral creativity, his work in film, theatre, television, and literature covers a variety of genres, continually threatening to create a few of its own. Most recently, Leguizamo was seen in the third and final season of Bloodline where he reprised his role as Ozzy Delvecchio. He was also seen in Latin History for Morons at New York's Public Theater, his one-man show where he delivered his take on 500 years of Latin History spanning the Aztec and Incan Empries, to World War II.

Upcoming projects include The Adventures of Drunky, set for release this year; ABC's TV movie drama Salamander; Nancy, opposite Andrea Riseborough, Steve Buscemi and Ann Dowd; and Waco, a six-part event series set to release in 2018. John Garnered a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as a sensitive drag queen in To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar, was the recipient of the 2002 ALMA Special Achievment Award for Entertainer of the Year, and picked up ALMA Award nominations for his roles in Moulin Rouge (Best Supporting Actor) and King of the Jungle (Best Lead Actor).

Other film credits for him include ; John Wick: Chapter 2; The Hollow Point; The Infiltrator; Ice Age: Collision Course; The Crash; 11:55; Porzingod; Stealing Cars; Sisters; Meadowland; Experimenter; American Ultra; Cymbeline; Fugly; John Wick; Chef; Ride Along; Underdogs; Walking with Dinosaurs 3D; The Counsellor; Kick-Ass-2; Fish N Chips: The Movie; Inocente; The Trip 2; Ice Age: Continental Drift; One for the Money; The Lincoln Lawyer; Vanishing on 7th Street; Big Balls; Repo Men; The Ministers; Rage; Gamer; Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs; Nothing Like the Holidays; Miracle at St. Anna; Righteous Kill; The Happening; The Babysitters; The Take; Ice Age: The Meltdown; Land of the Dead; The Honeymooners; Zig Zag; Ice Age; Collatoral Damage; Doctor Dolittle; Romeo + Juliet; The Fan; A Pyromaniac's Love Story; Super Mario Bros.; Night Owl; Poison; Die Hard 2; and Casualties of War. Leguizamo's TV work also includes The Kill Point; ER; My Name is Ear; The Brothers Garcia; House of Buggin'; and Miami Vice.

In 1991, Leguizamo created his first off-Broadway sensation as the writer and performer of his one-man show Mambo Mouth, in which he portrayed seven different characters. He received Obie, Outer Critics Circle and Vanguardia awards for this specific performance. Leguizamo went on to create his second off-Broadway one-man show Spic-O-Rama, which garnered a Dramatists' Guild Hull-Warriner Award for Best American Play, the Lucille Lortel Outstanding Achievement Award for Best Broadway Performance, the Theatre World Award for Outstanding New Talent, and the Drama Desk Award for Best Solo Performance. Leguizamo's debut to Broadway was his one-man show, Freak, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Play and Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play. Additional theater credits include, Sexaholix... A Love Story, which received a Tony nomination for Best Special Theatrical Performance; A Midsummer Night's Dream, La Puta Vida Trilogy; and American Buffalo.

John went on to film special presentations for HBO for his one-man shows including Mambo Mouth; Spic-O-Rama; Freak, for which he won a Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Music Program; Sexaholix... A Love Story; and Ghetto Klown. Leguizamo lengthened his lists of credits with his first literary project in 2006 with his memoir, Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas and All the Rest of My Hollywood Friends: My Life. He also released Ghetto Klown, the graphic novel adaptation of his 2011 Drama Desk award winning one-man Broadway show in 2015. Leguizamo currently resides in New York City with his wife and two children.

Tony Taccone (Director) is celebrating his 20th anniversary season. During Tony's tenure as artistic director of Berkeley Rep, the Tony Award-winning nonprofit has earned a reputation as an international leader in innovative theatre. In those 20 years, Berkeley Rep has presented more than 70 world, American, and West Coast premieres and sent 23 shows to New York, two to London, and one to Hong Kong. Tony has staged more than 40 plays in Berkeley, including new work from Julia Cho, John Leguizamo, Culture Clash, Rinde Eckert, David Edgar, Danny Hoch, Geoff Hoyle, Itamar Moses, and Lemony Snicket. He directed the shows that transferred to London, Continental Divide and Tiny Kushner, and two that landed on Broadway as well: Bridge & Tunnel and Wishful Drinking. Prior to working at Berkeley Rep, Tony served as artistic director of Eureka Theatre, which produced the American premieres of plays by Dario Fo, Caryl Churchill, and David Edgar before focusing on a new generation of American writers. While at the Eureka, Tony commissioned Tony Kushner's legendary Angels in America and co-directed its world premiere. He has collaborated with Kushner on eight plays at Berkeley Rep, including The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures. Tony's regional credits include Actors Theatre of Louisville, Arena Stage, Center Theatre Group, the Eureka Theatre, the Guthrie Theater, the Huntington Theatre Company, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Public Theater, and Seattle Repertory Theatre. As a playwright, he debuted Ghost Light, Rita Moreno: Life WithoutMakeup, and Game On, written with Dan Hoyle. In 2012, Tony received the Margo Jones Award for "demonstrating a significant impact, understanding, and affirmation of playwriting, with a commitment to the Living Theatre."

Nelle Nugent (Producer) has produced over sixty production on Broadway, touring, Off-Broadway and in the West End including The Trip to Bountiful (revival), Dracula, The Elephant Man, Morning's at Seven, Mass Appeal, Amadeus, Nicholas Nickleby, Sly Fox (revival), American Buffalo (revival), Little House on the Prairie, Time Stands Still, Ghetto Klown, Love Letters and Stick Fly. She is also currently producing the first revival of M. Butterfly, starring Clive Owen and directed by Julie Taymor, scheduled to open on October 26th at the Cort Theatre. Professional awards include five Tony Awards, two Obie Awards, two NY Drama Critics Awards and numerous film and TV awards.

Kenneth Teaton (Producer) Productions include: M. Butterfly, Love Letters, The Trip to Bountiful (Tony nomination), Stick Fly, Time Stands Still (Tony nomination),Little House on the Prairie (national tour), American Buffalo (Broadway), A Mother, a Daughter and a Gun (Off-Broadway), Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (West End). He serves on the Amas Musical Theatre board and the Producers Guild of America East advisory board. Long-standing member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

PUBLIC THEATER (Producer) The world-renowned Public Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, is the only theater in New York that produces Shakespeare, the classics, musicals, contemporary and experimental pieces in equal measure. This fall begins The Public's Astor Anniversary Season celebrating 50 years of new work at 425 Lafayette Street and the 50thAnniversary of HAIR which opened the landmark theater in October 1967. The Public continues the work of its visionary founder, Joe Papp, by acting as an advocate for the theater as an essential cultural force, and by leading and framing dialogue on some of the most important issues of our day. Creating theater for one of the largest and most diverse audience bases in New York City for nearly 60 years, today the Company engages audiences in a variety of venues-including its landmark downtown home at Astor Place, which houses five theaters and Joe's Pub; the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, home to Free Shakespeare in the Park; and the Mobile Unit, which tours productions for underserved audiences throughout New York City's five boroughs. The Public's wide range of programming includes Free Shakespeare in the Park, the bedrock of the Company's dedication to making theater accessible to all; Public Works, an expanding initiative that is designed to cultivate new connections and new models of engagement with artists, audiences and the community each year; the Under the Radar Festival, a yearly festival celebrating diverse and cutting-edge performance from the U.S. and abroad; and audience and artist development initiatives that range from the Emerging Writers Group to the Public Forum series. The Public's work is also seen on tour throughout the U.S. and internationally and in collaborations and co-productions with regional and international theaters. The Public is located on property owned by the City of New York and receives annual support from The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. The Public is currently represented on Broadway by the Tony Award-winning acclaimed American musical Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The Public has received 59 Tony Awards, 169 Obie Awards, 53 Drama Desk Awards, 54 Lortel Awards, 32 Outer Critics Circle Awards, 13 New York Drama Critics Awards, and six Pulitzer Prizes.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre (Producer) Berkeley Repertory Theatre has grown from a storefront stage to a national leader in innovative theatre. Known for its core values of imagination and excellence, as well as its educated and adventurous audience, the nonprofit has provided a welcoming home for emerging and established artists since 1968. With two stages, a school, and a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, Berkeley Rep is proud to premiere exhilarating new plays. Nine shows seen at Berkeley Rep have ended up on Broadway. More than 12 arrived off Broadway, two moved to London, two turned into films, and others have toured the nation. Come see tomorrow's plays today at Berkeley Rep.