Cast Set for TRU Voices New Musicals Reading Series Presentation Of AMÉRICA TROPICAL

Theater Resources Unlimited is bringing back the TRU Voices New Musical Reading Series with a presentation of América Tropical produced by Prince fellowship recipient Jamila Ponton Bragg. The reading will be followed by TRU's renowned “Dollar and Sense” Talkback featuring a powerhouse lineup of commercial Broadway and indie producers: Michael Alden, R.K. Greene, Christopher Michaels, Blair Russell (who teaches the TRU producer development program), Janel Scarborough and Ken Waissman. It will take place on Sunday, February 2, 2025 at 4pm livestreaming via StreamingMusicals.com, and presented in partnership with Create Theater with the generous support of the Leibowitz/Greenway Family Foundation. The reading is $10 (with hopes of some additional donations to assure the future of the series); to reserve the show and the talkback the price is $12. Reserve your ticket and receive a link for the livestream event at https://truonline.org/events/america-tropical/.

América Tropical is the universal story of a family fighting to stay together against forces intent on tearing them apart. Rita Rey, a young Mexican American, must save her family from Repatriation, the Depression-era policy where US citizens of Mexican ancestry were deported. Based on real people and events, our heroine uses her wits to outsmart a corrupt cop to get her family back. The show's title comes from a controversial mural created by Rita's love interest, David Siqueiros, the famous Mexican artist and communist revolutionary. And the show's relevance for today could not be more urgent. América Tropical is directed by Jason Aguirre with book by Joel S. Bailey and Gina Gallego, lyrics by Joel S. Bailey, music by Jan Roper.

The performance will be followed by TRU's renowned "Dollars and Sense" industry talkback. Featuring Michael Alden producer (Come from Away, Grey Gardens, Not That Jewish, Becoming Dr. Ruth, The King's Speech on stage, Disgraced, special Tony for Sarah Jones' Bridge & Tunnel); R.K. Greene, producer (Harmony, Peter and the Starcatcher, The Lightning Thief tour, Farinelli and the King, A Time to Kill, Cougar: The Musical, Room Service; upcoming: Beau the Musical); Christopher Michaels, founder/producing artistic director IndieWorks Theatre Company; Blair Russell, producer & developer, from fringe festivals to Broadway (current: Still with Melissa Gilbert; also Slave Play, Lizard Boy, Sweeney Todd off-Broadway); Janel C. Scarborough, producer/creative investor (Single Black Female, Thoughts of a Colored Man, Tony nominated revival for colored girls...), co-founder TRU Diversity; Ken Waissman (developed and produced the original Broadway productions of Grease, Torch Song Trilogy, Agnes of God, Over Here!, And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little; upcoming: Josephine, a new musical about Josephine Baker).

Jamila Ponton Bragg (Producer) Jamila Ponton Bragg is the founder of JamRock Productions LLC, a theater production company committed to works for women, about women and by women. After nearly twenty years in the nonprofit industry, Ms. Bragg transitioned to theater production. JamRock Productions current projects include developing the Jean Genet play The Blacks for Broadway in 2025 and producing playwright a.k. payne's 2024 Susan Smith Blackburn prize winning AWETHU. JamRock is also working with the Ntozake Shange Literary Trust to stage a production of Betsey Brown (1985), a semi-autobiographical book about Ms. Shange's time with her family as a thirteen-year-old in St. Louis in 1955. JamRock Productions co-producer credits include Passover (2021), Death of a Salesman (2022), Tony Nominated Best Play Fat Ham (2023), The Wiz (2024), Gypsy (2024) and Soul Train (2025). Jamila Ponton Bragg also serves as the Managing Member of the Broadway Women's Fund. The BWF mission is to champion gender equality on Broadway by partnering with industry leaders and investing in projects led by women and those identifying as women, aiming to achieve meaningful social impact and favorable returns.

Joel S. Bailey (book & lyrics) is a seasoned writer, producer, actor, and director. His first musical, Photo Finish(Jan Roper music, Eve Weston lyrics), was produced by Studio C Artists (Hollywood). New York Society for the Suppression of Vice (music Jake Anthony, lyrics Patricia Zehentmayr), was selected for a concert reading at New Musicals Inc, as was his musical, Big Noise(composer Ron Barnett). América Tropical, the musical, was a semi-finalist at the O'Neil Theatre Center's NAMT Conference, the winner of the Raise Your Voice new works competition for inclusion and diversity (selected by McCoy Rigby Entertainment) and was featured in Musical Theatre West's New Works New Voices Festival (2022), along with the Latiné Musical Theatre Lab Table Read Series for 2023. Joel's play, Rolling with the Punches, was selected as Theater Resources Unlimited's TRU Voices New Musicals Reading Series fully produced filmed reading for 2024. His writing and producing credits for TV include approximately 200 hours of programming for ABC, NBC4, Viacom, Comedy Central, Sci-Fi Channel, PBS, among others. He is a longtime member of New Musicals Inc, Lifetime Member of The Actors Studio, the Writers Guild of America, SAG-AFTRA, a graduate of Florida State University, and is married to actor Gina Gallego, co-book writer of América Tropical. TV/film credits: IMDb > Joel Bailey (I).T

Gina Gallego (co-book writer), is a second-generation Angeleno and has appeared in over 100 feature films and television shows, most recently as Mrs. Hernandez on the CW Channel's groundbreaking musical comedy, Crazy Ex Girlfriend. She is co-book writer of América Tropical, a semi-finalist at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, and selected for Musical Theatre West's New Works New Voices festival. América Tropical won the Raise Your Voice new works competition sponsored by Inclusion Media Group and awarded a concert reading by McCoy Rigby Entertainment. Her musical was selected as a feature show by the Latiné Musical Theatre Lab's Table Read Series (2023), supported by the Miranda Family Fund. Gina has been honored with the Golden Eagle Award from Nosotros' founded by Hollywood legend Ricardo Montalbán. IMDb > Gina Gallego (I)

Jan Roper (composer, music director) A native Southern Californian, Jan worked as a singer and keyboardist in the pop music industry for many years before diving into the theater. One of her original shows, The Path to Catherine, about the teenage Catherine the Great, had a 6-week run at The Brick House Theatre in North Hollywood in 2022. This year, Center Stage Records will be releasing the concept album for this show. Jan's immersive musical, Jerusalem A.D. was picked up by CMIShows to be licensed this year. Another original musical, City of Light, was chosen for the ASCAP Stephen Schwartz workshop (2016) and the sheNYC Festival (2017), winning Best Score. City of Light was featured as a “new work to watch” at Feinstein's/54 Below in NYC after a sold-out concert reading in 2018 and a featured new work in the March 2019 release of The Micro-Musical Podcast. In 2020 Jan had a featured song in the new world premiere, Girlhood, produced by CPA Theatricals. Jan won the L.A. Scenie Award for Musical Director of the Year for her cumulative work in 2019-2020 and 2022-2023. In 2024 she was nominated for Best Musical Direction by the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle. Jan is very grateful to TRU for giving América Tropical some New York exposure. ¡La vida! www.janroper.com

Cast

Ashley Adler was born and raised in Encino, but spent her formative years pounding the pavement of New York City. She's an award-winning, classically trained singer of many styles (and many languages), actress and voice over artist. Her voice can be heard in over 75 TV & radio commercials, as well as animation, promos, videogames, toys, jingles, radio plays, audiobooks, documentaries, dubbing and even on rides inside Disneyland! She is also one of the most famous people you've never heard of, doing voice matching/soundalikes for over 25 different celebrities in doing ADR in feature films, videogames, toys and rides. She can be heard singing in cabarets, musicals, commercials, soundtracks, and as a background singer. Ashley also sings with different bands around LA. She was lead singer of the Klezmer band, Mostly Kosher, at Disney California Adventure, (the first Jewish music group to ever play in a Disney park.) With MK, she sang in Yiddish, Hebrew and Ladino. She can also be heard singing around LA with the gospel/blues/soul group, the acclaimed Eagle Rock Gospel Singers and Tom Kenny and the Hi Seas. She's also a regular performer/soloist for Cafe Europa- a social club for Holocaust survivors living in Los Angeles. https://www.ashleyadler.com/

Devin Cortez Originally from Southern California! Off-Broadway: Empire (New World Stages), ¡Americano! (New World Stages), New York: Legacy (Hudson Theater Broadway), Vicky and Frank, ¡Americano! (Amas), Pippin (Symphony Space) Select Regional: Beauty and the Beast(MUNY), West Side Story (MUNY), Hair, (Two River Theater/Old Globe), Evita (Bucks County Playhouse), Title of Show (Playhouse Stage), On Your Feet! (Moonlight Amphitheater), Cabaret (Edinburgh Fringe) Select TV/Film: I Love You, Man (Paramount), Cougartown (ABC). BFA Emerson College. @devin.cortez 

Carlos L. Encinias - Carlos is originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico and has been a proud New Yorker since 2000. His career as an actor on Broadway spans more than two decades and most recently includes How to Dance in Ohio as Kurt/Rick, understudying Dr. Amigo. Other Broadway credits include Les Miserables, Mamma Mia!, Good Vibrations and Scandalous starring Carolee Carmello, plus a run in the hit Off-Broadway production of Altar Boyz. Carlos is a passionate educator and teaches Theatre and dance at the Professional Performing Arts High School in Manhattan, Take It From the Top and for the Dreamyard Project. As a director, he's worked at Pittsburg CLO, North Carolina Theatre, The Gateway and Adirondack Theatre Festival.  

Howard Hoffman, a native New Yorker, spent the first half of his adult life as a radio air personality in more cities than he wanted: New York (WABC, WPIX, HOT 97), San Francisco, Houston, Chicago – throw a dart at a map, he's been there. Act 2 saw him transition to voice acting in animation and commercials, narration, radio imaging – and is currently the creative director, host and content creator for iHeartRadio Broadway.

Caye Navarrete is an actor, singer, and dancer born and raised in the Bronx. They graduated from Temple University with a B.F.A. in Musical Theater and went on to play Natalie Haller in RCT Legacy Company's production of All Shook Up, as well as work to develop new experimental works alongside the Trans Entertainment Guild (My Own Worst Enemy and Third Sex) They recently made their Green Room 42 debut in The Songs of Selda and Derek and is so excited to be a part of AMÉRICA Tropical. They want to take a second to say a big thank you to the family and friends who have always supported her in this wild endeavor. 

April Ortiz - Broadway & National Tours: In the Heights, Cats, La Cage Aux Folles. Off Broadway:  Empire the Musical, Tio Pepe/Somewhere, The View Upstairs. Regional Theater: Between 2 Knees (OSF),  Distant Thunder, In The Heights (TUTS and PCLO), Sunsets and Margaritas, Barrio Babies (DCPA), Medea/Macbeth/Cinderella (ALE REP). Film & TV: Father of the Bride I&II, The Majestic, Uncoupled, Fosse/Verdon, The Golden Girls, Elementary, Instinct, Everybody Loves Raymond, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Coach, Empty Nest, Mad About You.

Monika Peña is a SoCal raised performer with a degree in Zoology. Regional credits; American Idiot (CTG/Deaf West), Newsies (Katherine Plumber, Musical Theatre West), On Your Feet! (Riverside Theatre), Mystic Pizza (McCoy Rigby), Oliver! (Nancy, 5-Star Theatricals), Jesus Christ Superstar (Mary Magdalene, Moonlight Amphitheater), and Grease (Sandy, MTW & Patty, McCoy Rigby). Other favorite credits: Lizzie (Lizzie Borden, Chance Theater), Violet (Violet, Chance), and Man of La Mancha (Aldonza, Candlelight Pavilion). Always for Aaron. www.MonikaPena.com @singingvettech

Taylor Joseph Rivera Regional credits include; Hair(Claude) Cortland Repertory Theatre, The Prom (Kevin/Regional Premiere) WPPAC, Next to Normal (Gabe) Tibbits Opera House, Into The Woods(Rapunzel's Prince/Milky White) Prima Theatre. TaylorJosephRivera.com

Angel Sigala is an actor, singer, dancer, and choreographer born and raised in México, and the suburbs of Philadelphia. A proud DREAMer (DACA), Angel is delighted to be a part of this step in the development of America Tropical. Broadway: Mateo Díaz in New York, New York (OBC). Select Regional: Michael in Tick Tick, Boom! (Theatre Horizon, Barrymore Nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical), Woof in Hair (Two River Theatre), Epifanio in Mushroom by Eisa Davis (People's Light, World Premiere), A Street Car Named Desire(Arden Theatre Company), How to Use a Knife (InterAct Theatre Company. World Premiere, Barrymore Winner of Best New Play). TV: ¡Viva! Broadway at Curtain Up!(ABC7 NY), The 76th Annual Tony Awards (CBS, Paramount +). Follow them on Instagram: @_angelsigala, Website: www.angelsigala.com

Taylor Joseph Rivera is a New York City-based actor and web designer. Originally hailing from Florida, the son of a Puerto Rican father and Italian mother. Taylor graduated from the Circle in the Square Theatre School where he would later serve as the Creative Director. In addition to regional work, Taylor has a passion for advocacy and design in social media marketing. Recent credits include Claude in Hair, The Bodyguard at Theatre by the Sea, and the regional premiere of The Prom as Kevin. https://www.taylorjosephrivera.com/

Catherine Fries Vaughn is a Broadway veteran and cabaret artist who hails from Los Angeles and is now based in New York City. Catherine began her career at the age of 14 on The Smothers Brother's television show, and she made her Broadway debut in Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? Catherine was in the national tours of Cats and Beauty and the Beast, and on the west coast, she starred opposite Anjelica Huston and Karen Black in Tamara. She received a DramaLogue critic's award for her portrayal of Eva in Evita, at San Gabriel Civic Light Opera. Catherine is an advisory board member at Central Alabama Theater, where she recently played Joan Didion in The Year of Magical Thinking. Regional credits include The Goodspeed Opera House, and The Walnut Street Theater. She played Mary Todd Lincoln in several productions of Civil War Voices, including at The Midtown International Theater Festival and The York Developmental Reading Series. Civil War Voices was also produced by TRU's Bob Ost.

For almost 40 years, Frank Zagottis has worked as actor, director and producer in film, television, on stage, an occasional cruise ship, theme park, sang the National Anthem for the Mets for five consecutive seasons, and even did 15 years at HBO as Home Media Producer for all major film and original series titles including Sex and The City, The Sopranos, Oz, Six Feet Under, Curb Your Enthusiasm, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and Everybody Loves Raymond to name only a few. He served as Production Manager for the A&E shows Dog The Bounty Hunter and Parking Wars. Actor credits include TV's The Food That Built America, Law & Order Organized Crime, and a new commercial for Cheetos coming this month! Off-Broadway solo performance playing over 10 characters in Eric Bogosian's one-man Wake Up And Smell The Coffee, Lucky Stiff (Playwright's Horizons), Distant Thunder (AMAS Musical Theater) Chess, Evita, Quilt, The Fantasticks, Lady In The Dark, Jesus Christ Superstar, Merrily We Roll Along, 1940's Radio Hour, Pippin, As Is, Maids of Honor, Dracula, and A Prayer For My Daughter. Films include the recent multi award winning short, The Fuscos, serving also as coproducer (PGA). BFA in Acting/Directing from Univ. of Bridgeport, MA in Media Arts/Production, MFA in Media Arts/Television, both from LIU Brooklyn. Adjunct faculty member in the Department of Speech, Theater and Communication at Borough of Manhattan, Queensborough and Nassau Community Colleges.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is the leading network for developing theater professionals, a thirty-two-year-old 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created to help producers produce, emerging theater companies to emerge healthily and all theater professionals to understand and navigate the business of the arts. Membership includes self-Producing Artists as well as career producers and theater companies.

TRU publishes an email community newsletter of services, opportunities and productions; presents weekly Community Gatherings; offers a Producer Development & Mentorship Program taught by prominent producers and general managers in New York theater, and also presents Producer Boot Camp workshops to help aspirants develop business skills. TRU serves writers through the TRU Voices Play Reading Series, TRUSpeak: Hear Our Voices evening of short plays about social issues, Writer-Producer Speed Date, a Practical Playwriting Workshop, How to Write a Musical That Works and a Director-Writer Communications Lab.

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