Close Friends Learn To Let It Go In Island City Stage's Production Of WHICH WAY TO THE STAGE

Broadway superfans Jeff and Judy eagerly await their idol Idina Menzel after her performance in If/Then at the stage door every night. But when a sexy stranger enters the scene and upends their decades-long friendship, the musical theater aficionados have to go off book to rewrite their own finale in Island City Stage's production of Which Way to the Stage by Ana Nogueira. This playful yet profound comedy about friendship, ambition, and what happens when dreams fall just out of reach runs January 18 – February 11.

"When I first encountered Which Way to the Stage, I knew it would be perfect for our audience. It's a love letter for musical theatre fans, of course,” said Andy Rogow, artistic director of Island City Stage. “What makes this play especially engaging, however, is the deeper dive into the competition created by the two best friends, one a gay male who often performs in drag, and the other a straight female, and the challenges they face auditioning for jobs they don't get because they don't fit their gender stereotypes. It was so relatable to me because musicals were my life; I have a master's degree in musical theatre. Like the character Jeff, I had trouble getting many of the roles I wanted because I was too ‘gay.'”

Set in 2015, Which Way to the Stage introduces outspoken best friends since college Jeff and Judy who are regulars at the stage door and take pride in their vast knowledge of the theater. Aspiring performers themselves, the duo soon face the music inadvertently by revealing the insecurities underneath their carefully constructed facades. As new relationships are formed and the story digs deeper, so does the insightful examination of gender, sexuality, and drag. Do the two ever meet their idol? Can they reconcile their differences of opinion? And what happens next?

Ana Nogueira is a Brooklyn-based writer and actress. Which Way to The Stage had its world premiere at MCC Theater in New York City. The play was chosen for the 2019 Kilroy's List and the Pacific Playwrights Festival at South Coast Rep, where Nogueira was the recipient of the Elizabeth George Emerging Playwright Commission. In 2016, her play Empathitrax premiered Off Broadway at Here Arts Center with the critically acclaimed theater company Colt Coeur, where she is a company member. Her work has been developed at Second Stage, The New Group, SPACE on Ryder Farm and Barrington Stage. Nogueira co-wrote and starred in the short film We Win, which premiered at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival and won Best Screenplay at the Rhode Island Film Festival. Her acting credits include Bob And Carol And Ted And Alice (The New Group); Engagements, Mala Hierba (both at Second Stage); Bump (Ensemble Studio Theater); Knives And Other Sharp Objects (The Public/LAByrinth); and three seasons on the Starz series Hightown. She is a proud alumnus of the Obie Award-winning playwriting group Youngblood at Ensemble Studio Theater.

Which Way to the Stage stars Matthew Buffalo (Jeff), Sofia Porcel (Judy), Clay Cartland (Mark) and Gaby Tortoledo (Actress/Bachelorette/Casting Director).

Matthew Buffalo was last seen at Island City Stage as McKenzie in Tracy Jones as well as Miss West Coast in Pageant and Alex More in Buyer & Cellar. Additional credits include the national/int'l tours of Fosse and Spirit of the Dance, plus many regional theatre roles. Buffalo holds an M.F.A. in Acting from Indiana University, is a CMA in Laban Movement Analysis, an assistant professor at New World School of the Arts and is a proud member of AEA.

Sofia Porcel will be making her Island City Stage debut with Which Way to the Stage. A graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, Porcel has performed all over the country. Recent theatrical credits include Hank Williams: Lost Highway (Actor's Playhouse), Mamma Mia! (The Wick), Escape To Margaritaville (Actor's Playhouse), In The Heights (The Roxy) and Evita (The Wick).

Florida native and Island City stage performance alum Clay Cartland recently became the director of performing arts at American Heritage directing students, choosing new seasons and being the only person on campus who gets to wear Heelys. Cartland is a proud member of Actors Equity and the recipient of two Carbonell and four Silver awards. Some of his favorite shows include Groundhog Day, Shrek, 25th...Spelling Bee, Desperate Measures, Flashdance, 1776, Peter and the Starcatcher, and First Date. He is also a voiceover artist and teaches improv comedy.

Gaby Tortoledo is a Venezuelan stage and screen actor based in South Florida. Her regional credit highlights include Honeymoon in Vegas (Slow Burn), Elián (Miami New Drama), Refuge (Theatre Lab), Songs for a New World (Gulf Coast Symphony), and Compensation (Island City Stage). International credits include And The World Goes Round, Opening Doors, and A Dream is a Wish (Song Cycle Intensive, London, UK). Screen credits include Susie in Just My Type and Amazon's award-winning series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Tortoledo holds an M.F.A in Acting from Florida Atlantic University.

Which Way to the Stage is sponsored by Co-Producers Russell Vance and The Bears of South Florida, Set Sponsors William Sandrik and Henry Smith, and Lights and Sound sponsor Scott Bennett. Additional funding provided by the following: The Our Fund Foundation, The Schubert Foundation Inc., The SHS Foundation, The Maval Foundation, The Warten Foundation, FlockFest, the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council, and by the Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council of Arts and Culture and the State of Florida. 

Island City Stage's 12th Season opened with sold out performances of Love! Valour! Compassion! Other shows this season include Pulp by Patricia Kane; Music by Amy Warren & Andre Pluess with lyrics by Patricia Kane (Apr. 11 – May 5); Skintight by Joshua Harmon (May 30 – Jun. 23) and Die! Mommie Die! by Charles Busch (Aug. 29 – Sept. 22).

Tickets for Which Way to the Stage start at $40. A Mimosa Sunday performance sponsored by Jimmy Cunningham will be held on January 28 with tickets at $55. The show runs for two hours and five minutes with one intermission.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.islandcitystage.org, call (954) 928-9800 or email boxoffice@islandcitystage.org. Follow Island City Stage on Facebook at facebook.com/IslandCityStageFL and on Instagram at @islandcitystage1.

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