LA CANCION: THE MUSICAL Coming to Hostos Center for the Arts

Hostos Center for the Arts continues its partnership with Repertorio Español's award-winning Spanish language theater with La Canción: The Musical.

Written by Cándido Tirado, the performance, in Spanish with English supertitles, features original music and lyrics by renowned Latin Grammy winner Vico C and is directed by Edward Torres.

The performance will be on Thursday, October 12, 2017 at 7pm in the Repertory Theater of Hostos Community College, located at 450 Grand Concourse in the Bronx. Reserved seating is $15 and $5 for students and ages 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased at 718-518-4455 or www.hostoscenter.org.

This is the first time La Canción: The Musical will be performed in the Bronx, where the story takes place. Set in Hunts Point, a young man with a passion for music and with aspirations to be a rapper wakes up singing a song he never heard before. Taunted by the song and with the desire to adapt it to urban music for an upcoming singing competition, Rafa embarks on a quest to find its author. In his search, Rafa is unexpectedly confronted with the truth about his origins. Overflowing with music and dance including hip-hop, salsa, merengue and bachata, this multi-generational musical tale is ideal for the entire family.

In addition to the highly-regarded production team (bios below), La Canción: The Musical features Dominican Republic-born Juan Luis Espinal, who trained at Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute and starred in the Spanish version of In the Heights. Other cast members include: Jenyvette Vega, Gabriel Hernández, Indra Palomo, Francis Mateo, Diana Pou, María Cotto, Zulema Clares, Toly Rod, and Mario Mattei. The esteemed musical director, Nelson Jaime "Gazú" has performed with Papo Lucca, Sonora Ponceña, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Willie Colón, La India, and Eddie Palmieri. The choreographer Carlos Neto has worked with Warner Brothers, SyCo Music, Sony BMG, Atlantic Records, Britain's got talent, Matchbox Twenty, Melanie Martínez, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and The Fringe NYC.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Cándido Tirado (Playwright): Author of numerous plays including Fish Men, which was co-produced by The Goodman Theatre and Teatro Vista, Cándido Tirado is a New York-based playwright and a four-time winner of the New York Foundation of the Arts Playwriting Fellowship. He has also been nominated for 4 Jeff and Steinberg awards and the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award (TCG). Plays include Celia: The Life And Music Of Celia Cruz with Carmen Rivera which premiered at New World Stages and was also performed in Chicago's Athenaeum Theater, New World Stages, NYC, Las Bellas Artes in Santurce, Puerto Rico, and in Tenerife and Miami; Momma's Boyz (Produced by Teatro Vista/Chicago, Repertorio Español/New York, Ateneo/Puerto Rico, chosen as a Chicago Top Ten play in 2011 by the Huffington Post); The Barber Shop (Repertorio Español); King Without A Castle (Puerto Rican Traveling Theater (P.R.T.T.)/Sundance Institute Theater Lab./"NYFA" Fellowship); First Class, Checking Out (P.R.T.T.); Some People Have All The Luck (National Theater Of Dominican Republic); He is also a staff writer for the hit web series East Willy B.

Vico C (Composer): Puerto Rican reggaeton rapper and songwriter Vico C experienced popular success throughout the '90s in the United States while remaining consistently popular in Latin America with his rap merengue style. . He is considered one of the founding fathers of reggaeton and the Father of Rap in Spanish. Vico C has played an influential role in the development of Latin American hip hop. Born Luis Armando Lozada in Brooklyn, NY, Vico took an early interest in hip-hop when it first blossomed in the early. In addition to his rapping ambitions, Vico also developed his production skills and produced hits for such Latin artists as Lisa M. ("El Pum Pum"), Francheska ("Menéalo"), and began collaborating with Jossie Esteban on songs of his own in the early '90s. His most popular song, "La Recta Final" entered the charts and Saborealo" and "María" went gold and platinum respectively. In 1998, his album Aquel Que Había Muerto went gold and the sequel, Antes y después earned the Latino Rap of the year award by Billboard.

Edward Torres (Director): Recipient of the 2010 Arts Artist Award and featured as guest director at the 2011 Eugene O'Neill Theater Center National Playwrights Conference, Edward Torres possesses 18 years of production experience and is the co-founder and former artistic director of Teatro Vista. He is currently a Visiting Associate Professor at Wesleyan University and holds a B.A. in Theatre from Roosevelt University and an M.F.A. in Film from Columbia College Chicago. His directing credits include: Water by the Spoonful (Old Globe Theatre), Quiara Alegría Hudes's The Happiest Song Plays Last (Goodman Theatre), Kristoffer Diaz's The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity (Victory Gardens Theater; produced in association with Teatro Vista), which was named Best Play of 2009 by the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times and Time Out Chicago; it was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and earned Joseph Jefferson Awards for Best Production and Best Director.

Repertorio Español was founded in 1968 by Stage Director René Buch and the late theatre producer Gilberto Zaldívar, and has become one of the most successful Off-Broadway theatres. The Company was founded with the mission of producing the finest Spanish-language theatre from Latin America and Spain as well as plays written by Hispanic Americans. The Company presents a rotating repertory of 15 different plays, musicals and dance concerts in over 300 performances every year. Its productions are seen by over 50,000 people annually at its home, the historic Gramercy Arts Theatre and on tour. Every year, approximately 20,000 students are introduced to the heritage of Spanish-language theatre through its education program, ¡DIGNIDAD! For more information visit repertorio.nyc/#.

Founded in 1982, The Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture, based at Hostos Community College of the City University of New York, serves the cultural needs of residents of the South Bronx and similar inner-city communities who do not have the means or inclination to attend arts events in mid-town Manhattan. The Center, which includes a 900-seat theater, a 350-seat theater, and museum-grade art gallery, creates forums in which the cultural heritages of its audiences are affirmed and nurtured. The Center's programming consists of a performing arts presenting series; a visual arts exhibiting series; periodic festivals promoting cultural traditions, especially Afro-Caribbean; The Hostos Repertory Company; and an individual artists' program with commissions and residencies. Nearly 60,000 partake in the Center's programs each year. Go to www.hostoscenter.org.

Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities for nearly half a century. Since 1968, Hostos has been a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, as well as a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs. Hostos offers 27 associate degree programs and two certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to The City University of New York's (CUNY) four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos is part of CUNY, the nation's leading urban public university, which serves more than 500,000 students at 24 colleges. Learn more at www.hostos.cuny.edu.