Cast Set For 26 MILES at Gulfshore Playhouse

Gulfshore Playhouse has revealed the cast and creative team of the upcoming production of 26 Miles by Tony Award®-winner Quiara Alegria Hudes (In The Heights). 26 Miles was cancelled last season due to the effects of Hurricane Ian and the theatre will remount this important play. This family drama is directed by Laura Moreno and runs October 12 - November 5, 2023 at the Norris Center, 755 8th Avenue S., Naples, FL 34102. Opening Night for the media is Saturday, October 14. Tickets are available at gulfshoreplayhouse.org. 

With her spectacular take on unearthing family stories, Gulfshore Playhouse looks forward to sharing Hudes' 26 Miles as we kick off our season, the final season in the Norris Center, this fall. 

Set in 1986, the semi-autobiographical play opens with a frantic, late-night phone call. When an estranged mother and daughter depart at midnight for a spontaneous cross country road trip, neither is prepared for what lies ahead. This story reminds us that the best souvenirs on the road of life are the relationships we make along the way. And that sometimes what it takes to find yourself is the power of family.

At the helm of this production is director Laura Moreno. Moreno joins us from Houston, Texas where she is heavily involved in the Latinx theatre community. She is the founder of Women in Theatre - Houston, ¡Qué Onda! - LatinX Theatre Collective, and Artists for Change - Texas, as well as the Chief Representative for the Parent Artist Advocacy League (PAAL) - Houston Chapter. Laura is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Beans & Rice Media Arts. She is a member of the LatinX Theatre Commons Steering Committee, as well as a cohort member of the artEquity 2021-22 BIPOC Leadership Circle and has served on the anti-racist and DEI committees for the University of Houston’s College of the Arts and School of Theatre and Dance. Moreno seeks to engage new audiences, build relationships with marginalized communities, and provide BIPOC artists a safe, brave space that will allow their voices to be heard and empowered. 

“26 Miles is a beautiful story about self-discovery and acceptance through the re-bonding of an estranged mother and daughter,” said Moreno, “Life can be difficult to navigate at any age, but adolescence can be especially difficult. For Olivia, she’s navigating hormones, high school, and an inattentive father - when life finally feels so unbearably lonely she calls the mother she rejected eight years earlier in a custody battle.” 

Moreno added: “This play is an exploration of how two broken souls come together to heal the wounds they’ve caused the other. We have a fantastic group of artists that has been assembled to tell this auto-biographical tale of the playwright and her journey to owning her full self.” 

The cast of professional actors hails from the New York City area and Washington, DC and includes Iliana Guibert (Off-Broadway’s Anna in the Tropics, Superstitions, and It’s Okay) as Beatriz, McKenzie Salvatierra-Custin (The Transport Group’s Nine: In Concert, The New Theatre’s Freaky Friday, and The Rev’s Anne of Green Gables) as her daughter, Olivia. Rounding out the cast is Danny Bernardy (Olney Theatre Center’s My Fair Lady, Florida Studio Theatre’s Alabama Story) as Aaron and Rubén Flores (Broadway’s In the Heights, The Public’s Kingdom) as Manuel. All are making their Gulfshore Playhouse debut. 

The design team includes scenic design by Britton Mauk (Steel Magnolias), costume design by Tracy Dorman (Steel Magnolias and Morning After Grace), lighting design by José Santiago (Mud Row), sound design by Sean Ramos (Alley Theatre’s Choosing Love), cultural consultation by Armando Acevedo, and production stage manager Rebecca C. Monroe.

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