Gina Naomi Baez, Mary Testa & More to Star in ABRIL Industry Reading

Royal Family Productions will present a private industry reading of the new musical Abril on May 11th. The musical features music and lyrics by Gina Naomi Baez (Only Murders In the Building, She's Gotta Have It, Triple Threat, Orange Is The New Black) and a book by Gina Naomi Baez and Chris Henry (Women on Fire: Stories from the Frontlines, Rock and Roll Refugee).

Abril centers on a young Latinx teenager who just beat cancer. As she returns to high school, she deals with bullying, authoritarian figures who are more interested in controlling than helping, and a beloved drama teacher with a dark secret. As the girl tries to navigate the dangerous waters of high school, will she be able to swim or will she sink in them? 

Performers for the reading will include Gina Naomi Baez (Only Murders In the Building, She's Gotta Have It, Triple Threat, Orange Is The New Black) Bárbara López, Francisca Muñoz (The Gardens of Anuncia, “Our Lady Lupe”), Eliseo Román (In The Heights, On Your Feet!),  Analise Scarpaci (Mrs. Doubtfire, Matilda, The Musical), Jodi Stevens (Jekyll and Hyde, Urban Cowboy), and three-time Tony Award nominee Mary Testa (Oklahoma!, 42nd Street, On the Town)

The reading will feature music direction, orchestration and arrangements by Benjamin Doyle, and will be directed by Emily Maltby (For You, Paige, Evita, Sunset Boulevard). Kyle Cohn serves as stage manager.

Royal Family is led by Artistic Director Chris Henry and Creative Director Lorna Ventura.  

ROYAL FAMILY's mission is to galvanize the Times Square community by cultivating raw talent, collaborating with seasoned artists, and inspiring audiences with a diversity of lion-hearted theatre. To us, everyone in the theatre community is not only royalty but family. Our programs and productions give artists space at all stages of their careers. We don't want to tell just any story: we want to best serve artists in telling their own stories. In today's political and social climate, it is also more important than ever to celebrate all voices—especially those underrepresented in the traditional theatre space. At Royal Family, we celebrate the work of women and queer artists, playwrights of color, works with LGBTQIA themes, and artists of all ages and body types.

Royal Family has been a creative incubator of original, humanistic plays for over a decade. Bravery and fearlessness are imperative to our process. Artists and audiences alike are challenged in a creative safe space to explore the humor and the tangled truths of the human condition. As actor and first-time playwright Anthony Rapp (Rent, Dazed and Confused, Star Trek: Discovery) observes, “Royal Family is committed to truthful, heartfelt, alive, theatrical storytelling. It's vital to the human experience and hard to come by.”

Royal Family was established in 2007 by Katie Avebe, Mary Bernardi, Chris Henry and Andy Theodorou as a home for artists wishing to challenge and transform the traditional theatre canon. Discover more at our website, www.royalfamilyproductions.org, and follow us on social media. Insta: @ROYALFAMILYPRODUCTIONS