East West Players Will Release Cast Recording of ON THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD

East West Players (EWP) the nation’s longest-running Asian American theater and the largest producer of Asian American theatrical works, will release the World Premiere Cast Recording of the soaring musical On This Side of the World. This musical featuring music & lyrics by Paulo K Tiról and created with & directed by Noam Shapiro performed a sold-out, extended run at East West Players’ David Henry Hwang Theater in Los Angeles from May 11 through June 10, 2023.
 
The World Premiere Cast Recording of On This Side of the World is currently in production. East West Players is organizing a crowdfunding campaign through Indiegogo to help with the launch of this album–the historic company’s first cast recording since its 2005 production Imelda: A New Musical.
 
EWP’s Interim Managing Director Adrian Budhu says, “We were blown away by the love and support audiences showed On This Side of the World. We heard you loud and clear: we have to make a cast recording of this incredible production. East West Players has already committed resources to creating this album and to properly compensating the endlessly talented artists whose contributions made this show the sensation it was. We’re calling on the support of our community to help bring this project to the finish line. This crowdfunding campaign will help us recoup some of the costs of production and give audiences a chance to be a bigger part of this show’s amazing journey.”
 
To support East West Players’ World Premiere Cast Recording of On This Side of the World, visit tinyurl.com/ewpworldalbum.
 
In On This Side of the World, a woman flies from the Philippines to America with a one-way ticket and a suitcase full of stories. Each story is collected from immigrants who came before her. Suspended above the ocean, she replays these stories in her mind as she searches for the courage to embrace her future. This world premiere musical gives voices to Filipino immigrants navigating old lives and new beginnings, eight-thousand miles from home. 
 
About this monumental recording, On This Side of the World composer & lyricist Paulo K Tiról shared, "During the world premiere of On This Side of the World, audiences left the theater after every performance wanting to hear the score again. Friends who couldn't make it to Los Angeles– because they were on the East Coast, in Manila, or somewhere in between–said they wished they could experience the show. So, I was over the moon when East West Players said to Noam and me that they wanted to record an original cast album. I couldn't be more grateful for this opportunity to share this score and the incredible work of our cast, band, and music team with Filipinos, immigrants, and musical theater lovers across the United States and around the world. And as more people get to know the show, my hope is that more theaters become interested in bringing it to their own cities." 
 
“It took only one song for me to fall in love with On This Side of the World back in 2018,” expresses the show’s co-creator & director Noam Shapiro. “After sharing the show with audiences on both coasts, I’m thrilled that more people will get to hear Paulo’s gorgeous music and lyrics on both sides of the world. Recording this album with our complete cast from East West Players is a dream come true. Since the end of our run in June 2023, their performances have only gotten sharper—it’s like they’ve been performing the show eight times a week. Listeners are in for a treat.”
 
Visit tinyurl.com/ewpworldalbum for more information.