Sierra Madre Playhouse to Present the World Premiere of ¡PASAJE!

The historic Sierra Madre Playhouse will present the world premiere of ¡Pasaje!, an enchanting journey of self-discovery and family relationships, running from October 4 to November 3, 2024. The riveting coming-of-age story explores themes of identity, belonging, and community through the eyes of Andy on the eve of his 18th birthday. He discovers that everything he believes in – his ethnicity, his family, his upbringing – are lies that have been told to him since birth. These lies lead Andy to South El Monte, where he meets a beautiful dancer, Marcelina, and the community patriarch, Don Miguel, who help him unearth long-buried secrets, propelling him to a poignant revelation about the Latin American diaspora and ultimate acceptance of his true self. In the end, he discovers his family is both flawed and redemptive.

Deeply rooted in South El Monte near East LA – both literally and figuratively – ¡Pasaje! honors Southern California’s vivid and diverse Latiné community. Written by San Gabriel Valley-native J. Quiroz, a first-generation Salvadoran American, ¡Pasaje! is a one-of-a-kind experience that promises to be poignant, heartrending, and magical. It features music and lyrics by multi-GRAMMY winner Asdru Sierra, co-founder of LA’s renowned Latin rock band, Ozomatli. The Sierra Madre Playhouse production is directed by Benjamin Perez, who was raised in Hacienda Heights (five minutes from South El Monte). Perez acted in national tours of In the Heights and Nice Work If You Can Get It, and directed several productions of In the Heights in regional theatres. The music director is Greg Porée, whose credits include working with Sonny & Cher, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin and Earth, Wind & Fire, as well as eight years on Dancing with Stars.

Cast Announced

The 13-member cast of the two-act musical features Seth Keller in the role of Andy Martin and Kayla Christine Quiroz as Marcelina, Andy’s love interest. The cast also includes Karol Avila (Hustler Uno), Daniel Moises (Hustler Dos), Sandra Dar (Angela Martin, Andy’s mother), Lisa Rodriguez (Beatriz Gonzalez), Noah Peralta (Guicho), Andrew M. Garcia (Ensemble/Andy Understudy), Pablo Milla (Ensemble/Hustler Dos Understudy), Ixchel Valiente (Ensemble/Marcelina Understudy), Itzel Ximena Gonzalez (Ensemble/Hustler Uno Understudy), Joshua Duron (Don Miguel), and Maximiliano Garcia (Freddy).  

Genesis of ¡Pasaje!

The origin of ¡Pasaje! is, itself, a unique story. It was initially conceived in 2008 and began in 2011. A group of South El Monte High School drama students and alumni set out to write a Mexican/Central American story reflecting their lives, people, community, and culture, drawing inspiration from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning musical “In the Heights,” a story about Miranda’s experience in his community of Puerto Ricans and Dominicans. J. Quiroz was among the original group of eight high school students and recent graduates who, in the summer of 2011, took up the challenge and spent hours every Sunday at the South El Monte Senior Center writing their script, the initial draft of which they completed that summer. 

Their plan was to introduce Broadway audiences to their Latiné community through the eyes of a non-Latiné teenager from out of state who knew very little about his culture. That character, Andy, was a young man who had just graduated from high school and came into their community looking for his dad. 

Following the first draft, Quiroz – who subsequently attended community college, where he further honed his writing skills – continued as the lead writer on the project, making dozens of major revisions to the script over the years with input from others along the way, including many in the original student group. ¡Pasaje! is Quiroz’s first major production credit. 

Among others drawn into the ¡Pasaje! sphere was Ozomatli’s Asdru Sierra, who immediately grasped the essence of the musical when the writers/actors from South El Monte reached out to him about becoming involved in the project. Over pizza, the enthusiasm and genuine interest of these young people about the Mexican/Central American community convinced Sierra. He enthusiastically agreed to write the music, explaining, “I knew that the music had to be authentic to Los Angeles and its diverse Latiné culture. As part of that community myself, I wanted to represent the community and to be in service to the play’s story telling.” Sierra’s striking music embraces his trademark musical style and reflects the characters’ thoughts and emotions while giving the story of ¡Pasaje! a truly original sound and scope. “There’s definitely a head-nod factor to the play’s music,” Sierra notes. 

Quiroz reflects, “I was faced with the challenge of writing a show about ‘culture.’ I was intimidated by the word until I realized culture really refers to ‘family.’ We may all be raised differently, but we all understand family. The good, the bad, and especially the crazy, that’s family. I’m proud to have had that realization, and it has only been confirmed as the ¡Pasaje! family grows. I’m honored to have the Sierra Madre Playhouse now part of that family. I can’t wait to see the audiences become part of that family.”

Tickets and Information

Tickets to ¡Pasaje! ($12 - $45) are on sale now. For tickets and information, please call 626.355.4318 or visit www.sierramadreplayhouse.org. Sierra Madre Playhouse is located at 87 West Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre, CA 91024.

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