Linedy Genao & Brandon Espinoza to Star in ON YOUR FEET! at Paper Mill Playhouse

Paper Mill Playhouse has announced casting for On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio & Gloria Estefan, the first production of Paper Mill's 2022-2023 season.

The production will feature Linedy Genao (On Your Feet! on Broadway) as Gloria, Brandon Espinoza (Broadway's SpongeBob SquarePants) as Emilio, Francisca Muñoz (PBS's "Our Lady Lupe") as Gloria Fajardo, and Yajaira Paredes (Candlelight Theatre's Clue) as Consuelo. Olivia Andrade-Marin (PMP debut!) and Natalia Artigas (Disney's Frozen national tour) will share the role of Little Gloria, and Carlos Carreras (On Your Feet! 1st National Tour) plays Nayib/Young Emilio/Jeremy. Completing the ensemble cast are Jonathan Arana, Mike Baerga, Brigitte Beach, Arthur Joseph Cuadros, Nicholas Cunha, Rubén Flores, Gabriela García, Diego Guevara, Rachel Josefina, Kyle Laing, Ángel Lozada, Risa Nicole, Vincent Ortega, Alexa Racioppi, Janina Rosa, Stefanie Renee Salyers, Vanessa Sierra, Luis Villabon, and Sarah Waite.

The show will begin performances at Paper Mill Playhouse on Friday, October 7 and play through Sunday, November 6, 2022. Opening night is set for Sunday, October 9.

On Your Feet! follows the lives of pop superstars Emilio and Gloria Estefan. Both Cuban immigrants in Miami, Emilio and Gloria fall in love, struggle to overcome family obstacles, and work tirelessly to take their Latin sound to the American mainstream. Featuring such chart-topping hits as "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You," "Conga," and "1-2-3," On Your Feet! is an exuberant, joyful celebration that's bursting with heart.

Featuring music produced and recorded by Emilio and Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine, thisexhilarating production is directed and choreographed by Alex Sanchez (Giant and PMP's West Side Story and Beauty and the Beast) with a book by Academy Award winner Alexander Dinelaris (Birdman and The Bodyguard musical) and music direction by Andrew David Sotomayor (PMP's Some Enchanted Evening, Tootsie First National Tour).

On Your Feet! will feature scenic design by Tony Award winner David Rockwell (PMP's Half Time and Broadway's Into the Woods), costume design by Tony nominee Emilio Sosa (The Gershwins' Porgy and Bessand 1776 on Broadway), lighting design by Charlie Morrison (PMP's Sister Act and Songs for a New World), sound design by Matt Kraus (Jim Henson's Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas Off-Broadway), projection design by Darrel Maloney (The Cher Show on Broadway), costume coordination and additional design by Antonio Consuegra (assistant costume designer of Broadway's Funny Girl), and hair and wig design by Marcus Lopez (styling for Broadway's On Your Feet! and Bandstand). Jeffrey Rodriguez is the Production Stage Manager. Casting is by Bass/Valle Casting.

Paper Mill Playhouse offers its audiences the opportunity to enhance their theater experience with behind-the-scenes views of mainstage productions, including Q&As with the cast. Paper Mill Prologues and The Director's Viewpoint will be available to everyone on the Paper Mill Playhouse mobile app.

Paper Mill Playhouse will be adopting a hybrid mask policy when we open the season in October. Masks will be required at the October 26-30 performances of On Your Feet! At all other On Your Feet! performances, masks are optional and strongly encouraged to protect yourself and others as recommended by the CDC. We hope our patrons will appreciate having a choice and will feel safe and comfortable during their visit.

Tickets start at $35 may be purchased by calling 973.376.4343, at the Paper Mill Playhouse Box Office at 22 Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online at papermill.org. Groups of 10 or more may receive up to a up to 30% discount on tickets and should call 973.376.4343. Students may purchase $20 tickets. Patrons under 30 years old may purchase tickets for $30 to any Wednesday or Friday performance. Three show, 4 show and 5 show Subscription packages are also available starting at just $111.

Paper Mill Playhouse offers award-winning access programs and services, including audio-described performances on Saturday, October 29, 2022 at 1:30pm and Sunday, November 6, 2022 at 1:30pm (sensory seminars for the blind are held at noon) and an open-captioned performance on Sunday November 6, 2022, at 7:00pm. Braille and large-print programs and assistive listening devices available.

Programs, dates, and artists are subject to change.

PAPER MILL PLAYHOUSE

recipient of the 2016 Regional Theatre Tony Award, is a nationally renowned not-for-profit theater under the direction of Mark S. Hoebee (Producing Artistic Director) and Michael Stotts (Managing Director). A beloved New Jersey arts institution since 1938, Paper Mill creates and produces groundbreaking new musicals and reimagined classics. Several productions have gone on the Broadway and launched national tours, including Disney's Newsies, Honeymoon in Vegas, Les Misérables, A Bronx Tale, and Bandstand. The theater is also the home to an award-winning center for musical theater education and artist training, with outreach programs that impact thousands of students each year. As one of the nation's premier musical theaters, Paper Mill fosters a creative environment to advance the art form, educate students, develop future theater lovers, nurture inclusion, and provide access for all. We acknowledge that our theater stands on the traditional land of the Lenni-Lenape, and we honor the Indigenous people who inhabited it for thousands of years before European settlers arrived. Paper Mill Playhouse programs are made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Paper Mill Playhouse is a member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the Council of Stock Theatres, and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.

Linedy Genao

(Gloria) is grateful to be making her Paper Mill debut in the show that gave her her Broadway debut! Broadway: Dear Evan Hansen (Zoe/Alana u/s), On Your Feet! (Original Broadway Cast; Rachel, Gloria u/s). National Tour: Dear Evan Hansen. Recording: In the Heights (singer), Vivo (singer). Film: Death Saved My Life (Kelly). Regional: Passing Through (Goodspeed's Terris Theatre), West Side Story (Lyric Opera of Chicago, Barrington Stage), Havana Music Hall (Miami's Actors' Playhouse), A Taste of Things to Come(Chicago's Broadway Playhouse), In the Heights (Olney Theatre Center). Education: UConn. Instagram/Twitter: @linedygenao

Brandon Espinoza

(Emilio). Broadway: SpongeBob SquarePants, Tuck Everlasting, Gypsy, Big, Les Misérables, The Will Rogers Follies. Off-Broadway: The Visitor (The Public Theater), Baghdaddy (St. Luke's Theatre-Chita Rivera Award), Substitution (Playwrights Realm), Scarcity (Atlantic Theater Company), Tea and Sympathy (Keen Company), Captains Courageous (Manhattan Theatre Club-Drama League nomination for distinguished performance). Regional: A View from the Bridge (directed by Ivo van Hove, Goodman Theater), The Way of the World (directed/written by Theresa Rebeck, Folger Theatre), West Side Story(Stratford Shakespeare Festival). Current TV: Detective Garcia on "Raising Kanan" (Starz). Other TV: "The Equalizer" (CBS), "FBI" (CBS), "The Leftovers" (HBO), "The Following" (NBC), "The Mysteries of Laura" (NBC).

Francisca Muñoz

(Gloria Fajardo). Paper Mill debut! Regional: Beatriz in Miss You Like Hell, Letter Writer #2 in Tiny Beautiful Things, and Amalia in American Mariachi (all at TheatreSquared); Julia in Somewhere Over the Border (Syracuse Stage/Geva Theatre); Arella/Natalie in Informed Consent (GableStage); Katherine Wright in Kitty Hawk (Adrienne Arsht Center); June in Chicago (Boca Raton Theatre Guild). Off-Broadway: Mrs. Delgado in Felix Starro (Theatre Row). TV: Abuela on "Our Lady Lupe" (PBS), Med Tech on "FBI: Most Wanted" (CBS), "Australian Idol" finalist (Network Ten).

Yajaira Paredes

(Consuelo), a native of Venezuela and an actress since 1980, has worked in television (15 years on soap operas), theater, and film. In NYC and Philadelphia, she was actress/producer of Mujeres de Par en Par by Indira Paez, Passport by Gustavo Ott, and Bodas de Sangre by Federico García Lorca. She is a co-creator of Teatro del Sol, the first bilingual theater company in Philadelphia. Her credits also include Rosellia in The Sea Voyage (Philadelphia Artists' Collective), Marisol in Good Cuban Girls (Arden), Secret Things(Theatre Ariel), A Thousand Fibers (Beacon), Extreme Home Makeover (Theatre Exile), and as Mrs. Peacock in Clue (Candlelight Theatre, DE). Instagram: @yajairaparedes
Olivia Andrade-Marin (Little Gloria) is thrilled to make her professional debut at Paper Mill Playhouse! Credits include Mary Poppins (Jane Banks); You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown Jr. (Snoopy); and Seussical Jr. (Cat in the Hat). @OliAndradeMarin

Natalia Artigas

(Little Gloria) is delighted to be making her Paper Mill Playhouse debut in On Your Feet!She was recently Young Elsa in Disney's Frozen national tour and has appeared in other local productions in her hometown, Hoboken, NJ, as well as Off-Broadway. She has studied musical theater, acting, and singing since a young age in NYC and Hoboken, and she recently joined Paper Mill's educational program. @official_nataliaartigas

Carlos Carreras

(Nayib/Young Emilio/Jeremy), also known as CJ, is excited to be joining his first production at Paper Mill Playhouse with the cast of On Your Feet! He is currently a ninth grader at PPAS, majoring in dance with the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. His credits include the first national tour of On Your Feet!; The Perfect Fit: The Musical; Radio City Christmas Spectacular; "Bok Bok" on SNL; Nick Jr. Super Saturday commercial; Nick Jr./Noggin's "Yoga Friends"; and Sesame Street with Anderson .Paak in "What Is a Holiday." CJ would like to thank his family and friends for their never-ending support and for always believing in him!

Gloria Estefan

(Music/Lyrics). With eight Grammy and Latin Grammy awards and more than

100 million albums sold worldwide, Gloria Estefan is the most successful Latin crossover performer in the history of pop music. In addition to her 38 number-one hits across the Billboard charts, Gloria recorded the Oscar-nominated song "Music of My Heart" and has received numerous honors and awards over the course of her illustrious career. She has been presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, was named BMI Songwriter of the Year, received an American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement, and won an MTV Video Music Award, two ACE awards, and multiple Billboard awards for her many chart-topping hits. Gloria has also been honored with the Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor, the Hispanic Heritage Award, the National Music Foundation's Humanitarian of the Year Award, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2017.

Emilio Estefan

(Music/Lyrics) is a world-renowned music, television, and film producer who has been instrumental in shaping, developing, and directing the careers of his superstar wife, Gloria, as well as Shakira, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, and Jon Secada, among many others. With a resume that includes 19 Grammy awards, Emilio is one of the most successful producers in the music business, blending Latin, pop, and world rhythms to create a unique style and personality, resulting in chart-topping worldwide hits. It is this vision that transcends the music field and spills over into film, television, hotels, and restaurants, among other business endeavors, including becoming the first Cuban-born minority stakeholder in an NFL franchise, the Miami Dolphins.

Alexander Dinelaris

(Book) was nominated for two Drama Desk Awards in 2003 for the book and lyrics for the Off-Broadway hit Zanna, Don't! He wrote the book to the musical The Bodyguard, with productions in the West End, throughout Europe and Asia, and a US national tour that launched at Paper Mill Playhouse. Dinelaris won the 2015 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Birdman (with Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, and Armando Bo), which also won Best Picture. His plays include The Chaos Theories; In This, Our Time; Folding the Monster; Still Life; and Red Dog Howls, addressing the Armenian genocide. Other works include Big Kids, Adam & Evelyn, and Pathetique.

Alex Sanchez

(Director & Choreographer) is thrilled to return to Paper Mill after having served as choreographer for Beauty and the Beast and West Side Story, as associate choreographer for Carnival, as well as playing the role Harry Beaton in Brigadoon. Other director-choreographer credits: Sweet Charity, Newsies, and Evita (Marriott Theatre, Chicago); In the Mood (Bud Forrest Entertainment, national/international tour); The World Goes 'Round (Riverside Theatre, NYC); Rhapsody in Blue Project (Winspear Opera House, Dallas). On Broadway he was the musical stager for Paradise Square. Other New York choreography credits: Roman Holiday (pre-Broadway/GFI Productions); Giant (The Public Theater); Far from Heaven (Playwrights Horizons); Where's Charley? and Fiorello (New York City Center Encores!); Red Eye of Love (co-choreographer, Amas Musical Theatre).

Andrew David Sotomayor

(Music Director). Music directing credits include Paper Mill's digital Some Enchanted Evening and the 2022 New Voices concert, A Whole New World; first national tours of Tootsie and Escape to Margaritaville; the Off-Broadway premiere of Curvy Widow; Man of La Mancha (Westport Country Playhouse); Newsies and West Side Story (Maltz Jupiter Theatre); The Will Rogers Follies (Merry-Go-Round Playhouse); and Cutman: A Boxing Musical (Goodspeed), among others. As a composer, he has provided music and lyrics for the original musicals 50 Shades of F***d Up and Committed as well as scores for the short film Cuba 1961: A Love Story and the independent feature film Bx3M. He is a proud graduate of Stetson University, Florida. For more, visit Soto.fun.

David Rockwell

(Scenic Design). Paper Mill: Half Time. Select Broadway: Into the Woods; Take Me Out; Kiss Me, Kate; Lobby Hero; She Loves Me (Tony, Drama Desk, OCC awards); On Your Feet!, On the Twentieth Century (Tony nomination); You Can't Take It with You (Tony nomination); Kinky Boots (Tony nomination); Lucky Guy (Tony nomination); Hairspray (Tony, Drama Desk, OCC nominations); and the upcoming production of A Beautiful Noise. Off-Broadway: Into the Woods (Encores!), Seven Deadly Sins, Shakespeare in the Park. Founder and president of the architecture and design firm Rockwell Group.

Emilio Sosa

(Costume Design). Chair, American Theatre Wing. Broadway: The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess(Tony nomination), 1776, Skeleton Crew, Trouble in Mind, Motown: The Musical, On Your Feet!, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill, Topdog/Underdog; upcoming: Ain't No Mo', A Beautiful Noise. TV/Film: Project Runway, Annie Live! (NBC) and Red Hook Summer, directed by Spike Lee. Recipient of NAACP Theatre Award, Lucille Lortel Award, AUDELCO Award; Drama Desk nominee. He has designed for Usher's Las Vegas residency, Blue Man Group tour, Big Apple Circus, The Rockettes, NY Knicks City Dancers, Diana Ross, Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan, and Wynton Marsalis. @esosafashion

Charlie Morrison

(Lighting Design). Paper Mill: Sister Act, Songs for a New World, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, West Side Story, The Little Mermaid, Curtains, Smokey Joe's Cafe, The Full Monty, Meet Me in St. Louis, many more. National/International Tours: The Little Mermaid; How the Grinch Stole Christmas; A Christmas Story; The Producers; Hello, Dolly!; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Miss Saigon; Aida; Man of La Mancha; Guys and Dolls; Groovaloo; My Fair Lady; The King and I; 42nd Street; The Who's Tommy; and many others. Regional: Shakespeare Theatre Company (DC), Guthrie, Goodspeed, Seattle Rep, Dallas Summer Musicals, TUTS, 5th Avenue, Kansas City Starlight, Pittsburgh CLO, George Street Playhouse, PlayMakers Rep, Tulsa Opera, and more. Two Helen Hayes Awards (seven nominations). www.cmlighting.com

Matt Kraus

(Sound Design). Broadway: Liza's at the Palace..., Kristin Chenoweth: My Love Letter to Broadway, Kathy Griffin Wants a Tony. Off-Broadway: Jim Henson's Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (New Victory), Caucasian Chalk Circle, 50 Shades! The Musical Parody, VOCA PEOPLE. Audio coordinator for remote shoots at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and the NBA's 2020 Bubble. Regional: Paper Mill Playhouse (A Jolly Holiday, Cinderella, Chasing Rainbows, Beauty and the Beast, Holiday Inn, to name a few), St. Louis Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse, Walnut Street, and more. Matt has also played the Hollywood Bowl, Hampton Court Palace, the Olympia in Paris, Sydney Opera House, Monte Carlo Sporting Club, and Vienna State Opera House. He won an Emmy for his work on Disney's Broadway Hits at Royal Albert Hall.

Darrel Maloney

(Projection Design). Broadway: American Idiot, The Cher Show, On Your Feet!, The Parisian Woman, Allegiance, The Illusionists, A Night with Janis Joplin, Everyday Rapture. Other projection/video designs include Checkers (Vineyard-Drama Desk nomination), Found (Atlantic-Drama Desk nomination), Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Surf: A Beach Boys Las Vegas Spectacular, Allegiance (Old Globe), and productions at Signature Theater, St. Ann's Warehouse, Shakespeare Theatre, DC), MCC, La Jolla Playhouse, Minnesota Opera, and Sydney Opera House. He has designed sets and/or lighting for New York, European, and regional theaters such as the Institute for Contemporary Arts London, Los Angeles Theatre Center, and Hartford Stage. MFA, NYU Tisch.

Antonio Consuegra

(Costume Coordination & Additional Design) was assistant costume designer for the Broadway productions of Funny Girl, Hamilton, and Almost Famous; for the national tour of The Play that Goes Wrong (Chicago); and for numerous productions at Paper Mill Playhouse, including The Honeymooners. He also designed costumes for Masquerade: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and The Bodyguard at White Plains Performing Arts Center; The British Invasion Live (tour); and Off Broadway for Can Do Duck: The Musical, Daddy Issues, and All Aboard: The Musical.

Marcus Lopez

(Hair & Wig Design). Excited to be working with Paper Mill for the first time. After having spent more recent time as a hairstylist and department supervisor for Broadway and National Tours, they are happy to be designing this time around. Some of Marcus' styling work includes Broadway: On Your Feet!,Bandstand, Head Over Heels, MJ: The Musical). Touring: On Your Feet!, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Elf the Musical. "Thank you to everyone involved and for bringing me back to OYF in such a special way! Que Siga!'

Jeffrey Rodriguez

(Production Stage Manager). Previously at Paper Mill: A Jolly Holiday, Ever After, Can-Can, Grease, and Disney's The Little Mermaid. Most recent credit: the East Coast premiere of John Leguizamo's new musical, Kiss My Aztec, at Hartford Stage. Broadway credits include the most recent revival of Kiss Me, Kate; Beautiful; In Transit; Thérèse Raquin; Anything Goes; Bye Bye Birdie; Spider-Man; The Drowsy Chaperone; and Spelling Bee. Kennedy Center: Little Shop of Horrors. City Center Encores!: The MostHappy Fella, Applause, Follies. NY Philharmonic/Live from Lincoln Center (PBS): Show Boat, Carousel, Camelot, My Fair Lady. Off-Broadway and Spain: Celia: The Life & Music of Celia Cruz. Graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

Bass/Valle Casting

(Casting), formerly known as Harriet Bass Casting, is a leading NYC boutique casting office. It was an honor to collaborate with Paper Mill Playhouse in casting this exciting production of the musical On Your Feet!. To know more about our upcoming projects and casting philosophy, please visit www.bassvallecasting.com. Instagram: @bassvallecasting

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