In the Heights at Labuda Center for the Performing Arts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                           

Contact: Tina Slak, 610.282.WILL [9455]

Tina.Slak@pashakespeare.org

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival launches on the Main Stage with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway Musical Sensation, In the Heights

Center Valley, PA, June 12, 2023—Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival launches its Main Stage summer season with the Tony Award-winning musical In the Heights, previewing Wednesday and Thursday, June 14 and 15, opening Friday, June 16, and running through July 2nd at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of DeSales University.

“In the Heights is a revolutionary musical that paved the way for a new sound and new community of artists on Broadway. I am excited to produce this musical that changed the American stage and is still influencing the genre more than two decades after its first performance,” says Jason King Jones artistic director.

Co-written by Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegria Hudes, In the Heights is set over a Fourth of July weekend in the life of the vibrant neighborhood in New York’s Washington Heights—from the vantage point of Usnavi’s corner bodega, we experience a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind.

The production will be directed by Valeria Cossu, with choreography by Michael Anthony Sylvester, and musical direction by Walter “Bobby” McCoy.

After an extensive European career, Valeria Cossu is taking over New York City as an accomplished director and choreographer. This summer she makes her PSF directorial debut. As this story relates to her family and community, Cossu shares, “I’m an immigrant. I left my hometown Cagliari in Sardinia over 20 years ago. When you are far away, your community and friends become your familia. In the Heights represents this concept in such a powerful way. In the specific telling of the story about the Latino community in Washington Heights, the show opened the doors to everybody who experienced the desire of having opportunities for a better life.”

PSF is thrilled to authentically tell this story with artists from Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and a multitude of ethnicities. "We have (in the cast) first-generation, second-generation, and immigrants, as well. What we are bringing to Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival is the whole Latin diaspora and I think that is very special,” says Choreographer Michael Anthony Sylvester.

When asked about his choreography, Sylvester said: "This show encompasses musical theatre dance, as well as hip-hop, Latin, salsa, and even Afro-Cuban steps. I sprinkled in steps from everybody's nation or country that their family has emigrated from. One of the most exciting things about that is every dancer gets to bring their culture into these steps, which makes it an experience unlike any other, because it's coming personally from the artists as well."

The cast for In the Heights includes the previously announced Ryan Reyes as Usnavi and Danny Bolero as Kevin; who each played their leading roles in previous productions and share a passion for the story. Their combined experience includes credits from Broadway, Off-Broadway, and film and television. More importantly though, what they bring together is a personal narrative as it relates to their own lives and culture.

Reyes reprises the role of Usnavi, following his performance at the Rubicon Theatre Company, in Ventura, California. An alumnus of the DeSales University theatre program and PSF’s Young Company, Reyes says returning to the role “honors the diverse Lantinx communities” and a role he says he personally relates to, “not only with my Boricua roots, but also growing up knowing the struggles of running a business alongside my parents and siblings.”

Bolero has a long history with the show having played the replacement role of Kevin Rosario in the original Broadway production and originating the role in the 1st National Tour. “It’s very seldom that there’s a musical that speaks to Latinos,” Bolero says. “My parents, who were Mexican, came here with very little education, my dad worked three jobs, and together my parents worked to get us a house and put us through private school. It’s that same immigrant story that’s in the show. I had to be a part of it.”

Joining Reyes and Bolero in the principal cast are Luis-Pablo Garcia (Sonny), Tauren Hagans (Camila), Daisy Marie Lopez (Nina), Solomon Parker III (Benny), Ralphie Rivera de Jesús (Graffiti Pete), Kevin Matthew Solis (Piragero), Jacquelin Lorraine Schofield (Abuela Claudia), Ariana Valdes (Daniela), Gabrielle Villarreal (Carla), and Chelsea Zeno (Vanessa); along with ensemble members Hugo Brument, Matthew Carter, Alessandra Casanova, Hector Flores Jr, Miguel Flores, Becky Joy, Anjali Kanter, Yoaldri Messina, Alex Osorio, Oscar Antonio Rodriguez, Fran Tapia, and Marina Vidal.

In the Heights will feature costumes by Jeannette Christensen, lighting design by Max Doolittle, and sound design by Hayat Dominguez. Majo Ferrucho is the stage manager and Kelli Herron is the assistant stage manager.

Audiences can enhance the experience before every performance with live music and a variety of dining options “On the Green;” an Opening Night post-show champagne toast with the PSF Company on Friday, June 16; a Director’s Dinner on Wednesday, June 28, at 5pm; a talk-back with the actors after the show on Thursday, June 22 and 29; and an Audio Described and Open Captioned performance on Wednesday, June 28, at 7:30pm.
 

The Production Sponsor for In the Heights is Alvin H. Butz, the Production Co-Sponsors are Diefenderfer Electrical and Fitzpatrick, Lentz, & Bubba; and the Orchestra Sponsors are Allen Organs and Uline.

The 2023 Season Sponsors are Yvonne Payne and Edward Spitzer. The Associate Season Sponsors are Douglas Dykhouse, Linda Lapos and Paul Wirth, Kathleen Kund Nolan and Timothy E. Nolan, The Szarko Family, and Harry C. Trexler Trust.

Subscriptions and single tickets can be purchased online or by calling 610.282.WILL [9455] or by visiting the PSF box office at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts. The Festival encourages patrons to order early for the best seating options.

Summer 2023 Season:

Schubert Stage: Henry IV, Part 2 (May 31 to June 11); James and the Giant Peach (July 7 to Aug 5); Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill (July 19 to August 6).

Main Stage: In the Heights (June 14 to July 2); The Tempest (July 12 to August 6); Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (July 20 to August 6); Shakespeare for Kids (July 26 to August 5).

Outdoor Summer Stage: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again] (June 28 to July 16).

“Play On!” A Midsummer Night’s Dream Community Tour: (June 2 to June 18).

About Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival is the only professional Equity theatre of its scope and scale within a 50-mile radius. PSF is one of only a handful of theatres on the continent producing Shakespeare, musicals, classics, and contemporary plays, all of which can normally be seen in repertory and in multiple spaces within a few visits in a single summer season. Similarly, PSF was among just a handful of theatres on the continent in recent summers to produce three Shakespeare plays in a single summer season. A patron would have to travel seven to nine hours from PSF to find a comparable range of offerings at a single theatre within a few weeks’ time.

The Festival’s award-winning company of many world-class artists includes Broadway, film, and television veterans, and winners and nominees of the Tony, Emmy, Obie, Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, Jefferson, Hayes, Lortel, and Barrymore awards. A leading Shakespeare theatre with a national reputation for excellence, PSF has received coverage in The Washington Post, NPR, American Theatre Magazine, Playbill.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and in recent seasons The New York Times has identified PSF as one of the leading summer theatre festivals in the nation. “A world-class theater experience on a par with the top Bard fests,” is how one New York Drama Desk reviewer characterized PSF.

Founded in 1992 and the Official Shakespeare Festival of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, PSF’s mission is to enrich, inspire, engage, and entertain the widest possible audience through first-rate productions of classical and contemporary plays, with a core commitment to Shakespeare and other master dramatists, and through an array of education and mentorship programs. A not-for-profit theatre, PSF receives significant support from its host, DeSales University, from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Traditionally, with 150 performances over ten weeks, the Festival attracts patrons each summer from 30+ states. In 30 years, PSF has offered 200+ total productions (82 Shakespeare), and entertained 1,000,000+ patrons from 50 states, now averaging 34,000-40,000 in attendance each summer season, plus another 13,000 students each year through its WillPower Tour to schools. PSF is a multi-year recipient of awards from the National Endowment for the Arts: Shakespeare in American Communities, and is a constituent of Theatre Communications Group, and the Shakespeare Theatre Association (STA). In 2013, leaders of the world’s premiere Shakespeare theatres gathered at PSF as the Festival hosted the international STA Conference. The Festival’s vision is for world-class theatre.

Artistic Leadership:

Jason King Jones, Artistic Director

Casey William Gallagher, Managing Director

Dennis Razze, Associate Artistic Director

JASON KING JONES (Artistic Director, Director, The Tempest) Prior to moving to the Lehigh Valley with his family, Jason spent ten years at Maryland’s Olney Theatre Center, where he served as Senior Associate Artistic Director and Artistic Director of National Players, America’s longest-running touring theatre company. At Olney, Jason directed over twenty productions, mentored over 200 early-career theatre makers, and established various in-school and summer educational programs. As a freelance director, Jason has worked across the US, including the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles and the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Jason is an Acting Company alumnus, a proud member of the PSF Board, and a member of the Shakespeare Theatre Association’s IDEAA Committee. Jason holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from Missouri State and an MFA in Directing from Boston University.

CASEY WILLIAM GALLAGHER (Managing Director) has worked at PSF for 25 seasons. Over the years he was the assistant house manager, box office manager, company manager, assistant producer, and director of development. Since 2004, in his role as general manager and later managing director, he has served as the administrative leader of the Festival, working very closely with the box office, business, development, marketing and production departments. Casey is excited to now serve as co-leader of the Festival with Artistic Director Jason King Jones.  Beyond PSF, Casey has also been treasurer for the Shakespeare Theatre Association, director of audience services for The People’s Light & Theatre Company, a board member for Civic Theatre of Allentown, a peer panelist for the New Jersey Council on the Arts and a judge for the Greater Philadelphia Barrymore Awards for excellence in theatre. 

DENNIS RAZZE (Associate Artistic Director) was one of the founding members of PSF back in 1992. Since then, he has directed over twenty productions for PSF including Ragtime, Les Misérables, Evita, Sweeney Todd, South Pacific, West Side Story, Oklahoma!, Fiddler on the Roof, 1776, Cyrano de Bergerac, My Fair Lady, Man of La Mancha, Amadeus, Twelfth Night, The Taming of the Shrew and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Mr. Razze has been a faculty member at DeSales for the last thirty-nine years and served as chair of the theatre department from 2003 to 2020. Besides directing, Mr. Razze has worked as an actor and a composer. He composed the scores for many PSF and Act One productions. Mr. Razze will be retiring from DeSales at the end of this summer, but he plans to continue working as a freelance director.

Cast and Creative Team:

DANNY BOLERO* (Kevin, Heights) was recently awarded the prestigious 2023 Bistro Award and the 2023 MAC award for his critically acclaimed one-man show, They Call Me Cuban Pete, the music and genius of Desi Arnaz in which he plays I Love Lucy star, Desi Arnaz. Danny is thrilled to be part of PSF, working again with Valeria Cossu on this special show. Danny made his Broadway debut in Webber's Joseph…, returning to Broadway in 2009 in In the Heights, which led to him originating the role of Kevin on the 1st National Tour. Last year he appeared on Broadway again in Plaza Suite, starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Mathew Broderick. He comes to us straight from an intense 29-hour reading of the Broadway-bound musical The Buena Vista Social Club; his latest film Townhouse Confidential is currently streaming on a TV near you, as well as his VO work as Abuelo on Alma's Way, for PBS Kids. dbolero.com.

HUGO BRUMENT (Ensemble, Heights) is a dancer and choreographer from Paris, France. Regional: On Your Feet!, West Side Story, Singin’ in the Rain, Hello, Dolly!. Commercial work: dancer for Disney, assistant choreographer for Uniqlo. Associate artistic director of Misty Dance Theater (@misty_dance_theater). Hugo writes and directs films. His latest short, Depending on the Music is currently running in film festivals.

MATTHEW CARTER (Ensemble, Heights) a Nebraska native, received a Bachelor of Music (Vocal Performance) from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Previous regional companies include the New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players, San Antonio Broadway Theatre, Mill Mountain Theatre, Michael Anthony Theatrical, and Crane River Theater. Favorite regional credits: Tom Collins in RENT, Eddie in Sister Act, Dr. Madden in Next to Normal, Daniel in Once on This Island, and Princeton in Avenue Q. @matthew_v_carter

ALESSANDRA CASANOVA (Ensemble, Heights) from Dorado, Puerto Rico is a recent graduate of Syracuse University’s Department of Drama and she is so excited to be a part of Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival’s summer season! She has been recently seen in BAS Entertainment’s West Side Story in Puerto Rico as Minnie, ENCANTO: Una Historia de Amor Boricua as Viviana at El Teatro Tapia in Viejo San Juan, PR (principal debut), and Syracuse Stage’s Matilda: The Musical as ensemble and u/s Mrs. Wormwood. @alecsnva

JEANETTE CHRISTENSEN (Costume Designer, Heights) is a Helen Hayes nominated costume designer, illustrator, and fashion stylist based in Baltimore, MD. She has most notably designed costumes for the Broadway national tour of On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan (2022-2023) and the national tour/world premiere of Don't let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (2019). She has designed throughout DC with The Kennedy Center, Gala Hispanic Theatre, Theater Alliance, 4615 Theatre, Olney Theatre Center, Pointless Theatre, Imagination Stage, Monumental Theatre, Dance Exchange, and Mosaic Theater. She has assisted with costume designs at American Players Theater, Roundhouse Theatre, Folger Theatre, Wolf Trap Opera, and Studio Theater. She has worked as a costume designer/mentor with Arizona State University, University of Maryland, Bowie State University, American University, and George Washington University. She recently launched her own clothing brand, called Ronni-X. Education: BA in Design & Production from Arizona State University, MFA in Design from the University of Maryland. Find more of her work at jchristensendesign.com

VALERIA COSSU (Director, Heights) began her career as a performer at the Opera Lirica in Italy, dancing in prestigious productions such as Rigoletto, La Traviata, Don Giovanni, Carmen, Nabucco, and La Vida Breve. She toured Europe as part of several dance and theatre companies, such as MAYUMANA and Yllana. With MAYUMANA, she discovered the body percussion technique and created her own unique style that brought her to teach and choreograph in Perú, Colombia, Spain, and America. Her international experience and collaboration with excellence in the body percussion field gave Valeria the opportunity to improve her style fusioning with Flamenco, Zapateo Peruano, tap dancing and stepping. Valeria served as John Rando’s assistant director on the Broadway production of The Wedding Singer in Spain. Upon moving to NYC, she choreographed Ser o no Cer...Vantes, 2011 R.Evolución Latina Choreographers Festival, BOUNTIFUL, To Be Or Not To Be, and The Tempest. As a director in NYC, she won Best Director for the musical Discovering Magenta, and the play Until Death Do Us Part was nominated for Best Play (New York Theater Festival). Valeria joined Salgado Productions working alongside Luis Salgado as associate director/choreographer in many productions such as Candela: Fuerza y Pasión, In The Heights, Ragtime, Fame, Aida, Matilda, and the World Premiere of On Your Feet! en Español. Recently she served as choreographer/associate director in the LONJ production of La Bohème.

MAX DOOLITTLE (Lighting Designer, Heights) Regional: Ford’s Theatre, Woolly Mammoth, Folger Theatre, Signature Theatre, Olney Theater Center, Mosaic Theater, Theater Alliance, Theater J, Rep Stage, The Kennedy Center, The Second City, Imagination Stage, Forum Theater, Adventure Theatre, Constellation Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Academy for Classical Acting, Pointless Theatre Co., NextStop Theatre. NYC: Ars Nova, Juilliard School, New Ohio Theatre, New World Stages. Regional: Geffen Playhouse, Santa Fe Playhouse, Kitchen Theatre Company, Great Lakes Center for the Arts, Fulton Theatre. Lighting direction for television includes Anderson Cooper 360, Piers Morgan Live. Aboard Cruise Ships: Wine Lovers, The Musical. BFA: Ithaca College. MFA: University of Maryland.

HAYAT DOMINGUEZ (Sound Designer, Heights) is happy to join Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival for the first time, designing Sound for In the Heights. Hayat received their MFA in Sound Design and Technology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and their BFA in Theatre Technology from the University of South Dakota. Hayat is a current Lecturer of Sound Design and Technology at Texas State University and has worked for such companies as Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Santa Fe Opera, Lees-McRae Summer Theatre, and more. They have done work with opera, dance, theatre, musicals, cirque, devised work, concerts, musicians, and many more.

MAJO FERRUCHO* (Stage Manager, Heights) is a Colombian production stage manager and producer. Has worked on numerous productions. Selected credits as Stage Manager: Arrabal directed by Sergio Trujillo; Beauty and the Beast with Disney Theatrical Group directed by Lynne Kurdziel Formato; Blood Wedding directed by Andres Gallardo; On Your Feet! en Español, directed by Luis Salgado; The Sound of Music; Peter Pan; Fame and recently traveled with On Your Feet! U.S. National Tour. Selected credits as Producer: The Last 5 Years; Daddy Long Legs; The Lion. Selected credits as Producer/General Manager: Vida starring Carolina Gaitán; Every Brilliant Thing starring Amalia Andrade.

HÉCTOR FLORES, JR* (Ensemble, Dance Captain, Heights) is a NYC based Director, Choreographer, Performer & Producer.  As an artist whose work meets at the intersection of Art & Policy he is excited to jump back into "The Barrio” to tell this beautiful story with amazing artists. TV: “Puerto Rico Special” & “Not Your White House Correspondents Dinner” (Full Frontal W/Samantha Bee). Theatre: Mamma Mia! (Eddie), West Side Story (Bernardo), On Your Feet! (Kenny), In the Heights (Piraguero), Kiss Me Kate (Swing) Sueños: Our American Musical (Assoc. Chor.) and Xena Warrior Musical (Choreographer). Flores was a cohort in the first ever Afro-Latin Immersion at Jacob's Pillow. He's also an executive staff member of NewYorkTheatreBarn (Nytheatrebarn.org) which is an incubatory home for original culture shifting musicals. @HectorFloresJr35

MIGUEL FLORES (Ensemble, Heights) was born and raised in Puerto Rico. He has performed in New York City, Las Vegas, Disney World, and Royal Caribbean International. He was recently seen on the Second National Broadway Tour of On Your Feet!. @guelo.flores

LUIS-PABLO GARCIA* (Sonny, Heights) is a 21-year old first generation Cuban-American and Miami native. He graduated from New World School of the Arts High School in 2020 and attended Webster Conservatory of Theatre Arts. Garcia has recently been seen in the world premiere and pre-broadway tryout of The Karate Kid: The Musical and In the Heights at Stages St.Louis and Rubicon Theatre.

TAUREN HAGANS* (Camila, u/s Abuela, Heights)  is a New York native who currently lives in the Bronx. Tauren has performed in In the Heights with the National Tour (Daniela), as well as at The Fulton Theatre (Daniela), Stages St. Louis (Camila) and Mill Mountain Theatre (Abuela).  Some of her favorite credits include the world premiere of the new musical Far From Canterbury (The Oracle) at The Barnstormers Theater, Mamma Mia! (Rosie), 9 to 5 the Musical (Roz) both at Flat Rock Playhouse, and Pride and Prejudice (Mrs. Bennet) at Greenbrier Valley Theatre.

KELLI HERRON* (Assistant Stage Manager, Heights) earned her B.A. in Theatre from the University of Tennessee where she worked at the Clarence Brown Theatre as a Stage Manager and Assistant Stage Manager on several productions including The Busy Body, the world premieres of both The Strangers and People Where They Are, Candide, The Real Inspector Hound, and Airness. She then moved on to work as Arkansas Repertory Theatre’s resident Assistant Stage Manager for all productions, some including the world premiere of Designing Women, School Girls, Into the Woods, Guys and Dolls, and most recently Little Shop of Horrors.

QUIARA ALEGRÍA HUDES (Book, In the Heights) is a playwright, professor of writing and theater at Wesleyan University, and native of West Philly, U.S.A. Hailed for her work's exuberance, intellectual rigor, and rich imagination, her plays and musicals have been performed around the world. They are: Water By the Spoonful, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama; In the Heights, winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and Pulitzer finalist; Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue, another Pulitzer finalist; Daphne's Dive; The Good Peaches; Miss You Like Hell; and The Happiest Song Plays Last. Hudes is a playwright in residence at New York's Signature Theater and a proud alum of Philadelphia Young Playwrights.

BECKY JOY (Dance Apprentice, Heights) (she/her) is a Bethlehem based artist and recent graduate from the DeSales University dance program. In the fall, she plans to finish her second major in early childhood education. Before college, she attended the Center for Performing and Fine Arts where she studied dance, theater, music, and film. Currently, she combines her love of dance and education at Acrodynamics, an acrobatics and dance studio in Telford, PA, where she manages the recreational dance program. Her most notable stage performances include dance works by Antonio Brown, Matthew Neenan, E’lise Jumes, Jessie Young, and a historical reconstruction of Paul Taylor’s Cloven Kingdom (excerpts).

ANJALI KANTER (Ensemble, Heights) was primarily raised in Santa Fe, NM but first moved to NYC when she was 16 years old to pursue her dream of becoming a professional dancer. Amongst many other things, some of her credits include, performing on tour with the second national tour of The King and I, the opportunity to work with Josh Bergasse on his workshop of A Crossing, and performed in a production of In The Heights last summer at Madison Theater.

DAISY MARIE LOPEZ* (Nina, Heights) is a proud Mexican American from Los Angeles, California! She is a recent graduate of Hussian College, receiving her BFA in musical theatre and film. She is so grateful and excited to be in another production of her favorite show, after making her debut at La Mirada’s production of In The Heights.

WALTER “BOBBY” MCCOY (Music Director, Heights) (He/They), is a proud Nicaraguan-American and Washington D.C. based pianist, contractor and music director. Music Direction Credits include: NEW YORK: Xanadu, The World Goes‘ Round (The Mac-Haydn Theatre). ST. LOUIS: In The Heights (STAGES St. Louis). WASHINGTON DC: A Strange Loop (AFM contractor) (Woolly Mammoth), A.D. 16 (Asst MD), Beauty and the Beast, Miss You Like Hell, Annie (Olney Theatre Center);  On Your Feet! En Español, Fame: in Spanish (2021 HH Nom), In The Heights in Spanish (2018 HH WINNER, Outstanding Musical Direction) (Gala Hispanic Theatre); Legally Blonde (2020 HH WINNER, Outstanding Musical Direction) (Keegan Theatre); Little Shop of Horrors (2020 HH Nom), Aida (2019 HH Nom), The Wild Party (2018 HH Nom) (Constellation Theatre). IG: @wmccoymusic94

YOALDRI MESSINA (Ensemble, Heights) a native of Caracas, Venezuela, is proud to be part of such an amazing and inspiring production and cast. Her passion for dance led her to pursue a formal dance education in her home country and the United States. Credits: Latin Billboards, Univision, Telemundo, ABC, NY Pops Up, Broadway Bares, NBA half-time show MSG Awards: World Salsa Champion Top 5 soloist, Best Female Soloist Phidias Award, and 1st place Salsa Couple Cabaret Style.

LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA (Conceived and Music & Lyrics, Heights) is a Pulitzer Prize, Grammy, Emmy and Tony award-winning songwriter, actor and director. He is the creator and original star of Broadway’s Tony-winning Hamilton and In the Heights. His additional Broadway credits include Freestyle Love Supreme (2020 Special Tony Award recipient, co-founder, guest star), Bring It On: The Musical (co-composer/co-lyricist, Tony nomination for Best Musical), and West Side Story (2009 revival, Spanish translations). Miranda is the recipient of the 2015 MacArthur Foundation Award, the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors and the 2019 Portrait of a Nation Prize. He received an Emmy Award with Tom Kitt for their song “Bigger” from the 67th Annual Tony Awards. Mr. Miranda and The Miranda Family actively support initiatives that increase the representation of people of color throughout the arts and government, ensure access to women’s reproductive health, and promote resilience in Puerto Rico. His 2021 film credits include: In The Heights, Vivo, Encanto and his directorial film debut, tick, tick… BOOM! Additional TV/film credits include: Hamilton, His Dark Materials, Fosse/Verdon, We The People, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Curb Your Enthusiasm (2018 Emmy Nomination, Guest Actor), Saturday Night Live (2017 Emmy Nomination, Guest Actor), Sesame Street, The Electric Company, House, DuckTales, 200 Cartas, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Moana (2017 Oscar nomination, Grammy Award for Best Original Song) and Mary Poppins Returns. Miranda received his B.A. from Wesleyan University in 2002. He lives with his family in New York.

ALEX OSORIO (Ensemble, Heights) is beyond grateful to be in this production of In The Heights, and making her Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival debut! Favorite credits include: On Your Feet!, In the Heights, West Side Story, Man of La Mancha. Proud Montclair State University Alum, Dance BFA. Follow to see my next adventure @lexosorio.

SOLOMON PARKER III* (Benny, Heights) is thrilled to be working with PSF! Regional: Olney Theatre Center: Kinky Boots (Lola). Signature Theater: The Color Purple (Harpo) [Helen Hayes for Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Musical], Hotter Than July: A Stevie Wonder Cabaret, RENT, Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Andre), Grand Hotel, Billy Elliot, Jesus Christ Superstar. Ford’s Theatre: The Wiz, A Christmas Carol, Grace the Musical (Lawrence), Fords Gala 2022. Monumental Theatre Co: Pippin (Leading Player) [Helen Hayes nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Musical], Sunday Funday (Host), Montgomery, Bashful. Keegan Theatre: Legally Blonde, Halloween Gala ‘21. Toby's Dinner Theatre: Kinky Boots, Dreamgirls, Hairspray; Red Branch Theatre Company: Dogfight. Film: After Midnight dir. Jared Grimes, Signature Vinyl. EDUCATION: Montgomery College. Rep: The Mine. TheSolomonexperience.com Instagram @thesolomonexperience

RYAN REYES* (Usnavi, Heights) is a proud Puerto Rican actor from New Jersey who is very excited to be coming back to his stomping grounds! This is full circle for Ryan as he returns to PSF not only as a performer but also as an alumni of the DeSales Theatre program. Ryan’s previous roles include: !Americano¡ as Fro Valdovinos (Off-Broadway), Usnavi in In the Heights at the Rubicon Theatre with director Luis Salgado, Chino in West Side Story at Florida Repertory Theatre, Ritchie Valens in Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story at North Shore Music Theatre. When not on the stage, Ryan is a horse trainer and a stuntman for western independent films. @iam_ryanreyes.

RALPHIE RIVERA DE JESÚS (Graffiti Pete, Heights) is a dancer, teacher and choreographer. Among his most recent contracts are On Your Feet! National Tour cast as Ensemble, u/s Nayib and Young Emilio, On Your Feet! and In the Heights in Puerto Rico. He has collaborated with some of the top ballet companies in Puerto Rico: BCPR, BNPR. Two times World Salsa Open Champion in the same gender duo category. Part of his dance credits include Atención Atención, Buscabulla, Lizbeth Román, Christian Daniel, Laura Pausini, Ken Y. He’s currently part of the contemporary dance collective Claroscuro.

OSCAR ANTONIO RODRIGUEZ (Ensemble, Heights) holds an M.F.A. Dance degree from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.  Theater credits: Evita (Swing); On Your Feet! (Swing); In the Heights (Ensemble); West Side Story x 2 (Bernardo, Pepe); Saturday Night Fever (Ensemble/Salsation Choreographer); Chicago (Fred Casely/Ensemble); Encores! The Life (Pre-Production). Oscar traveled to Saudi Arabia to be part of Mu’allaqatna, the first Saudi musical. He was featured in Steven Spielberg's remake of West Side Story, Rebecca Miller’s upcoming film She Came to Me, Dancing with The Stars Costa Rica, Dancing Through… produced by the TANK NYC and Theatre Dance Vietnam, and Aida at the MET Opera. Oscar has performed with Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance and Amanda Selwyn Dance Theatre. @oscarantonio0704

JAQUELIN LORRAINE SHOFIELD* (Abuela Claudia, Heights)  is a proud Afro-Latina and Air Force Veteran, who hails from Brooklyn, NY. She is also a very gifted home chef. Honors: Ovation and NAACP Theater Award winner (The Color Purple). After a successful run of Diane Frolov’s new musical, Come Get Maggie, she is overjoyed to be making her PA Shakespeare Festival debut, as Abuela Claudia, in their production of In the Heights. Other Theatre Credits: The Crucible (Theatricum); The Color Purple (Greenway); Sister Act (CASA) Bronco Billy, The Musical (Skylight); Bad Habits (Ruskin Group); How We Got On (Sacred Fools); Rapunzel Alone (The Wallis/24th Street); In the Heights (La Mirada Theatre); Camille (Santa Clarita Shakes); and A Great Wilderness (Rogue Machine).

KEVIN MATTHEW SOLIS (Piraga Guy & u/s Usnavi, Heights) is extremely excited to be making his PSF debut! Regional credits include: In the Heights, Into The Woods, Public Works Dallas: The Odyssey, and Babalu: La Vida Es Muy Larga (Dallas Theater Center); How The Grinch Stole Christmas (The Old Globe); In the Heights (La Mirada); The House on Mango Street (Cara Mía Theater Co); Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare Dallas); and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Casa Mañana). @Sirkevykev

MICHAEL ANTHONY SYLVESTER (Choreographer, Heights) Performance Credits include: TV: MTV MOVIE AWARDS (2015), BET Soul Train Awards Commercial feat. Eryka Badu, Season 1 of Todrick on MTV (Dancer, Vocalist) and DANCE MOMS!!! STAGE: Guys and Dolls (Rusty Charlie), In the Heights (Graffiti Pete) Dallas Theatre Center, West Side Story (Pepe) Lyric of Oklahoma, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Benjamin) Casa Manana Theatre, Beauty and the Beast (Lumiere) Broadway Bares: XXX 30th Anniversary and many more. Choreography Credits: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Beauty and The Beast, In The Heights, Spring Awakening, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (World Premiere) Rosie Revere Engineer TheaterworksUSA, Junie B.'s Essential Survival Guide to School TheaterWorksUSA,  All Shook Up (Column Award Winner for Best Choreography) and is a recipient of the Column Awards Chita Rivera Best Male Dancer Award. He also choreographed the family friendly movie Rising Stars starring Kyle Riabko (Spring Awakening), Leon Thomas III (Victorious, August Rush), and recording artist Rebecca St. James!! Available on Amazon Prime Video.

FRAN TAPIA (Ensemble, & u/s Camila, u/s Daniela, Heights) is a Chilean singer, songwriter, actor & dancer, currently performing the principal role of Gloria Fajardo in On Your Feet! Broadway National Tour 2022-2023 (US) and joining this In The Heights production for the summer. International credits: On Your Feet!, En Español (US) World premiere as Gloria Fajardo & u/s Gloria Estefan; CATS (Chile); Tirana - La leyenda (Chile); Emergenz (Chile, Germany); Rite of Spring (Chile, Germany, France, Netherlands). 2023 BWW Washington, DC Award as Best Supporting Performer in a Musical. Current 2023 Helen Hayes Awards nominee as Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Musical. Fran is working on her first solo album and is host and creator of “Divino Tesoro”, a podcast on LGBTQI+ childhood (Spotify). Website frantapia.com IG: @franciscatl

ARIANA VALDES* (Daniela, Heights) (she/they) is a Cuban-American multi-hyphenate creative based in NYC. National Tours: The Sound of Music (u/s Mother Abbess), My Fair Lady (Mrs. Hopkins). Off-Broadway: The Green Room. Regional: In the Heights (Daniela), Sister Act (Mary Patrick), The Sound of Music (Mother Abbess), Beauty and the Beast (Madame Wardrobe), Seussical (Sour Kangaroo), Jerry Springer: The Opera (Peaches/Baby Jane), Shrek (Dragon), Hamlet (Gertrude). Workshops: Little Duende, El Otro Oz. Paper Mill Playhouse, STAGES St. Louis, Gateway Playhouse, Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, Westchester Broadway, Arizona Broadway, SpeakEasy Stage, Forestburgh Playhouse, Engeman Theater, Palace Theatre, TheatreWorksUSA, York Theatre Company, Scranton Shakespeare Festival. Boston Conservatory. Gregg Baker Management. Private voice teacher/owner of The Mixed Voice Studio and Artistic Director of the Ensign-Darling Vocal Fellowship New Voices at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts. www.ArianaValdes.com @arianavaldiva

MARINA VIDAL (Ensemble & u/s Vanessa, Heights) (she/her) is ecstatic to join the company of In The Heights. Having built a prominent career in her native country, Brazil, Marina moved to the USA to expand her artistic skills. She’s a New York Film Academy Musical Theater graduate and was recently seen on the 2nd Broadway National Tour of On Your Feet!. Favorite Credits: A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine Revival (J2 Spotlight Company). On Your Feet! (Engeman Theater), Reveillon Branco (Lortel Theatre). Other credits: Legally Blonde, Carrie: The Musical, Theater of Dreams (Broadway Cares/Equity Fight AIDS). Marina is a proud and active member of the LGBTQI+ community as well as a Queer comic on TikTok. IG & TikTok: @_marinavidal.

GABRIELLE VILLARREAL (Carla, Heights) (she/her) is thrilled to be returning to the heights this summer! She is currently in her senior year pursuing a BFA in Musical Theatre at CAP21 Conservatory/Molloy University and a member of The Miranda Family Fellowship. She recently has been seen in Elf, In The Heights and The Madison Theatre Celebration at The Madison Theatre.

CHELSEA ZENO* (Vanessa, Heights) Special thanks to Mikey Sylvester for encouraging me to step into this role again! Favorite Credits: Distant Thunder (Shareen) at First Americans Museum directed by Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Hunchback of Notre Dame (Esmeralda) with Fuse Productions, In the Heights (Vanessa) directed by Nick DeGruccio. Chelsea also sings with the Disney tribute band The Little Mermen, as well as with the NY based pop group Emergency Tiara. @chelsea_zeno

ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION (AEA) was founded in 1913 as the first of the American actor unions. Equity’s mission is to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Today, Equity represents more than 40,000 actors, singers, dancers and stage managers working in hundreds of theatres across the United States. Equity members are dedicated to working in the theatre as a profession, upholding the highest artistic standards.

Authors

• Lin-Manuel Miranda
• Quiara Alegría Hudes

Tony Awards and Nominations for In the Heights