Wellesley Theatre Project (WTP) will present the musical In the Heights Thursday, August 18 at 7:00 PM, Friday, August 19 at 7:00 PM, and Saturday, August 20 at 2:00 PM. All performances will take place at the Wellesley High School Katherine L. Babson Auditorium, 50 Rice Street, Wellesley. Tickets are priced $12 for adults and $6 for students and seniors, and may be purchased online in advance, or at the door, priced $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.
From the creator of Broadway’s smash hit “Hamilton”, In the Heights is a Tony Award winning story of a vibrant community in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood – a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It’s 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 show’s creator, Lin Manuel Miranda states, “When I see a school production with not a lot of Latino students doing it, I know they’re learning things about Latino culture that go beyond what they’re fed in the media every day. They have to learn those things to play their parts correctly.” WTP is truly committed to this learning experience. The students have worked with a dialect coach, Emmanuel Avellanet to ensure that they understand and correctly pronounce the Spanish mingled throughout the show. Technology even brought them closer to actress Olga Merediz, the actress who originated the role of “Abuela” on Broadway, for a Q & A. Director Ben Rush said, “This has been a great learning experience with the students to engage with characters and a culture that may be different from their own families and expand into styles of performing they are not normally asked to do”.
A talented cast and crew of 33 Summer Production Camp students between the ages of 12 and 18 brings the ensemble of Washington Heights to life. Cast members of In the Heights reside in Wellesley as well as neighboring communities including Needham, Natick, Newton, Waban, Framingham, Dedham, Lexington, Westwood, West Roxbury, and Boston.
In the Heights production staff includes: Ben Rush, Director and Set Designer; Hannah Shihdanian, Choreographer; Eric Anderson, Musical Director; SeifAllah Salotto-Cristobal, Lighting Designer; and Megan Pillsbury, Costume Designer. Music and lyrics are by Tony Award winner for In the Heights and Hamilton, an American Musical, Lin Manuel Miranda. Book by Quiara Alegría Hudes.
Wellesley Theatre Project is an arts academy and a Wellesley nonprofit devoted to providing students (PreK – 12th Grade) with the opportunity to study and experience theatre and performing arts through year round classes, staged productions, workshops and summer camps.
Registration is open for WTP’s Fall classes and productions of High School Musical 2, Jr. and A Christmas Carol.
For more information about In the Heights or upcoming production classes, visit the website at or call 781-235-1550.
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