Photos taken by Andrés Felipe Jiménez.
WE'VE GONE GLOBAL
Emmy award-nominated composer Brian Quijada has been commissioned for HERO Theatre and HERO Multimedia’s Nuestro Planeta.
Quijada will create an original piece with music about the effects of the climate crisis, specifically in Central America.
HERO founding artistic director Elisa Bocanegra met Quijada at New York Stage and Film, where he was workshopping his musical, Mexodus. "I love that Brian creates out of a passion for social justice," she says. "I want Nuestro Planeta to address how the climate crisis affects Central American communities. Brian, being Salvadoran-American, feels a deep personal connection to the project. We're both very excited for this."
Check out American Theatre Magazine's recent profile on Quijada and his brother, Marvin Quijada, "Dos Hermanos Sueñan: Marvin and Brian Quijada’s Shared Story", naming both multi-hyphenate brothers as "exciting and innovative theatremakers".
Quijada is an actor, playwright and composer whose original work has been developed and produced all across the country. His hip-hop solo show Where Did We Sit on the Bus? has been produced at Victory Gardens, Geva Theatre (Emmy nomination for digital stream), Teatro Vista (Jeff Award), Ensemble Studio Theatre (Drama Desk nomination), Boise Contemporary, 1st Stage, City Theatre Pittsburgh, and a digital production at Actors Theatre of Louisville (Drama League nomination). His play Kid Prince and Pablo premiered at the Kennedy Center in 2019. His plays have been developed at The Kennedy Center, Pittsburgh CLO's Spark Festival, Victory Gardens' Ignition Festival, New Stage and Film's Powerhouse Festival, and The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Musical Theatre Conference. Commissioning institutions include A.R.T., 1st Stage, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Wooly Mammoth and The Kennedy Center. He is a proud member of The Ensemble Studio Theatre. Brian's song "The Always Song" was the 2021's Hispanic Heritage Month Song for Nickelodeon. Select acting credits include Bobbie Clearly at Roundabout, Oedipus El Rey at The Public Theater, My Mañana Comes at Playwrights Realm, How We Got On and Airness at Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival. TV: Blue Bloods, Manhattan Love Story. Brian is a proud ensemble member of Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York.
Quijada will create an original piece with music about the effects of the climate crisis, specifically in Central America.
HERO founding artistic director Elisa Bocanegra met Quijada at New York Stage and Film, where he was workshopping his musical, Mexodus. "I love that Brian creates out of a passion for social justice," she says. "I want Nuestro Planeta to address how the climate crisis affects Central American communities. Brian, being Salvadoran-American, feels a deep personal connection to the project. We're both very excited for this."
Check out American Theatre Magazine's recent profile on Quijada and his brother, Marvin Quijada, "Dos Hermanos Sueñan: Marvin and Brian Quijada’s Shared Story", naming both multi-hyphenate brothers as "exciting and innovative theatremakers".
Quijada is an actor, playwright and composer whose original work has been developed and produced all across the country. His hip-hop solo show Where Did We Sit on the Bus? has been produced at Victory Gardens, Geva Theatre (Emmy nomination for digital stream), Teatro Vista (Jeff Award), Ensemble Studio Theatre (Drama Desk nomination), Boise Contemporary, 1st Stage, City Theatre Pittsburgh, and a digital production at Actors Theatre of Louisville (Drama League nomination). His play Kid Prince and Pablo premiered at the Kennedy Center in 2019. His plays have been developed at The Kennedy Center, Pittsburgh CLO's Spark Festival, Victory Gardens' Ignition Festival, New Stage and Film's Powerhouse Festival, and The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Musical Theatre Conference. Commissioning institutions include A.R.T., 1st Stage, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Wooly Mammoth and The Kennedy Center. He is a proud member of The Ensemble Studio Theatre. Brian's song "The Always Song" was the 2021's Hispanic Heritage Month Song for Nickelodeon. Select acting credits include Bobbie Clearly at Roundabout, Oedipus El Rey at The Public Theater, My Mañana Comes at Playwrights Realm, How We Got On and Airness at Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival. TV: Blue Bloods, Manhattan Love Story. Brian is a proud ensemble member of Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York.
Research and Development Trip Highlights: January 2023
“I thought about how El Salvador felt so much like my home in an alternate universe where my parents never left. How I never once felt othered in the way I often feel in the States. I thought about how grateful I was to Elisa, Felipe, and Hero Theatre. I thought about what further steps I can personally take to slow down climate change. I thought about our world leaders and their legislation toward a more sustainable planet. I thought about my brother. I thought about the play that will come out of this. I thought about hope.”
–- Brian Quijada
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STAY TUNED AS WE ANNOUNCE OUR COMMISSIONED ARTISTS FOR
Ecuador, Costa Rica, and more!
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