Goodman Theatre announces casting for American Mariachi—a hilarious and heartwarming new comedy about the freedom to dream big by José Cruz González, directed by Goodman Resident Artistic Associate Henry Godinez, and presented as part of Chicago Latino Theater Alliance’s Destinos. The Chicago premiere production features live mariachi music on stage from Grammy Award-nominated group Sones de México Ensemble, with music direction by ensemble co-founder Víctor Pichardo (Zulema).
Lucha spends her days caring for her ailing mother, but longs to shake up her 1970s home life. When a forgotten record album sparks her mother’s memory, Lucha and her cousin strike upon a radical idea: to create an all-female mariachi band. Infused with live mariachi music, this “big-hearted, musical tug at the heartstrings,” (Denver Post) reveals how music and love can make just about anything possible.
American Mariachi appears September 18 – October 24 (opening night is Monday, September 27); tickets (starting at $25) are now on sale at GoodmanTheatre.org/Mariachi or by calling 312.443.3800. Health and safety note: Proof of full vaccination with an FDA-authorized vaccine is required for all guests 12+ upon entry into the theater (including audiences and Goodman Theatre artists and staff) and patrons must wear face coverings at all times. Visit GoodmanTheatre.org/Protocols.
“It is deeply gratifying to continue the work we started at Dallas Theater Center,” said Director Henry Godinez. “With this extremely talented company, we have the opportunity revisit this funny, tender-hearted story about family, tradition and memory, all centered around a young woman’s determination to resist cultural boundaries and create new inclusive traditions.”
American Mariachi
- By José Cruz González
- Directed by Henry Godinez
- A Co-Production with Dallas Theater Center
Cast
- Soyla..................Gloria Vivica Benavides
- Amalia................Gigi Cervantes
- Boli.....................Lucy Godínez
- Federico.............Ricardo Gutiérrez
- Isabel.................Molly Hernández
- Tía Carmen........Eréndira Izguerra
- Gabby................Amanda Raquel Martinez
- Mino..................Bobby Plasencia
- Mateo................Christopher Llewyn Ramirez
- Lucha................Tiffany Solano
Musicians
- Juan Díes
- Víctor Pichardo
- Zacbé Pichardo
- Rodolfo "Rudy" Piñón
The creative team includes Linda Buchanan (Set Design), Danielle Nieves (Costume Design), Maria-Cristina Fusté (Lighting Design) and Ray Nardelli (Sound Design). Víctor Pichardo is the Music Director. Casting is by Adam Belcuore and Lauren Port. Briana J. Fahey is the Production Stage Manager and Nikki Blue is the Stage Manager.
ACCESSIBILITY AT GOODMAN THEATRE
Touch Tour: Saturday, October 16 at 12:30pm – Touch tours for the 2012/2022 season will not have access to the stage due to current health and safety protocols, but will feature alternate pre-show sensory introductions.
Audio-Described Performance: Friday, October 16 at 2pm – The action/text is audibly enhanced for patrons via headset.
ASL-Interpreted Performance: Friday, October 22 at 8pm – Professional ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played.
Open-Captioned Performance: Saturday, October 23 at 2pm – An LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance.
Spanish-Captioned Performance: Saturday, October 23 at 8pm – An LED sign presents translated Spanish dialogue in sync with the performance.
Visit Goodman Theatre.org/Access for more information about Goodman Theatre’s accessibility efforts.
ABOUT SONES DE MÉXICO ENSEMBLE
Sones de México Ensemble is Chicago’s premier folk music organization specializing in Mexican ‘son,’ a genre encompassing the roots of mariachi music and other regional styles, including huapango, gustos, chilenas, son jarocho, and more. The ensemble was formed in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood in 1994 by four talented musicians and educators including Víctor Pichardo (music director) and Juan Dies (producer). They soon incorporated as a not-for-profit organization to keep the tradition of Mexican ‘son’ alive in its many regional forms. The group has performed thousands of concerts, released six CDs, concert films and multimedia presentations, and founded a Mexican Music School in Chicago in 2015. The organization is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization with a mission to promote greater appreciation of Mexican folk and traditional music and culture through innovative performance, education, and dissemination. For more information, visit sonesdemexico.com.
ABOUT THE CHICAGO LATINO THEATER ALLIANCE (CLATA)
Since 2016, the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) is committed to showcasing thought provoking works of Latino theater artists, inspiring cross-cultural exchanges, with national/international counterparts. CLATA produces the renowned Destinos: Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, Destinos al Aire, and other programs that preserve cultural heritage and solidify Latino arts and culture in Chicago for generations to come. Follow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at the handle @LATINOTHEATER. For more information, visit clata.org.
ABOUT DALLAS THEATER CENTER
One of the leading regional theaters in the country and the 2017 Regional Theatre Tony Award® Recipient, Dallas Theater Center (DTC) performs to an audience of more than 100,000 people annually. Founded in 1959, DTC is now a resident company of the AT&T Performing Arts Center and presents its Mainstage season at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre and at its original home, the Kalita Humphreys Theater. DTC is one of only two theaters in Texas that is a member of the League of Resident Theatres, the largest and most prestigious non-profit professional theater association in the country. Under the leadership of Enloe/Rose Artistic Director Kevin Moriarty and Managing Director Jeffrey Woodward, Dallas Theater Center produces a year-round subscription series of classics, musicals, and new plays and an annual production of A Christmas Carol. In 2017, in collaboration with Ignite/Arts Dallas at SMU Meadows School of the Arts and the AT&T Performing Arts Center, DTC launched Public Works Dallas, a groundbreaking community engagement and participatory theater project culminating in an annual production featuring more than 200 Dallas citizens performing a large-scale theatrical production. Throughout its history, DTC has produced many new works, including the recent premieres of Stagger Lee by Will Power; Hood: The Robin Hood Musical Adventure by Douglas Carter Beane and Lewis Flinn; penny candy by Jonathan Norton and Clarkston by Samuel D. Hunter. Dallas Theater Center gratefully acknowledges the support of our season sponsors: Texas Instruments and Texas Instruments Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, American Airlines, City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, Lexus, TACA, and Texas Commission on the Arts.
ABOUT THE GOODMAN
Chicago’s theater since 1925, Goodman Theatre is a not-for-profit arts and community organization in the heart of the Loop, distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and community engagement.
Led by Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, the theater’s artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics. Artists and productions have earned two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards and more than 160 Jeff Awards, among other accolades. The Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” It’s longtime annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, now in its fifth decade, has created a new generation of theatergoers in Chicago. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production and program partner with national and international companies and Chicago’s Off-Loop theaters.
Using the tools of the theatrical profession, the Goodman’s Education and Engagement programs aim to develop generations of citizens who understand the cultures and stories of diverse voices. The Goodman’s Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home to these programs, which are offered free of charge for Chicago youth—85% of whom come from underserved communities—schools and life-long learners.
As a cultural and community organization invested in quality, diversity and community, Goodman Theatre is committed to using the art of theater for a better Chicago. Goodman Theatre’s Action Plan for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-Racism and Access (IDEAA) was born out of the belief that progress means action, which includes building on the decades-long commitment to using art, assets and resources to contribute to a more just, equitable and anti-racist society.
Goodman Theatre was founded by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth, an important figure in Chicago’s cultural renaissance in the early 1900s. The Goodman family’s legacy lives on through the continued work and dedication of Kenneth’s family, including Albert Ivar Goodman, who with his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton, contributed the necessary funds for the creation of the new Goodman center in 2000.
Today, Goodman Theatre leadership also includes the distinguished members of the Artistic Collective: Rebecca Gilman, Dael Orlandersmith, Henry Godinez, Steve Scott, Kimberly Senior, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor, Henry Wishcamper and Mary Zimmerman. Jeff Hesse is Chairman of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Fran Del Boca is Women’s Board President and Megan McCarthy Hayes is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.