Theatreworks USA (Barbara Pasternack, Artistic Dir.; Ken Arthur, Producing Dir.),the nation's leading not-for-profit professional theatre for family audiences, is pleased to announce that Tony Award winner Chita Rivera will serve as Honorary Chair of its 23rd Annual Free Summer Theatre Program. This summer's featured production is the world premiere of the new Latin-themed children's musical THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD.

THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD begins performances on Tuesday, July 19, 2010 at Off-Broadway's Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher St.) and continues through Friday, August 19. Opening Night is set for Wednesday, July 27 at 6:30 p.m. 

Click your heels together "tres veces" and take a magical journey with THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD, an all-new salsa and merengue-infused musical inspired by The Wizard of Oz.

In Chicago, the windy city, Dora Inez Garza is preparing for her fifteenth birthday celebration -- a traditional quinceanera.  Her mother and uncles have worked so hard to make it an exciting fiesta for her, but Dora, feeling caught between the expectations of her heritage and her desire to be like any other contemporary American teenager, doesn't understand why the tradition is so important to her family.  

With a little help from a mysterious woman and her enchanted gift, Dora is swept up into a gran tornado that drops her (and her little chiuahua, too) in a magical world where she must slip on the ruby zapatillas and take a journey of self-discovery, dancing down the yellow brick road.  

She seeks the only person who can help her return to the world she knows -- the superstar with all the answers: the Wizard of Oz -- la Maravillosa Maga de Oz.  Along the way she befriends a tongue-tied scarecrow, a heartless iron chef and a cowardly mountain lion, but a crazy, mean bruja intent on total world domination will stop at nothing to steal Dora's stylish, yet super powerful shoes.  

Come along to the Emerald City with Dora and her friends as she discovers the power of embracing who you are, understanding where you come from and knowing "home" is always a heartbeat away. With all-new songs written in contemporary Latin musical styles, THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD promises to be a Ozzsome adventure!

Directed by Devanand Janki (Junie B. Jones) and choreographed by Janki and Robert Tatad (Junie B. Jones), THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD features a book by Mando Alvarado and Tommy Newman, and music and lyrics by Jaime Lozano and Newman.

THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD stars Virginia Cavaliere as Dora, Lexi Rhoades as Carnival Gloria / The Wizard, Natalie Toro as La Bruja, Ryan Duncan as Scarecrow,Frank Viveros as Tino and Cedric Leiba Jr. as Mountain Lion. Joshua Cruz andDesiree Rodriguez are the understudies.

Tickets for THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD are FREE and available on a first-come, first-served basis in-person at the Lucille Lortel Theatre Box Office (121 Christopher St.) on the day of the performance. Tickets for each day's performances will be distributed beginning one hour prior to the first performance of the day. There is a limit of four (4) tickets per adult per day.

THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD is a 60-minute, one-act musical, recommended for children ages seven (7) and up. The performance schedule is as follows:

Monday through Friday - 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Sunday - 2 p.m.

SCHEDULE EXCEPTIONS: There are no 1 p.m. performances July 19-22, and no 10:30 a.m. performance on Monday, July 25.  There are added 4:30 p.m. performances onSunday, July 24 and Sunday, August 14, and added 6 p.m. performances on Thursday, August 4 and Thursday, August 18.

The Opening Night performance on Wednesday, July 27 will be attended by kids and families from R.Evolucíon Latina's annual "Dare 2 Go Beyond" Summer Camp. R.Evolucíon Latina is a collective of artists and activists committed to empowering and inspiring growth within the Latino Community through artistic collaborations, events and educational support programs.

Because of this partnership with R.Evolucíon Latina, free tickets to the Opening Night performance may be extremely limited. To check availability the day prior, please visitwww.twusa.org.

Summer camps, youth programs and social service organizations can make reservations for groups of fifteen (15) or more by calling 212-627-7373.  

Because Theatreworks USA accepts reservations from summer camps, public distribution tickets are extremely limited for the weekday daytime performances. Availability is usually better for evening and weekend performances. Once all tickets are distributed, any remaining patrons will be admitted at curtain time on a space-available basis.  

Reservations cannot be made by the general public*.   Theatreworks USA only accepts reservations from not-for-profit and educational organizations. Therefore, public distribution tickets are limited for the weekday morning/afternoon performances.Individual ticket availability is better for evening and weekend performances, which are entirely open to the public.

For more information, please visit www.twusa.org.

Theatreworks USA is America's largest and most prolific professional not-for-profit theatre for young and family audiences. Since 1961, Theatreworks USA has enlightened, entertained and instructed over 85 million people in 49 states and Canada, now performing for about three million people annually.    

Every year, the company tours approximately 16 shows from its ever-growing repertoire of 125 plays and musicals. In addition, Theatreworks USA also has an extensive multi-cultural guest artist roster, including storytellers, puppeteers, poets and magicians.

Theatreworks USA is also one of the most honored theatres of its kind.  It is the only children's theatre to receive both a Drama Desk and a Lucille Lortel Award. In addition,Theatreworks USA was the recipient of a 2001 Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Award, and in May 2000, The Actors Fund of America bestowed its Medal of Honor upon its founders, Jay Harnick and Charles Hull.

Theatreworks USA's Free Summer Theatre Program is entirely underwritten by charitable contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations.

Theatreworks USA's Free Summer Theatre Program is made possible with the generous support of AXA Foundation, Con Edison, Great Circle Foundation, The Abram and Ray Kaplan Foundation, James T. Lee Foundation, Henry and Lucy Moses Fund, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, The Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Foundation, Charles and Mildred Schnurmacher Foundation, The Friars Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, The Jean L. and Robert A. Stern Foundation and other benefactors.

Click on any of the links below to download high-resolution JPGs.

Additional production photos will be available once performances begin.

Photos (c) 2011 Jeremy Daniel.

Virginia Cavaliere as Dora and Ryan Duncan as Scarecrow.

Click HERE to download high-res JPG.

Ryan Duncan as Scarecrow, Virginia Cavaliere as Dora,

Frank Viveros as Tino and Cedric Leiba Jr. as Mountain Lion.

Click HERE to download high-res JPG.

Virginia Cavaliere as Dora, Lexi Rhoades as Carnival Gloria

and Natalie Toro as La Bruja.

Click HERE to download high-res JPG.

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