Music Theatre Wichita Announces Cast of IN THE HEIGHTS

Music Theatre Wichita concludes its 2019 Season with In the Heights August 7-11, the Tony Award-winning Best Musical which introduced Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda to Broadway. With book written by Quiara Alegría Hudes, the high-energy story unfolds during a tumultuous three-day period which dramatically affects the residents of a close-knit Washington Heights neighborhood.

Director-choreographer Carlos A. Mendoza comes from Los Angeles to stage this MTW premiere. A member of MTW's performing company early in his career, Mendoza has won several awards for his previous productions of In the Heights. Danita Lee is creating the colorful new costumes.

Leading the cast as Usnavi is Ernie Pruneda (Sister Act), repeating the portrayal that recently garnered him the BWW Best Actor Award at Orlando Shakespeare. Other Broadway veterans in the cast include Alma Cuervo (On Your Feet!, Titanic, Women on the Verge) as Abuela Claudia, Danny Bolero (In the Heights) as Kevin, Natalie Toro (Les Misérables) as Camila, and Grasan Kingsberry (The Color Purple, Once on This Island) as Benny. Additional featured artists include Gabriella Enriquez as Vanessa, Camila Paquet as Nina, Alex Aponte as Sonny, Katja Rivera Yanko as Daniela, and Mikaela Secada as Carla.

In addition to director-choreographer Mendoza and costume designer Lee, the richly experienced artistic team includes musical director Thomas W. Douglas, assistant choreographer Laurie Marie Muñiz, lighting designer Adam Honoré, hair and makeup designer Danae Jimenez, and sound designer David Muehl. The last of five self-produced musicals in MTWichita's 2019 season, In the Heights runs August 7-11 in the 2100-seat Century II Concert Hall.

About Music Theatre Wichita - Founded in 1972, MTWichita is internationally recognized for self-producing five high-quality Broadway-scale productions each summer during an intense 10-week period, while providing unparalleled learning experiences for young up-and-coming artists. This year's Broadway season features nearly forty MTWichita alumni, including cast members of Hadestown, Come from Away, All My Sons, Anastasia, King Kong, Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Book of Mormon, The Cher Show, The Prom, Kiss Me, Kate, Oklahoma!, Pretty Woman, Mean Girls, My Fair Lady, and many more.

MTWichita has produced the world premiere of the revised Good News!, the U.S. premiere of Betty Blue Eyes, and the regional premieres of Disney titles such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Freaky Friday, and High School Musical. MTWichita has also created cast albums for Honk! and Good News!

Notable artists who began their theatrical careers in Wichita include performers Kelli O'Hara, Kristin Chenoweth, Jenni Barber, Christiani Pitts, Chris Mann, and Ashley Park, as well as choreographers Andrew Palermo, Josh Rhodes, Josh Prince, Sara Edwards, Dontee Kiehn and Nicholas Palmquist.

Tickets are on sale now, either online at mtwichita.org, or by calling 316.265.3107. More information, including biographies, histories, and videos, can be found at mtwichita.org, and on social media sites Facebook (Music Theatre Wichita), Twitter (@MTWichita) and Instagram (MTWichita).

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