Artes dela Rosa Announces Principle Castin for the Regional Premiere of the Tango Opera, MARIA DE BUENOA AIRES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fort Worth, TX – February 27th – Artes de la Rosa is proud to announce principle casting for the Regional Premiere of Astor Piazolla’s Tango Operita, MARIA DE BUENOS AIRES which is receiving its Regional Premiere this May at Artes de la Rosa’s home The Rose MarineTheater.

Starring as Maria, is Grace Neeley making her Artes de laRosa debut. The actress has been seen through out the North Texas theatre community taking the stage at Circle Theatre (The Great American Trailer Park Musical) and Casa Manana where she played Linda Lou in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, starring Ruta Lee & Ed Dixon. “The role requires an epic journey ranging from youthful naïveté, to rambunctious sensuality, to frailty and despair without ever loosing a sense of hope. When we found Grace, we knew we had a woman who could not only embody the role, but truly define tango itself,” says Director Adam Adolfo.

Returning to the Rose Marine stage after glowing reviews for his turn as Valentin in Artes de la Rosa’s critically praised Kiss of the Spiderwoman is Keith J. Warren in the lyric tenor role of Maria’s love interest, El Payador. Most recently Keith was seen in Rags at Lyric Stage, under the supervision of maestro Jay Dias and Broadway composer Charles Strouse. A fixture of musical theatre stages regionally, performing with Casa Mañana, WaterTowerTheater, Garland Summer Musicals, ICT Mainstage, Bass Performance Hall, and The Jefferson Performing Arts Society in Louisiana, Keith rejoins the Artes de la Rosa family for this, his first “little” opera.

Rounding out the principle cast is JP Cano in the role of the Goblin Ghost Storyteller, El Duende. A trained dancer, JP has been seen on the stage at Teatro Dallas in La Máscara que Hablaba, Don Juan, the Vampire, Blue Beach, and last year’s The Maiden of the Used Books. Other stage credits include MBS Productions at Adam and Eve… and Kiss the Boys. TV appearances include the Bravo’s show Most Eligible Dallas, My Style’s Big Rich Texas, and NBC’s Chase. Cano debuted at the ADLR Cultural Center last year as part of the American Classics Theatre Initiative production, A View from the Bridge.

When asked to comment, Maria… star Grace Neeley offered, “"When I heard Piazzolla's score, I knew I just had to be part of this production. The music, the art, the dancing, it's one of those once in a life time opportunities for a performer."

“The production team and I are so excited to bring together three of the most talented individuals in this singular storytelling event. Their poise, passion,and perfection are precisely the traits we so tirelessly searched for in performers. Grace, Keith, and JP are stars, and their performances will be North Texas epics,” offers Artistic Director Adam Adolfo. Production begins May 11th at the Rose Marine Theater in Fort Worth for a strictly limited 3 week engagement through March 25th.



About MARIA DE BUENOS AIRES

Born in the slums, luredby the city, surrendered to the bordellos, Maria's life is the story of the tango. Through song, dance, and poetic narration, Artistic Director Adam Adolfo transforms the historic Rose Marine Theatre into a dark haunted bordello in Argentina. The ill-omened María, born "one day when God was drunk", heads to the center of Buenos Aires, where she is seduced by the music of the tango and becomes a streetwalker. Thieves and brothel keepers, gathered at a black mass resolve her murder. After her death, Maria becomes a wandering ghost, until she is spectacularly reborn through the power survival, freedom, and above all things, love.



Artes de la Rosa’s Adam Adolfo directs with Elise Lavallee choreographing. Joshua Bradford serves as music director and conducts the 7-piece orchestra, who are part of the staging of this production, which has set design by Artes de la Rosa Technical Director Oliver Luke, costume design by Justin Kailer, lighting design by Michael Cole, and sound design by Adam Adolfo.



TICKET INFORMATION

MARIA DE BUENOS AIRES opens Friday May 11th and plays Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sunday Matinees at 2:30 pm through Sunday May 27th. Opening Night Gala Tickets are $25 for which includes Maria’s Midnight Milonga: a Private Gala after Party with the cast, staff, and donors of Artes de la Rosa. General Admission tickets for the rest of the run are $18 for adults and $15 for students and seniors, matinee prices are $15 and $10 respectively. For tickets or more information, call the Rose Marine Theater Box Office at (817) 624-8333. Special ticket prices are available for groups of 10 or more. Tickets can be purchased online at www.artesdelarosa.org.

ON THE JOURNEY: 26 Miles is coming to a close...

If feels like the show just opened and here we are going into closing weekend! The excitement of Opening Night was incredible! We were ready & the response from the audience was thrilling. It's what we, as actors, work towards during rehearsals. We enjoy creating characters with a message & visual experience that will speak to the people sitting in the seats of the theatre, "sharing the human experience."

I sound very idealistic, but I am! I want people in those seats to enjoy a night of "live" acting & theatre, to forget for a brief moment, our daily worries & "see" first hand how others relate in similar ways to similar situations & revel in the fact that we are all connected in the same way we live, love, hurt, joy &... Fill in any word here about what it means to be a person with natural emotions. - To express another human's (the playwright, director & designer's) experience in this life on this place we call home!

That is why I can say the next two nights after Opening Night - I was sad! Our audiences were small in number. Yes, I can be grateful that people came & that should satisfy me, at least our message was heard, BUT it didn't. I selfishly wanted full houses for the following performances! I needed that energy to feed off. I needed people to hear me!

That is sometimes our dilemma, filling those seats, most especially when we have busy schedules with our family & friends & on top of that the Holiday season! It takes planning & effort to peel away from what we need to do & then there are the other elements we have to compete with like TV & the movies. Big spectacles that we most likely can't reproduce on stage unless you saw the 70 million dollar Spiderman on Broadway, which I did, but that's another story.

I think to myself what do I need to do to help bring in bodies to those seats? I invite my Friends & Family & most come, but what can I say to YOU, friendly Stranger, to encourage you to be here the next few performances/weekends or even for the next show at Rose Marine Theatre/Artes de la Rosa?

I was in New York when September 11th happened. And, in fact, in the middle of rehearsals for a show & when Opening Night came, we worried if we would have an audience. We were all in mourning. And who could ask people to come see a show at that time. But we did and we had an Audience! People came in droves to each performance! They needed to escape their sadness and reconnect to what we almost lost and did lose. They came to see theatre!

I encourage you to come see US, come see Theatre at its best! Come escape!

What else do I need to tell you to encourage you? Do I need to get on my knees?! Do I need to tell you a little more about myself so you can “see” why I do this? I am a recent Breast Cancer survivor; I have not been on the stage for a while because I was recovering AND going through a lot of other things, like a divorce, loss of a home, leaving New York, loss of my life as I knew it… and the only thing I wanted to do was to get back on stage, get back to my passion of sharing LIFE! That is what it means TO ACT for me… SHARING LIFE!

So here is my challenge to you… For those of you who may not want to spend the money during these times, I will gladly take some of my Christmas money and spend it on YOU as a MY GIFT TO YOU! Buy your tickets online at www.artesdelarosa.org and use the discount code DEANNA and I will pay $4 dollars of your ticket! THERE IS NO LIMIT to this if 150 of you want to come, I'll be paying $4 off each of your tickets!

That's my gift to you! Everyone deserves to see this amazing show at Rose Marine Theatre... I DARE YOU! Please come! We need YOU there! Come escape with us! it's a wonderful drive!

DeAnna Gonzales*
Actress
26 Miles
Artes de la Rosa