West Coast Premiere
by Brian Quijada
composer/music supervisor Marvin Quijada
beats & remixes by Brian Quijada and Marvin Quijada
directed by Raymond O. Caldwell
executive producers Barbara Herman and The Audre Slater Foundation in memory of Susan Stockel
starring Noe Cervantes and Gerardo Navarro
production stage manager Kimberly Sanchez Garrido
assistant stage manager Jacob Padilla
design team: Michael Navarro (sets), Deja Collins (media), Alison Brummer (lights), Andrea Allmond (sound), Jeanette Godoy (costumes), Jenine MacDonald (props)
REVIEWS
On Stage Los Angeles
“CHARMING… A TOUR-DE-FORCE… The BQ energy never falters… a special show. Go.” — Michael Sheehan, On Stage Los Angeles
Stage Raw
“ENTHRALLS… [actor Gerardo] Navarro exudes fantastic energy in every scene.” — Molly Mclean, Stage Raw
The Nerds of Color
”HILARIOUS AND DEEPLY MOVING… a tour-de-force performance… such stories need to be amplified now more than ever.” — Edward Hong, The Nerds of Color
Larchmont Buzz
“NUANCED AND DEEPLY FELT… EXUBERAN[T]… Navarro performs with the energy of a seven-year-old and the depth of an adult… thought-provoking excellence.” — Laura Foti Cohen Larchmont Buzz
Splash Magazines
“CHARMING... music, dance, and witty commentary... gentle and loving." — Elaine Mura, Splash
Broadway World
“HONEST AND LOVING… will get you moving to the groove while sitting in your seat… examines the moments that move us to create a place called ‘home.’” — Shari Barrett, Broadway World
Discover Hollywood
“RICH SENSITIVITY, VIBRANT DREAMS, AND EXPOSIVE COMEDIC MOMENTS.” — Amalisha HuEck, Discover Hollywood
Los Angeles Times
“AN INTERGENERATIONAL IMMIGRANT TALE PERFORMED AS A META-THEATRICAL ROMP… sweet and unabashedly sentimental… An increasingly vulnerable group in today’s America is brought into poignant emotional focus through the story of a boy and his loving grandmother.” — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times
It’s Not About Me
“TOTALLY ENTERTAINING… [a] tour-de-force performance… heartwarming… I loved it all.” — Karen Salkin, It’s Not About Me
While producing and recording his late night variety show, BQ, along with his DJ brother, discovers both the beauty and the flaws of the American dream through the eyes of their Salvadoran grandmother. Puppets, music, and live camera magic all swirl together to create this unique and timely theatrical adventure.
“ Overflows with creativity, resilience, and heart . . .
A beautiful and deeply touching production”
- Em Skow for DC Theatre Arts
What the Butler Saw Interview with Raymond O. Caldwell
GMA Network Interview with Raymond O. Caldwell
Box Office:
323-663-1525
Show Days: 11 - Curtain
Dark Days: 11 - 6pm
Closed Tuesday
Preview: Sept 3, 4, 5
Open: Sat Sept 6
Close: Sun Oct 12, 2pm
Fridays & Saturdays 8pm
Sundays 2pm
Pay What You Want Mondays 8pm
SPANISH LANGUAGE PERFORMANCES / PRODUCCIONES EN ESPANOL
Sun Sept 14 7pm | Sun Sept 28 7pm | Sat Oct 4 2pm | Sun Oct 5 7pm
BRIAN QUIJADA is an Emmy-nominated playwright, actor, 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 Ensemble Studio Theatre (Drama Desk Nominations in Solo Performance and Sound Design), TeatroVista (Jeff Award in Solo Performance and Sound Design),Victory Gardens, City Theatre Pittsburgh, Geva Theatre, Boise Contemporary, 1st Stage, Colorado Springs Performance Arts Center, and a digital production at Actors Theatre of Louisville (Drama League Nomination). His Theatre For Young Audience play Kid Prince and Pablo premiered at The Kennedy Center in 2019. Most recently, his Cumbia Hip-Hop Musical Somewhere Over the Border had a critically-acclaimed rolling world premiere at Syracuse Stage, Geva Theatre and TeatroVista.
His plays have been developed at The Kennedy Center, Ars Nova's Antfest, Victory Gardens’ Ignition Festival, New Stage and Film’s Powerhouse Festival, Pittsburgh CLO’s Spark Festival, and the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Musical Theatre Conference.
Commissioning institutions include A.R.T.in Boston, 1st Stage, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Woolly Mammoth, Hero Theatre and The Kennedy Center.
Brian’s original song “The Always Song” was Nickelodeon’s 2021 Hispanic Heritage Month Song.
As an actor, his work has been seen on the stages of Roundabout Theatre Company, The Public Theatre, Playwrights Realm, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Victory Gardens and more. On TV, Brian has been seen on Blue Bloods, Search Party and Manhattan Love Story.
As an educator, Brian has served as an adjunct musical solo performance professor at Harvard University and has taught solo performance, social justice, verse writing, and devised theatrical looping master classes for Carnegie Mellon University, Point Park University, University of New Mexico, KCATCF, Western Washington University.
Quijada is a two-time Jeff Award winner in Chicago and a two-time Drama Desk nominee in NYC. He is a proud member of The Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York City.