Rubenology: The Making of an American Legend Playbill

GableStage &

Abre Camino Collective PROUDLY PRESENT THE SPECIAL EVENT With support from Funding Arts Network, Cafeteria Films, Vicky Bakery, Miami Film Lab & Havana Club

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CELEBRATING A YEAR AS AS OUR PASTELITOS!

NOTE FROM THE PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Why Here, Why Now? Being an artistic leader in a new community requires a lot of listening. Upon arriving a year ago, one of my first priorities was learning who the hottest, local playwrights were. Everyone I asked, mentioned one name first: Vanessa Garcia. I was intrigued. And as I met more and more people and became more familiar with theatrical landscape of the region – I found she was everywhere. Theatre Photo Magnus Stark companies were commissioning her work, readings of her plays were happening all over the country, her blogs and newsletters and writings about Cuba spanned from the historical, to the political to the cultural and her 2019, hugely popular immersive play, The Amparo Experience was extended six times. This was clearly someone I had to meet.

Simultaneously, I was searching for who the most impressive local directors were – specifically those who seamlessly flex their muscles in both Spanish speaking and English theatre. I wrote to New York’s Repertorio Español, hoping someone could point me in the direction of who I should be meeting in Miami and a director named Victoria Collado responded. She was here!

She knew and loved GableStage and she not only directed The Amparo Experience, but was one half of Abre Camino Collective – the other half being Vanessa Garcia. Kismet! I wanted to know more.

On a zoom call, some weeks later, Vanessa and Victoria shared with me five projects they were working on – all in various stages of development.

The last one they mentioned, a project they had been working on through the pandemic, particularly caught my attention. Had I heard of an 83 yearold Cuban actor, a local legend, Ruben Rabasa? I had not. Check out his Instagram page, they said.

After sixty years “in-the-business” an appearance in a Netflix sketch show led Ruben to become one of the top “memes” of 2019. He has 26,000 followers. As my 28 year-old, son-in-law in California exclaimed when he saw an ad for this production, “it’s that guy!” Yep. And this is his story – or, part of it.

If you haven’t seen the new Father-of-the-Bride movie with Gloria Estefan and Andy Garcia (and the Biltmore!) what are you waiting for? It is a beautifully written, universally poignant story of family and Ruben Rabasa shines.

Bari Newport GableStage Producing Artistic Director

NOTE FROM THE PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ¿Por qué aquí?, ¿por qué ahora?

Ser un líder artístico en una nueva comunidad requiere escuchar mucho. Cuando llegué hace un año, una de mis primeras prioridades fue saber quiénes eran los dramaturgos locales más destacados.

Todas las personas a las que pregunté mencionaron un nombre en primer lugar: Vanessa García.

Quedé intrigada. A medida que iba conociendo a más y más personas y me familiarizaba con el panPhoto Magnus Stark orama teatral de la región, descubrí que ella estaba en todas partes. Las compañías de teatro le encargaban piezas, se hacían lecturas de sus obras por todo el país, sus blogs y boletines y sus escritos sobre Cuba abarcaban desde lo histórico hasta lo político y cultural; y su obra inmersiva de 2019, The Amparo Experience, fue enormemente popular y llegó a prorrogarse seis veces. Estaba claro que tenía que conocerla.

Al mismo tiempo, buscaba quiénes eran los directores locales más impresionantes, en concreto, los que se desenvuelven con soltura tanto en el teatro de habla hispana como en el inglés. Escribí al Repertorio Español de Nueva York con la esperanza de que alguien pudiera indicarme a quién debía conocer en Miami y una directora llamada Victoria Collado me respondió. ¡Ella estaba aquí! Conocía y amaba GableStage y no sólo dirigió The Amparo Experience, sino que era una de las mitades del Colectivo Abre Camino –la otra mitad es Vanessa García. ¡Qué casualidad! Quería saber más.

En una llamada de zoom, algunas semanas después, Vanessa y Victoria compartieron conmigo cinco proyectos en los que estaban trabajando, todos en diferentes etapas de desarrollo. El último que mencionaron, un proyecto en el que habían estado trabajando durante la pandemia, me llamó particularmente la atención. ¿Había oído hablar de un actor cubano de 83 años, una leyenda local, Rubén Rabasa? No. Echa un vistazo a su página de Instagram, dijeron.

Tras sesenta años "en el negocio", una aparición en un programa de humor de Netflix llevó a Rubén a convertirse en uno de los mejores "memes" de 2019. Tiene 26.000 seguidores en Instagram. Tal como exclamó mi hijastro de 28 años en California, cuando vio un anuncio de esta obra, "¡Ese es el tipo!". Sí.Y esta es su historia, o parte de ella.

Si no has visto la nueva película El Padre de la Novia, con Gloria Estefan y Andy García (¡y el Biltmore!), ¿qué estás esperando? Es una historia de familia bellamente escrita y universalmente conmovedora, en la que Rubén Rabasa brilla.

Bari Newport Directora Artística y de Producción de GableStage

GableStage &

ABRE CAMINO COLLECTIVE With support from

Funding Arts Network and Cafeteria Films

PROUDLY PRESENT THE SPECIAL EVENT

By Vanessa Garcia and Ruben Rabasa

Starring Ruben Rabasa SPECIAL THANKS Vicky Bakery, Miami Film Lab & Havana Club Sound Designer Brandye Bias

Sound Engineer Michael Julian

Scenic & Lighting Designer Frank J. Oliva^

Costume Designer Nobarte

Projections Designer Joel Zishuk

Production Stage Manager Katie Ellison* Directed by Victoria Collado *Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States

^ The Scenic & Lighting Designer is a Member of the United

Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the IATSE is the union representing Scenic, Costume, Lighting, Sound and Projection Designers in Live Performance.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Starring

Ruben Rabasa Ruben Rabasa (Actor and Playwright) Ruben Rabasa has worked on over 60 films and television shows, including the features The Perez Family, opposite Marisa Tomei; Nostromo, alongside Colin Firth; The Award winning The Lost City directed by Andy Garcia; Jack and Jill, opposite Adam Sandler; Police Academy 5; Happy New Year directed by John Avildsen; The HBO Emmy winning For Love or Country:The Arturo Sandoval Story; among others. Ruben can be seen in the TV series Better Things; This is Us; Agents of Shield; Criminal Minds Miami Vice; The Player, Swedish Dicks; Corazón; and most recently received acclaim and an internet following for the Netflix series I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson as the Focus Man. Rabasa appeared in the theatrical production The Amparo Experience, which was a box-office hit that sold out for eight months straight, as well as The Cubans at Miami New Drama.

Rubenology: The Making of an American Legend will be performed without an intermission.

THE VIDEOTAPING OR AUDIO RECORDING OF THIS PRODUCTION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT Vanessa Garcia (Playwright) is a multidisciplinary artist working as a screenwriter, novelist, playwright, and journalist. She has written for Sesame Street on various shows, including the Emmy Award nominated Monster Meditation. She’s also written for Caillou, and is a consultant on Dora the Explorer and writes for the new French middle grade, animated show We Are Family. Her plays have been produced in Edinburgh, Miami, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, New York, and other cities around the world. These include the immersive hit, The Amparo Experience (“Miami’s Hottest Ticket,” according to People en Español) and her autobiographical radio play, Ich Bin Ein Berliner about the fall of the Berlin Wall and Cuba (April 2021).

Her novel, White Light, was published in 2015, to critical acclaim. Named one of the Best Books of 2015 by NPR, it also won an International Latino Book Award. As a journalist and essayist, her pieces have appeared in The LA Times,The Miami Herald,The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Hill, ESPN, and American Theatre Magazine, among numerous other publications. She holds a PhD from the University of California Irvine in English and runs a podcast on family called Never The Empty Nest with her mom and sister. Her picture book, What The Bread Says releases in October of this year. www. vanessagarcia.org

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR Victoria Collado (Director) is a Cuban-American director who creates adventurous traditional and non-traditional theatrical experiences. Recently named Best Director of 2020 by Miami New Times, her work includes The Amparo Experience and John Leguizamo's Latin History For Morons on Broadway. She’s directed for Repertorio Español, MCC Youth Company, Sheen Center, IATI, Microteatro Miami, Columbia University and others. She was a Repertorio Español Van Lier Directing Fellow; part of the Directing Corps in the Williamstown Theatre Festival; recipient of the SDCF Observership; and WP Theatre Lab fellow. In film, She recently directed the social media interactive film of The Amparo Experience, the web series Rubenology, and the theatre-film hybrid award-winning piece Black Feminist Video Game. She was a translator and subtitler for the HBO documentary Clinica de Migrantes and consulted for the Netflix special Latin History for Morons. She received her BFA from Florida International University and is an Associate Member of SDC. For more: www.victoriacollado.com.

ABOUT THE PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Bari Newport# (Producing Artistic Director) joined GableStage as Producing Artistic Director in April 2021. She came to Miami from the Penobscot Theatre Company in Bangor, Maine, where she served as Artistic Director for nine seasons. Previously, she was artistic associate at the Alli- ance Theatre in Atlanta, artistic/ literary manager at the Pasadena Playhouse, associate producer at Horizon Theatre and associate director of Florida Repertory Theatre. As a producer, Newport has been responsible for the creation and stabilization of a wide range of artistic initiatives, including extensive work in new

play development, education and community engagement. While leading Penobscot – which serves 40,000 people each season – Newport doubled the budget in eight years; pro- duced five world premieres; created a partnership with the Penobscot Nation, with whom she developed two large-scale NEA-supported projects; and fully funded the company’s endowment. She kept her entire staff of 15 employed during the pandemic and produced an innovative season that included 17 newly commissioned digital projects. Her work as a director and actor has been seen at Horizon Theatre Company, Greenbrier Valley Theatre, American Stage, Cumberland County Playhouse, Florida Repertory Theatre, Sacramento Theatre Company, Westport Country Playhouse and the Williamstown Theatre Festival. She earned her BFA from the University of Southern California and MFA from the University of Iowa. Bari is a 20 year member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and the Actor's Equity Association.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM Brandyé Bias (Sound Designer), a Fort Lauderdale native, graduated FSU with a Family, Child, and Sciences Bachelors of Science Degree August 2004, and later received an Associate’s Degree in Recording Arts, June 2009 from Full Sail University. After this she interned/worked at Voice of America in Washington DC, The Kitchen Incorporated and Circle House Studios in Miami, FL. She has had the opportunity to work alongside Artists/Actors/ Activists such as Dick Gregory, Sheryl Lee Ralph, etc. For a little over 9 years now, Brandyé has been a Local 500 IATSE union member. Making history as the first Female/African American Female to serve as Union Steward/Head Audio at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in the Carnival Studio Theater, 2017-2021, and presently as Head Audio in AuRene at Broward Center for the Performing Arts. Her greatest accomplishment is being mother of two children Preston (8yrs) and Amelia (6yrs).

Katie Ellison* (Production Stage Manager) is thrilled to be in her fifth season as the Resident Production Stage Manager at GableStage. Outside of GableStage, she had the privilege of working with Miami New Drama at the Colony Theatre on their production of Seven Deadly Sins. Other credits include Assistant Stage Manager for Peter and the Starcatcher at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and Assistant Stage Manager for Zoetic Stage’s productions of Stripped and Rapture, Blister, Burn. She was also the Production Stage Manager for Orchestra Miami’s Music at The Biltmore and The Mice War. Katie is a proud graduate of the University of Miami with a BFA in Stage Management. She is profoundly lucky to have the continued support and love of her husband Kevin and their two dogs Milo and Penny.

Michael Julian (Sound Engineer) is a local artist, technician, producer and founder of Magic City Media, an independent film and audio production company.

MCM is devoted to making production more accessible for independent artists in South Florida. In 2021 MCM offered free voice reel services to aid performers unemployed due to the pandemic. MCMs Next step is to explore affordable virtual production resources for content creators, filmmakers and theater artists alike.

Mike and MCM were honored to co-produce the YouTube series Rubenology and are very excited to be working on this next chapter.

Nobarte (Costume Designer) The tandem of Jorge Noa and Pedro Balmaseda includes artistic, architectural and interior design. Noa, an architect, was born in Camagüey, Cuba. Balmaseda is also from Cuba and graduated in Dentistry in Havana. Based in Miami since 1998, they run the company Nobarte Interior Designs, Inc., which creates commercial and

residential designs in South Florida. At the same time, the company provides design and production services for sets, costumes and lighting for theatre companies, as well as private and corporate events. Their designs were presented in three exhibitions: Journey to the Center of the Scene, Brief Realities and A Decade in Prometeo. They have participated in various international festivals and their creations have been presented on stages in Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Peru, Slovenia and the United States, with excellent reviews from specialized critics.

Frank J Oliva^ (Scenic & Lighting Designer) is a Cuban American Stage Designer. Born and raised in Miami, he lives and works in New York City. Recent work includes projects with Weston Playhouse, Colorado Springs Theatre Center, Two River Theatre, The Guthrie, Urban Stages, The Kitchen Theatre and The Cincinnati Symphony. Frank was Associate Designer on the recent Broadway productions of Hangmen, Oklahoma! and West Side Story. Forthcoming work includes projects at GableStage, Ars Nova, Clubbed Thumb, Miami New Drama and Area Stage Company. Frank received the 2022 Robert L.B. Tobin Director/Designer Prize, the 2017 Innovative Theatre Award for Stage Design and was nominated for a 2018 Audelco Award. His designs were selected for exhibition at the 2019 Prague Quadrennial. He is an Executive Committee member of Wingspace Theatrical Design, a member of United Scenic Artists and a graduate of New York University. www.frankjoliva.com @frankjoliva Joel Zishuk (Projection Designer) is a Lighting and Projection Designer currently working as the Lighting Supervisor at the Florida Repertory Theatre. Joel has designed across Florida, but this is his first production with GableStage. Other professional credits include Let's Fall in Love (Lighting, Florida REP), Bulletproof Backpack (Asst. Lighting, Florida REP), Ain't Done Bad (Lighting, Orlando Fringe) and CLUE: The Stay-at-Home (Graphics, Florida REP). He received his BFA in Theatre - Design and Technology from the University of Central Florida. JoelZishuk.com # The Producing Artistic Director is a Member of the Stage of Directors and Choreaographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.

* The Production Stage Manager is a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States ^ The Scenic & Lighting Designer is a Member of the United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the IATSE is the union representing Scenic, Costume, Lighting, Sound and Projection Designers in Live Performance.

Rubenology: The Making of an American Legend is a co-poduction between GableStage and Abre Camino Collective

About Abre Camino Collective Victoria Collado and Vanessa Garcia formed the interactive storytelling studio Abre Camino Collective intending to create exceptional art that has the power to transcend race, gender, and class and inspire change through their radical storytelling.

Abre Camino Collective comprises visual, theatre, literary, and performing artists known for their premium branded entertainment content and acclaimed

productions like the immersive hit play, The Amparo Experience, that People en Español called “Miami’s Hottest Ticket” and had a sold-out eight-month run in 2019.

To learn more about Abre Camino Collective, please visit www.abrecaminocollective.com

About GableStage GableStage is a vibrant, community engaged, highly acclaimed, nonprofit theatre company. Founded in 1979 as Florida Shakespeare Theatre, the company became GableStage in 1998 and moved to the historic Biltmore Hotel. GableStage has produced 120 productions for nearly 400,000 audience members and played to over 250,000 students. GableStage is the recipient of 64 Carbonell Awards, a prestigious South Florida theatre award, with over 200 nominations. The mission of GableStage is to provide the South Florida community with classical, contemporary, and new theatrical productions of artistic excellence, which challenge multicultural audiences with innovative productions that confront today’s issues and ideas.

Rubenology:The Making of an American Legend received support from

Special Thanks to

2021-2022 GABLESTAGE DONORS & FUNDERS The Board of Trustees and staff of GableStage applaud our Annual Fund and Joe Adler Legacy Campaign supporters whose generosity enables us to deliver theatre of artistic excellence to the community year round. The Donors & Funders Playbill Listing of all of our generous 2021-2022 donors and funders will appear in the next Playbill for our regular season production of Fade, August 19-September 18.

2021-2022 BOARD OF TRUSTEES

President Roz Stuzin Chairperson David Coulson Secretary Richard Jacobs Vice president, Finance Richard Toren Marc Abrams Mitchell Bierman Jill Gaffin George Haj Allison Hockman Nedra Kalish Chaim Katzman Gene Sulzberger Aizik Wolf Producing Artistic Director Bari Newport Standing Committees Executive Finance Development

INTERESTED IN JOINING THE BOARD? If you have an interest in serving on a committee for the Board of Trustees, please email: advancement@gablestage.org

2022-2023 SEASON

Heisenberg by Simon Stephens October 28 – November 20, 2022

Amidst the bustle of a crowded London train station, Georgie spots Alex, a much older man, and plants a kiss on his neck.This electric encounter thrusts these two strangers into a fascinating and life-changing game. Directed by Bari Newport, Heisenberg brings to blazing, theatrical life the uncertain and often comical sparring match that is human connection. Internationally renowned for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, visionary playwright Simon Stephens returns to the stage with this sharply original production starring South Florida’s own Margery Lowe.

“A soaring, suspensful, thrilling play!” — The New York Times

We Will Not Be Silent

by David Meyers January 6 – January 29, 2023

Risking everything to stand up for social justice, German college student Sophie Scholl courageously led a major act of civil disobedience against Hitler and his fascist regime. Scholl’s moral strength is tested while being interrogated for her crimes, leading her to question whether to save her own life or continue her righteous crusade. Based on true events, We Will Not Be Silent is a provocative and timely new work that examines the role of ordinary people in extraordinary times. “…an intelligent and profoundly moving work of theatre.”

— The ArtsFuse Boston

A Doll’s House, Part 2 by Lucas Hnath February 24 – March 19, 2023

As a door slams in 1879 Norway, a young wife and mother leaves behind her family, freeing herself from the shackles of traditional societal constraints.

Now, 15 years later, that same door opens to reveal Nora, a changed woman with an incredibly awkward favor to ask the people who she abandoned.

Lucas Hnath’s bitingly funny sequel to Ibsen’s revolutionary masterpiece unfolds in a series of bristling stand-offs that reveal in Nora’s world, much like our own, behind every opinion there is a person, and a slamming door isn’t just an end, but also the chance for a new beginning. Starring Rachel Burttram, Brendan Powers and Elizabeth Dimon. “[A Doll’s House Part 2] delivers explosive laughs while also posing thoughtful questions about marriage, gender inequality and human rights…”

— Hollywood Reporter

2022-2023 SEASON

El Huracán by Charise Castro Smith April 14 – May 14, 2023

As Hurricane Andrew threatens Miami, a mother and daughter ready themselves for the storm, but Abuela takes shelter in a world of memory, music, and magic. A powerful tale of family and forgiveness, El Huracán, written

by Miami native and recent Academy Award winner Charise Castro Smith (Disney’s Encanto), reveals what can be rebuilt in the aftermath of life’s most devastating tempests and what can never be replaced. A Florida Premiere, inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest. “…magical realism that touches on the domestic in dramaqueen-like ways…” — The Houston Chronicle

Native Gardens by Karen Zacarias June 9 – July 1, 2023

In this sparkling comedy of good intentions and bad manners, cultures and gardens clash, turning well-intentioned neighbors into feuding enemies. Pablo, a rising attorney, and doctoral candidate Tania, his very pregnant wife, have just purchased a home next to Frank and Virginia, a well-established D.C. couple with a prize-worthy English garden. But an impending barbeque for Pablo’s colleagues and a delicate disagreement over a long-standing fence line soon spirals into an all-out border dispute, exposing both couples’ notions of race, taste, class and privilege. “…the best stage comedy of the summer.”

— Minneapolis Star Tribune

Box Office: (305) 445-1119 boxoffice@gablestage.org www.gablestage.org/subscribe Productions subject to change

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RUBENOLOGY: THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN LEGEND PRODUCTION SUPPORT House Manager Constanza Celsi Run Crew Marialexia Hernandez Wardrobe Supervisor Debbie Richardson Film Streaming Director Alexandru Gherman Video Camera Operator Magnus Stark Nicolae Vedinas Editor Alexandru Gherman

GABLESTAGE STAFF Producing Artistic Director Bari Newport Artistic Production Stage Manager Katie Ellison Production Production Manager Kristen Pieski Master Electrician Art Garcia Advancement Director of Advancement Susan Jay Grants Manager Andrea Dougherty O'Naghten

Marketing & Communications Director of Marketing & Community Engagement Ana María Carrano Public Relations Haj Media Media & Graphics Magnus Stark Social Media Specialist Diana Garle Business & Audience Services Business Manager Corleen Iannazzi Box Office Manager Dennis Vasta Box Office Associate Chris Zamora Box Office Associate Tyla Palmer Contact information GableStage 1200 Anastasia Avenue, Suite 230 Coral Gables, FL 33134 Box Office: (305) 445-1119 boxoffice@gablestage.com Media Contact media@gablestage.org www.gablestage.org

UP NEXT

FADE

by Tanya Saracho Directed By Teo Castellanos August 20 through September 18 Preview performance: Friday, August 19

A witty dramatic comedy about class, integrity, and culture. Lucia is understandably nervous. It’s day one at her first TV writing job. As a Hispanic novelist, she may actually be the “diversity hire” she’s heard whispers about. Uncertain whether she can make a place for herself in cutthroat Hollywood, she feels less alone when she meets Abel, the Latino janitor. They form a bond and share stories, but it turns out that their friendship is not what Abel expects.

CALL FOR TICKETS • Box Office: (305) 445-1119 • boxoffice@gablestage.org

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