(RED BANK, NJ) -- Two River Theater has announced the casts and directors for the 13th Annual Crossing Borders (Cruzando Fronteras) Festival taking place August 1-4, 2024. The Festival of new plays by Latine playwrights will take place in TRT's Joan and Robert M. Rechnitz Theater. In its 13th year, the festival is the theater's annual joyful celebration of the power, diversity, creativity and talent of Latine theater artists. All festival events are free to the public.
The festival kicks off with a community event on Thursday, August 1 from 5:00PM-7:00PM on Two River’s Plaza, with live music from Mariachi Suárez from New Jersey, information tables helmed by Two River’s community partners, and delicious eats from Señor Peppers.
Continuing Thursday, August 1 through Sunday, August 4, the festival features four readings of new plays by thrilling contemporary artists exploring family, love, loss, time, the tension in a NFL locker room, and more.
On Saturday, August 3 at 8:00pm, enjoy a blast of summer fun with Flaco Navaja and the Razor Blades, back after their rousing 2019 Crossing Borders performance, blending infectious salsa with heartfelt spoken word performance. As an appetizer, guests are welcome to also soak in pre-show tunes provided by Xol Azul Trio outside on our Plaza at 7:00pm.
"This year's festival is another sensational line up showcasing the wide range of stories celebrating the enormous talent and breadth of storytellers in the Latine community,” raves the festival’s award-winning curator, José Zayas. “Moving, stirring, raucous, passionate, magical and absolutely unexpected, these playwrights take great risks and take on the hilarities and complexities of our election process, themes of grief and loss, dementia and its effects on a family, sports and masculinity, and the breathtaking intricacies of a mother's first love filtered through the lens of her son.”
Zayas continued, “It is always with a great sense of joy that I invite the Two River audience to share these stories with us and to participate in the development of these new works by some of our greatest up and coming contemporary writers.”
Thursday, August 1 at 5:00pm: Community Kick-Off Celebration. Live music provided by Mariachi Suárez from New Jersey on the Plaza with food, fun and feasting!
Thursday, August 1 at 7:00pm: that drive thru monterey by Matthew Paul Olmos (Richie never slept, was always up, moving around at night). Directed by Tiffany Nichole Greene (Covenant, Rent). Cast includes: Hannah Benitez (Mamma Mia, Cabaret) Hiram Delgado (Two River’s Two Sisters and a Piano, Bathing In the Moonlight), Sofia Figueroa (Punk Rock, Breath of Kings), Annie Henk (Two River’s Pinkolandia, Ropes), JJ Perez (A Doll’s House and Fishmen), and Heather Velazquez (Pipeline, Another Word for Beauty).
Friday, August 2 at 7:00pm: Saturday Mourning Cartoons by Iraisa Ann Reilly. Directed by José Zayas (Two River's Pinkolandia and El Coqui Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom). Cast includes: Hiram Delgado (Two River’s Two Sisters and a Piano, Bathing In the Moonlight), Annie Henk (Two River’s Pinkolandia), Ashley Marie Ortiz (the beautiful land i seek (la linda tierra queue busco yo), Prospect Avenue/The Miseducation of Juni Rodríguez), Reynaldo Piniella (Trouble in Mind, Thoughts of a…), Socorro Santiago (The Bacchae and Two River’s Guadalupe in the Guest Room), and Heather Velazquez (Pipeline, Another Word for Beauty)
Saturday, August 3 at 2:00pm: The Ice Bath by Juan José Alfonso (Gaslit, Shining Vale). Directed by Tatiana Pandiani (Someone Spectacular, Dial M for Murder). Cast includes: Hannah Benitez (Mamma Mia, Cabaret) will feature Rey Lucas (Blue Bloods, Seven Spots on the Sun), Renata Eastlick (For Colored Girls…, Pride and Prejudice), and Tyler Weaks (The New Yorkers, Macbeth).
Saturday, August 3 at 7:00pm: Join us on Two River Theater’s outdoor plaza for a performance by the Xol Azul Trio.
Saturday, August 3 at 8:00pm: Flaco Navaja and The Razor Blades. A rousing salsa-fusion concert in the Joan and Robert Rechnitz Theater! Flaco Navaja is a Bronx-born poet, actor, singer. Renowned for his captivating spoken word/Salsa music performances, he blends his Puerto Rican heritage with urban influences. Currently based in Chicago, Navaja's poetry is powerful and emotive, reflecting personal experiences and cultural pride. He has appeared in films, television shows, and stage productions, showcasing his versatility as an actor. His work in music includes singing with a soulful style that complements his poetry. Navaja's dynamic presence and multi-faceted talent have made him a significant figure in the arts, resonating with diverse audiences, leading to multiple collaborations with Lin Manuel Miranda.
Sunday, August 4 at 2:00pm: The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote by Bernardo Cubría (The Giant Void in My Soul). Directed by José Zayas (Two River's Pinkolandia, El Coqui Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom). Cast includes: Jon Bass (Broadway’s The Book of Mormon, Baywatch, She-Hulk), Joshua Echebiri (Soft, A Raisin in the Sun), Leslie Fray (TV’s The Girls on the Bus, Reacher), Annie Henk (Two River’s Pinkolandia, Ropes), Ariella Kvashny (Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Evita), Gerry Rodriguez (If I Could Turn Back Time, Victim Does Not Remember) and Alexandra Silber (Fiddler on the Roof, Master Class).
The festival will be stage managed by Jynelly Rosario and the Festival Production Assistant will be Molly Pair.
Casting by José Zayas. Additional Casting by Caparelliotis Casting/David Caparelliotis and Joseph Gery.
FREE TICKETS/ACCESS - To register for all festival events, click here.
Crossing Borders (Cruzando Fronteras) is an annual celebration of new plays and music by Latine theater artists. Since Crossing Borders (Cruzando Fronteras) launched in 2011, seven productions developed in the festival have gone on to mainstage productions at the theater, including Living & Breathing by Mando Alvarado, A Thousand Maids by Tony Meneses and the upcoming 2024/2025 season production of ¡VOS!, written by Christina Pumariega.
PARTNERS - Project Write Now is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit transforming individuals, organizations, and communities through writing. Since 2014, they’ve been committed to building a vibrant writing community for youth and adults. They provide a wide range of fee-based classes, editorial services, and literary events. At the heart of their mission, their community outreach programs empower youth and adults to develop essential writing and communication skills—fostering resilience, encouraging personal growth, and supporting academic or professional success.
coLAB Arts engages artists, social advocates, and communities to create transformative new work. coLAB Arts facilitates creative conversation through innovative programs and artist infrastructure, connects artists with community partners and mentors, and executes productions that challenge perceptions and inspire action. coLAB Arts creates community-powered projects in diverse spaces such as community rooms, houses of worship, and backyards, emphasizing artistic expression as civic engagement and collaboration across socio-economic, ethnic, and generational lines. They have partnered with Count Basie Center for the Arts and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey on storytelling workshops and public events, and launched a social practice training program with ArtYard, focusing on veterans' oral histories. Their recent projects include two murals in New Brunswick, a verbatim theater production based on an 18-hour oral history, a community garden beautification, and a comic book based on local gardeners' stories. Through these initiatives, coLAB Arts engages communities to ask questions, develop relationships, and create new work.
KICK-OFF COMMUNITY PARTNERS - 180 Turning Lives Around, Girl Scouts of America of Jersey Shore, JBJ Soul Kitchen, Parker Family Health Center, Project Write Now, Red Bank RiverCenter, T. Thomas Fortune Cultural Center
SPONSORSHIP - The Crossing Borders (Cruzando Fronteras) Festival is supported by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. Two River Theater’s 2024/25 Season Sponsor is Hackensack Meridian Riverview Medical Center.
Two River Theater is supported by public support through the National Endowment for the Arts, the State of New Jersey, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners. Private support includes Citizens Philanthropic Foundation, The Merrill G. & Emita E. Hastings Foundation, Investors Foundation, Jersey Coast Family Law, The Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey, The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, Manasquan Bank Charitable Foundation, Monmouth University, Springpoint Senior Living Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The John Ben Snow Foundation and Memorial Trust, The Stone Foundation of New Jersey, Triumph Brewing Company, Visiting Nurse Association of NJ Health Group, Zynergy Retirement Planning and other generous funders.
Two River Theater produces American and world classics, new plays and musicals, programs for young people, and festivals of new work. Each year, they serve over 20,000 students, families and community members through a 4-6 show season, and 40+ events that reflect their diverse community of Monmouth County. Two River produces work on two stages—the 350-seat Joan and Robert Rechnitz Theater, and the flexible 110-seat Marion Huber Theater.
In 2020 they expanded their campus to 80,000 square feet with the opening of the Center for New Work, Education and Design. Two River Theater has commissioned and premiered original projects including Be More Chill by Tony Award nominee Joe Iconis and Joe Tracz (the theater’s first Broadway production) and Hurricane Diane by former Playwright-in-Residence Madeleine George (which won an Obie Award for its Off-Broadway run), and in June 2019, Two River was nationally recognized by USA TODAY as one of “10 great places to see a play.” Two River Theater is led by Artistic Director Justin Waldman and Managing Director Nora DeVeau-Rosen.
