ELDRIDGE, Iowa — The Countryside Community Theatre is about to reach new heights with its newest show, "In The Heights."
The musical will run June 28-30 and again July 5-7 at the North Scott Fine Arts Auditorium in Eldridge. General admission tickets are $18. You can purchase your tickets here.
"In The Heights" is based off of the Quiara Alegría Hudes book that was later turned into a Broadway performance by Lin-Manuel Miranda. It's set in New York City's Washington Heights neighborhood in the far northern part of Manhattan. The neighborhood's residents are primarily Latino, and specifically afro-Puerto Ricans and Dominicans.
The musical follows Usnavi, a bodega owner who cares for his aging Cuban neighbor and is in love with the girl working in the neighboring beauty salon. Usnavi dreams of one day moving back to his native Dominican Republic. Throughout the show, Usnavi and his community learn what it means to be home, while celebrating the joy and resilience of immigrants in America.
What makes the Countryside performance so groundbreaking is the makeup of its cast. According to Cindy Ramos, theatre board president, 22 actors out of the 25-person cast are people of color.
"All leads in this musical are POC, which has never happened in this area," Ramos said.
The audition process to find such a cast was extensive, Ramos said. Actors auditioned both in person, and via video submissions from places near, but also far, such as Wisconsin, Missouri, Chicago and Iowa City.
Ramos also revealed this show was chosen specifically to reflect the local audience and particularly the Quad City's large Hispanic community. It took two years of planning, grant writing and meetings with groups like the Davenport LULAC Council and the Greater Quad Cities Hispanic Chamber to make this happen.
The crew at Countryside Community Theatre hopes this show will have a ripple impact throughout the community, and promote the telling of more diverse stories, as well as opportunities for diverse leadership.
In an interview with Hola America News, Ramos said, “We’ve received countless thank-yous. This show is sparking conversations about heritage and identity.”
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