Framingham High To Stage In The Heights in January 2022

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FRAMINGHAM – The award-winning Framingham High School Drama Company will stage the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical In the Heights in January 2022.

The production will have a lot of firsts associated with it. It will be the first indoor production for the drama company since the coronavirus pandemic began in spring 2020.

The production will also seek to specifically cast Latinx and students of color.

“In The Heights is a beautiful show about immigrant and first generation American experiences – a narrative closely linked to many of our students and their families,” according to a memo by Framingham Public School Superintendent Bob Tremblay.

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Tremblay said the “additional efforts will be made to encourage and support BIPOC students in auditioning/” He said the drama company’s goal is to increase the percentage of Latinx and persons of colorm.

“All students regardless of their race or cultural background will be encouraged to audition for the show. A company of thirty-five actors to forty actors will be selected for this musical.
This is an important moment for Framingham High School Drama Company (FHSDC) and our
school,” said Supt Tremblay in a memo to the 9-member School Committee.

In the last five years the percentage of BIPOC/Latinx students participating in after
school theatre at FHS has grown from less than 1% to 26% of our company,” wrote Supt. Tremblay.

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“In response to the growth of our diverse populations within the FHSDC community, we feel strongly about selecting a show that speaks to our BIPOC/Latinx students, families, and members of the community to celebrate their cultures and stories on the stage. With In The Heights we will continue our journey towards equitable representation of our BIPOC/Latinx students on our stages. We intentionally selected In The Heights because our students can relate to the music, the story, and the human experience,” wrote Tremblay to the School Committee.

The artistic team, the musical director, choreographer, and dramaturg are artists of color, for the In The Heights production, wrote Tremblay.

“We intend to invite leaders in theatre education and diversity casting as well as
members of the Framingham Latinx community to help inform the dramaturgical work
surrounding our production. We want our Framingham community to share their experiences
with all of our students, regardless of race or cultural identity. We look at this as a learning
experience for everyone,” wrote Tremblay.

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Auditions for In The Heights is scheduled for November 16.

Performances will be January 13, 14, 15 in 2022

Framingham High Director of Fine and Performing Arts Chris Brindley will direct the musical.

Music Director will be Dan Rodriguez, Faculty at Boston Conservatory and Emerson College/ Regional Theatre.

Choreographer will be Caroline Chin Workman

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Vocal Coach will be Jose Delgado, Associate Professor of Theatre, Boston Conservatory.

Dramaturg will be Angela Castrillo-Vilches, PhD Student in Latinx Studies.

The Framingham High School Drama Company typically produces one musical each year,

This school year, the company will produce two – In The Heights in January and Oklahoma! in May.

“In line with our standard performance guidelines, all students at FHS will have the opportunity to be a part of at least one musical,” concluded Tremblay in his memo to the School Committee.

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