Signature Theatre is presenting the world premiere of DAPHNE’S DIVE, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegría Hudes (Water by the Spoonful, In the Heights) and directed by Thomas Kail (Hamilton, Fox’s “Grease: Live”). The production is currently in previews for an extended run through June 12, with a May 15 opening night in The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). Tickets for the initial run of the production are $25 as part of the Signature Ticket Initiative: A Generation of Access. Ticket prices for the extension begin at $45. To purchase tickets for all Signature productions, call Ticket Services at 212-244-7529 (Tues. – Sun., 11am – 6pm) or visit signaturetheatre.org.
Gordon Joseph Weiss as Rey, Matthew Saldivar as Pablo, K.K. Moggie as Jenn and Samira Wiley as Ruby. Photo by Joan Marcus
The cast includes Vanessa Aspillaga (LCT’s Domesticated) as Daphne, Carlos Gomez (A&E’s “The Glades”) as Acosta, K.K. Moggie (NBC’s “Mercy”) as Jenn, Tony Award nominee Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent) as Inez, Matthew Saldivar (Act One) as Pablo, Tony Award nominee Gordon Joseph Weiss (Fool for Love) as Rey and SAG Award winner Samira Wiley (“Orange Is the New Black”) as Ruby.
Matthew Saldivar as Pablo, Samira Wiley as Ruby, Carlos Gomez as Acosta, Daphne Rubin-Vega as Inez and Gordon Joseph Weiss as Rey. Photo by Joan Marcus
The design team includes Donyale Werle (Scenic Design), Toni-Leslie James (Costume Design), Betsy Adams (Lighting Design), Nevin Steinberg (Sound Design) and Michel Camilo (Composer). Lori Ann Zepp is the Production Stage Manager. Casting by Telsey + Company, Karyn Casl, CSA.
Vanessa Aspillaga as Daphne and Matthew Saldivar as Pablo. Photo by Joan Marcus
DAPHNE’S DIVE is a cheap corner bar in North Philly where Daphne and her vibrant, eclectic regulars drink to art, politics, and life. As Daphne’s adopted daughter, very different from her reserved and pragmatic mother, grows up, this unconventional family is forced to confront who’s an insider, who’s an outsider, and the challenge of opening your heart to strangers. Brimming with adversity, love and hope, this world premiere, directed by Thomas Kail, kicks off Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Signature residency.
Matthew Saldivar as Pablo and Daphne Rubin-Vega as Inez. Photo by Joan Marcus
Matthew Saldivar as Pablo and Gordon Joseph Weiss as Rey. Photo by Joan Marcus
Carlos Gomez as Acosta and Matthew Saldivar as Pablo. Photo by Joan Marcus
Matthew Saldivar as Pablo, Samira Wiley as Ruby and Daphne Rubin-Vega as Inez. Photo by Joan Marcus
Vanessa Aspillaga as Daphne and Samira Wiley as Ruby. Photo by Joan Marcus
Daphne Rubin-Vega as Inez and Vanessa Aspillaga as Daphne. Photo by Joan Marcus
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Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations. Lia is also an internationally published and exhibited photographer, a multi-platform journalist, and a publicist. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Examiner.com, Jade Magazine and Playbill.com.
