Beginning July 17, People’s Light concludes its 49th season with the regional premiere presentation of Somewhere Over the Border by Emmy Award-nominated playwright, actor, and composer Brian Quijada. Presented as a co-production with Pittsburgh’s City Theatre and Pittsburgh CLO, the hip-hop musical is inspired by the true story of Quijada’s mother’s journey from El Salvador to the U.S. retold as a riff on L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz.
Directed by Laura Acalá Baker, the musical’s cast features actors Gloria Vivica Benavides, Isabella Campos, Bobby Plasencia, Jerreme Rodriguez, Arusi Santi, and Ariana Valdes. Somewhere Over the Border runs from July 17 to Aug. 11, with 28 performances presented on the Leonard C. Haas Stage, a 340-seat venue housed in an 18th-century stone barn.
Brian Quijada is an up-and-coming, Emmy-nominated playwright, actor, and composer whose original work has been developed and produced all across the country. His hip-hop solo show Where Did We Sit on the Bus? has received numerous award nominations and been produced at numerous theatres. His play Kid Prince and Pablo premiered at The Kennedy Center in 2019.
Most recently, his musical Somewhere Over the Border had a critically acclaimed rolling world premiere at Syracuse Stage, Geva Theatre, and TeatroVista in 2022, before Pittsburgh, PA company City Theatre presented it as a co-production with Pittsburgh CLO and People’s Light in October 2023.
In Somewhere Over the Border, the allure of the American Dream beckons Reina Quijada (Campos) along a very different yellow brick road from El Salvador to the United States. Along the way, she makes friends, dodges imminent danger, and searches for the almighty “wizard” in this nod to Oz. With onstage musicians weaving together cumbia, Mexican mariachi, boleros, American rock, and hip-hop, Quijada honors his mother in a fantastically true tale of determination, family, and friendship.
The cast of Somewhere Over the Border reprise their roles from the City Theatre presentation last fall and will all make their People’s Light debut with this production.
TICKET INFORMATION
For complete ticket information, visit peopleslight.org or call the box office at 610-644-3500.
Somewhere Over the Border has an estimated runtime of 2 hours with an intermission and is recommended for audiences ages 10 or older.
People’s Light is at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA.