Tickets Now on Sale for TRIÂNGULO World Premiere at Arizona Broadway Theatre

Tickets are now on sale for the world premiere of Triângulo, debuting Friday, April 16, 2027, at Arizona Broadway Theatre, with Emmy-nominated writer and director Crystal Manich set to direct the world premiere production. The new musical will run from April 16 through May 2, 2027. 

Conceived as a modern MMA opera, “Triângulo” merges mixed martial arts with musical theatre and an original score infused with Brazilian rhythms and the pulse of early-1990s pop, rock and dance music. Performed primarily in English and infused with Spanish and Portuguese, the production tells the story of Esperança, a young woman determined to carve out a place for herself in the male-dominated world of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed

Part underdog story and part high-energy emotional drama, “Triângulo” blends competition, music and movement into a coming-of-age story about perseverance and belonging.

Originally conceived and produced by Joseph Specter, the former president and general director of Arizona Opera and the current president and CEO of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, "Triângulo" has spent years evolving into a theatrical experience unlike anything currently seen on stage. 

That process has brought together a creative team with experience spanning multiple artistic disciplines, including director Crystal Manich, whose career spans theatre, opera, film and circus. Manich began directing at age 16 after discovering a love of Theatre Four years earlier. She earned her undergraduate and master's degrees from Carnegie Mellon University before having a hand in more than 90 productions across the United States and abroad.

Recently named the new Interim Director of Opera Studies at Carnegie Mellon, Manich also served as artistic director for Cirque du Soleil's "Crystal" and assistant artistic director for “Quidam,” experiences that strengthened her understanding of physical storytelling, movement and large-scale theatrical spectacle. Those efforts also influenced her work on “Triângulo,” where martial arts and movement are central to the storytelling. A former dancer who trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu herself in preparation for creating this show, Manich brings firsthand experience with movement both onstage and on the mat.