OZOMATLI Performs Concert at The Pasadena Playhouse, 4/15

The Pasadena Playhouse (Sheldon Epps, Artistic Director and Elizabeth Doran Executive Director) announces a one-night only concert featuring Ozomatli, which continues the celebration of the ground-breaking musical diversity of its current production: One Night With Janis Joplin and Los Angeles' eclectic music landscape. A portion of the proceeds from this concert will benefit The Playhouse's Wells Fargo Theatrical Diversity Project. Tickets are now on sale for this special evening on Monday, April 15, at 7:00 p.m. that will feature all-new music from their upcoming album. A limited number of VIP tickets are available which include a Café Con Ozo meet and greet with the band members featuring Ozomatli's Ozo Espresso, courtesy of Zona Rosa Coffee. Zona Rosa Caffe and Ozomatli have a long history of collaboration, starting in 1995 when Ozo began playing weekly shows at the Pasadena coffeehouse that specializes in Organic and Latino coffees.

"Ozomatli's great history of tying performance to the celebration of diversity matches perfectly with The Pasadena Playhouse's own connection of art to culture," stated Elizabeth Doran, Executive Director of The Playhouse. "Here in the greater Los Angeles region we love Ozomatli because both on and off the stage they so clearly represent our shared diverse community. When they take music to refugee camps, they do it in a spirit that seems to take us all along with them. When they impact the lives of children, we feel like we are there, too. We strive for this kind of inclusion and impact here at The Playhouse, and could not be more delighted by the band's decision to come and perform to benefit our own diversity programming."

"One of the most important parts of our mission here at The Playhouse is developing young audiences and young artists," said Playhouse Artistic Director Sheldon Epps. "That vital initiative along with our efforts and our great success in the area of diversity on stage and off, are central to defining who we are as a theatre company. Having Ozomatli on our stage, delivering his wonderful work to an audience who might be coming to our theatre for the first time can only be described as a great success even in advance of what I know will be an exciting event for our theatre."

"We are super excited to bring Ozo energy to such a historic landmark in our backyard," said Ozomatli. "This is LA history."

In their eighteen years together as a band, celebrated Los Angeles culture-mashers Ozomatli have gone from hometown heroes to being named U.S. State Department Cultural Ambassadors. Ozomatli has always juggled two key identities: they are the voice of their city and they are citizens of the world. Their music - a notorious urban-Latino-and-beyond collision of hip-hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East LA R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican regga and Indian raga - has long followed a key mantra: it will take you around the world by taking you around L.A.

The Wells Fargo Theatrical Diversity Project was organized in 2005 to support The Pasadena Playhouse's vision to build a legacy of artistic and theatrical diversity. Embracing diversity at The Pasadena Playhouse goes beyond promoting tolerance; it is about exploring and celebrating the human experience shared by people of all colors, genders, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientations, learning and physical abilities, and socioeconomic positions. This initiative gives priority to eclectic and Dynamic Productions featuring a diverse array of artists, actors, and playwrights. Our productions reflect the diverse richness that defines (in an integral and not ancillary way) our community, while never forgetting that primary goal of theater - to entertain. It empowers and enriches young people of diverse ethnicities from disenfranchised communities through free student performances and arts education programs; and cultivates writers, actors, directors and designers of all backgrounds through new play development, mainstage productions and outreach programs.

OZOMATLI will perform on Monday, April 15, 2013, at 7:00 p.m. The Pasadena Playhouse is located at 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91101. Single ticket prices range from $30.00 - $75.00, with special VIP tickets which include a Café Con Ozo meet and greet experience, courtesy of Zona Rosa Coffee, available for $150.00. Service and theatre restoration fees apply to all purchases. Tickets are available by calling The Pasadena Playhouse Box Office at 626-356-7529. On non-performance dates, the Box Office is open Tuesday - Sunday from 12:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. On performance dates, the Box Office is open Tuesday - Saturday from 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. and Sunday from 12:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available 24 hours a day at www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org. Group Sales (tickets for 8 or more people) are available by calling 626-921-1161. For additional information on The Pasadena Playhouse, please visit www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org.

Don't Miss a Los Angeles News Story
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...