Director Luis Salgado To Host Audience Talk Back On Opening Night Of RAGTIME

Famed choreographer and director Luis Salgado ("In the Heights" and "On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan") returns to the Axelrod Performing Arts Center (APAC) to direct and choreograph "Ragtime, the Musical," and will host a post-show "talk back" and reception with the cast on opening night, March 3; tickets are available at www.axelrodartscenter.com.

Salgado's first production at APAC, "In the Heights," was the theater's runaway success story, and audience members were delighted when Salgado jumped on stage after the performance for an impromptu Q&A.

"The audience's response to Luis and the cast of 'In the Heights' reinforced to all of us why we labor over these productions. Luis's mantra is 'art with a purpose'-and the clear purpose to everyone assembled was to bring joy through music, to inspire conversation, to gather as a community, however diverse, and feel connected." says APAC's Artistic Director Andrew DePrisco.

The Q&A will be followed by a reception with the cast in the theater's lobby.

"Ragtime," which is a collaboration with Salgado Productions, is a new conceptualization of this giant musical, and the story it tells is a quintessentially American one. "The vision, passion and commitment that Luis brings to his work elevates the performers and production team to a surprising new level," says DePrisco, who acts as co-producer with Jess Levy. "Audiences left our production of 'In the Heights' last season feeling like they'd actually seen the Broadway cast...and many others thought it was better."

That Luis's staging of "Ragtime" will bring new resonance to the material is no surprise to APAC CEO Jess Levy, who is delighted to see the director-choreographer again at the helm of a major production: "I fully trust Luis to recreate this remarkably beautiful show into something that will speak to all of us."

About the Axelrod Performing Arts Center

The Axelrod Performing Arts Center fosters artistic excellence by showcasing varied and distinct cultural programs that enrich the imaginative, intellectual, and creative soul, while cultivating an appreciation of diverse communities through the pursuit of the arts. For more information, please visit www.axelrodartscenter.com.