Wilton Guzman Completes Cast of A CITY OF REFUGE World Premiere

Casting is now complete for the world premiere of A City of Refuge, written and directed by Evan Cuyler-Louison. The Primitive Grace Theatre Ensemble (Paul Calderon and David Zayas, Co-Founding Artistic Directors) production, set at the peak of the often-overlooked Washington Heights riots of 1992, will play The Center at West Park (165 W. 86th Street, between Columbus and Amsterdam) for a limited engagement from December 4-22. Opening is Sunday, December 8. Tickets, priced at $20, are available online at https://a-city-of-refuge.eventbrite.com/.

Bringing a healthy dose of real-life experience to a timely piece of historical fiction, Domincan-born and Washington Heights-raised actor Wilton Guzman completes the cast of the world premiere play A City of Refuge. It's the summer of 1992 and Washington Heights is on the brink of collapse following the deadly shooting of an unarmed Dominican man. Seeking solace, a local priest barricades himself inside his church, along with a small group of parishioners. As their numbers grow, tensions build both outside the church walls and in the sanctuary, threatening an already tumultuous City of Refuge.

New cast member Wilton Guzman has deep ties to the true events that inspired A City of Refuge. When NYPD Officer Michael O'Keefe fatally shot Jose "Kiko" Garcia on July 3, 1992, Guzman-a Dominican immigrant like Garcia-was a teenager growing up in the very same neighborhood of Washington Heights. Surrounding his childhood apartment where his mother still lives to this day, he recalls "a heavy police presence and a volatile environment" over the five days of the Washington Heights riots. Guzman is proud to represent the Dominican community of Washington Heights and bring to life a story that is a true reflection of his roots.

Wilton Guzman joins a cast that features the previously-announced Luke Edward Smith, Ylfa Edelstein, Miah Kane, Hailey Marmolejo, and Gregg Prosser. A City of Refuge marks Guzman's theatrical debut.