Melina: a Steampunk Musical Tragedy at The Orlando Shakes

Melina is a musical telenovela on stage about a tragic love triangle set in a steampunk world; a world in the firm grip of a mysterious detector that holds time in its grasp.

World Premier Musical written by Gretchen Suarez-Pena, presented by Central Florida Vocal Arts, with music co-composed by Julian Bond & Nishaa Johnson.

Mara - Allie Kaye
Jacob - Matthew Fackler
Melina - Giovanna Ciccone Ess
Narrator - Christy Rodriguez de Conte
Young Melina - Ashley Van Kirk
Darian - Jose-Manuel Lopez
Aimee - Lindsay Nicole Steinberg
Jeremiah - Kenny Nisbett

Producer - Theresa Smith-Levin
Associate Producer - Meghan Hone
Stage Manager - Andy Stetzinger
Writer / Stage Director - Gretchen Suarez-Pena
Asst. Director - Tony Murvin
Music Director - Nishaa Johnson
Choreographer - Shawn Lowe
Costume Designer - Coleen Carson
Scenic & Lightning Designer - Travis Eaton
Track Production - Julian Bond

An official selection of the 2020 Atlanta Musical Theatre Festival, MELINA tells the story of a failed love triangle set in a fictional steampunk world. Mara, an aspiring vocalist and lower-class girl, is in love with Jacob, the esteemed heir of the town of New Comen. Their love is one of fairy tales until Melina enters the scene. The love triangle ends in heartbreak, tossing the town into political turmoil, while the fabric of time hangs in the balance of a mysterious time machine.

Many years pass and life takes unexpected twists, as the fate of Jacob's daughter and Mara's son become intertwined.