The Kennedy Center to Present OLIVERIO in 2016

The Kennedy Center presents the world premiere production of OLIVÉRio: A Brazilian Twist in the Kennedy Center Family Theater from January 30-February 21, 2016. Part of the Kennedy Center's Theater for Young Audiences 2015-2016 season, the production is inspired by the literary classic, Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist, directed by Juliette Carillo, with book and lyrics by Karen Zacarías and music by Deborah Wicks La Puma. The press opening performance is Saturday, January 30, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. OLIVÉRio is most appropriate for patrons ages 9 and up and their families.

The cast stars Felicia Curry as Esperança Olivério (or Oli), Rayanna Gonzales as Iemanja, James Konicek as Silas Sykes, Donna Migliaccio as Rosa Maria, Sasha Olinick as Falcão, Erika Rose as Nanci, and Arturo Soria as Zé Esquiva. Musicians Bruno Lucini (percussion), Leonardo Lucini (bass), and Richard Miller (guitar) will accompany the cast onstage.

The creative team includes scenic design by Luciana Stecconi, costume design by Ivania Stack, lighting design by Colin K. Bills, sound design by Christopher Baine, choreography by Sonia Pessoa, and Richard Miller as Music Director.

For young Oli, leaving the Brazilian desert for the poor favela neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro hasn't been easy. Her mother has left to find work, food is scarce, and now she's been sent to an orphanage. So when the city makes its annual New Year's Eve pilgrimage to the beach, in hopes that the goddess of the sea will grant them a wish, Oli masquerades as a boy to join the adventure and turn her luck around. But con man Falcão has other plans for Olivério, like using him to steal from wealthy strangers. Supported by two new friends-Falcão's spunky apprentice Zé Esquiva and wash maid Nanci-hope is on Olivério's big dreams to help them escape from a childhood on the streets.

OLIVÉRio mixes fantasy, shifting identities, and a healthy helping of humor to explore the cultural melting pot of modern-day Rio. Original songs and live music bring to life samba, capoeira, Carnaval, and other Brazilian traditions, while Olivério's inspiring story proves there's more to family than you might think-and it's never too late to ask for just "a little more" love in the world.

Karen Zacarías (playwright) has written many musicals for young theater audiences with composer Deborah Wicks La Puma including: Jane of the Jungle (World Premiere: South Coast Rep); Frida Libre (World Premiere: La Jolla Playhouse); Looking for Roberto Clemente (World Premiere: Imagination Stage); Chasing George Washington: A White House Adventure (World Premiere: the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts); Einstein is a Dummy (World Premiere: The Alliance Theater); Cinderella Eats Rice and Beans (World Premiere: Imagination Stage); and Ferdinand and the Bull (World Premiere: Imagination Stage). Karen also writes award-winning plays for adults, some of which include The Book Club Play, Legacy of Light, Mariela in the Desert, The Sins of Sor Juana, and the adaptation of the best-selling book How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent. Last year her immigration play Just Like Us premiered at the Denver Center, and she collaborated with Septime Webre on The Sun Also Rises for the Washington Ballet. Other new projects include an adaptation of The Age of Innocence, a play for the American Revolution series for Oregon Shakespeare Theater and a drama for Cincinnati Playhouse. Her awards include a 2010 Steinberg Citation-Best New Play (outside of NYC), National Francesca Primus Prize, New Voices Award, National Latino Play Award, Finalist Susan Blackburn, and a Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play. Karen is the founder of Young Playwrights' Theater, an award-winning theater company that teaches playwriting in local public schools in Washington, D.C.

Deborah Wicks La Puma (music) is a composer, music director, and orchestrator. Her work for adults and children has been seen by thousands around the world, from Australia to Bahrain to the East Room of the White House, enjoying both popular and critical success. She also worked with Mo Willems on the world premiere of Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical at the Kennedy Center. Her other works for young audiences include Frida Libre (La Jolla Playhouse), Ferdinand the Bull (based on the book by Munro Leaf), Chasing George Washington: A White House Adventure (Kennedy Center), Einstein Is a Dummy (Alliance Theatre) with playwright Karen Zacarías, and Nobody's Perfect (based on the book by Marlee Matlin) with Doug Cooney, a musical in English and American Sign Language, commissioned by VSA and the Kennedy Center. Her awards include the Jane Chambers Playwriting Award, a National Endowment for the Arts' New American Works Grant, two Parents' Choice Awards, an iParenting Media Award, and two Helen Hayes nominations for Outstanding New Play. A proud Mexican-American who speaks Spanish and Portuguese, she is also a member of the board of directors of TYA USA/ASSITEJ International, ASCAP, and The Dramatist Guild.

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