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Home , Bill Sherman, In the Heights, Water by the Spoonful

Curriculum Guide 2 MUSIC Magazine | May 2011

EDITORS: CONTENTS Dr. Daphnie Sicre is an 4 12 assistant professor of ABOUT THE AUTHOR THEMES Theatre Arts at Loyola Marymount University, Learn about Quiara Alegria Hudes and Lin- A list and desscription of the most Manuel Miranda, the ingenious artists who imporant themes found in . where she teaches direct- created the musical. ing, Latinx theatre and theatre for Social 14 Change. She also directed 6 LESSON PLANS In the Heights for the SUMMARY & This chapter inculdes several lessons that department. CHARACTERS teachers can use to explore the themes of A complete summary of the play as well as the play. Emily Stapleton and a breakdown of every character. Garret Camilleri 16 are both actors, writers, 8 GLOSSARY and teachers based in Los HISTORY & ORIGNS Angeles. They are Graduate A complete list of the imporatnt terms and Spainish translations in the play. Assistants in LMU’s The history of the play as well as information needed to learn about the Performance Pedagogy production origns. Program. 10 MUSIC In The Heights is unlike any other musical, and understanding the music is central to understanding its meaning.

- Production Dates - February 20-23 & 27-29 @ 8pm, STRUB

In The Heights Study Guide Catalog, 2020, Loyola Maramount University. MUSIC Magazine | May 2011 3

18 CONTROVERSIAL CONVERSATIONS Perfect for classroom disscussions, In the Heights offers plenty of wonderful questions to ask.

20 LESSONS ON IMMIGRATION Additional lesson plans and references.

22 LESSONS ON LATINX IDENTITY Additional informatoion.

*PHOTOGRAPHS FROM ORGINAL PRODUCTION* 4 MUSIC Magazine | May 2011

Water By the Spoonful, winner of the ; In the Heights, winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and Pulitzer finalist; and Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue, another Pulitzer finalist. Her most recent musical, Miss You Like Hell, appeared Off-Broadway at New York’s Public Theater. Hudes also wrote the screen- play adaptation for In the Heights which releases in movie theaters Summer 2020.

THE Originally trained as a com- poser, Hudes writes at the intersection of music and drama. She has collaborated with renowned musicians AUTHOR including Nelson Gonzalez, Michel Camilo, Lin-Manuel Quiara Alegría Hudes’ plays Miranda, Erin McKeown, and The Cleveland Orchestra. , A Soldier’s Hudes recently founded Fugue, The Happiest Song Plays Last, In Emancipated Stories, a col- lection of writing and art The Heights, Daphne’s Dive, Miss You where inmates’ voices matter. It seeks to put a per- Like Hell, Grrrl!, Yemaya’s Belly sonal face on mass incar- ceration by having inmates share one page of their life story with the world Quiara Alegría Hudes via the website: instagram. com/emancipated_stories_ is a writer, strong wife and mother project. On this website, the of two, barrio feminist and native inmates are able to tell the of West Philly, U.S.A. Hailed for her world who they are, allow- work’s exuberance, intellectual rigor, ing people to read about the and rich imagination, her plays humanity of folks trapped in and musicals have been performed an unjust system. around the world. They include http://www.quiara.com MUSIC Magazine | May 2011 5

Lin-Manuel Heights also took home Dramatists Guild and was Miranda a 2009 Grammy Award appointed by Mayor Bill de for its Original Broadway Blasio to ’s is an award-winning com- Cast Album and was rec- Theater Subdistrict Council poser, lyricist, and actor. He ognized as a Finalist for in 2015. He received his B.A. wrote the book and lyrics the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in from in for (and also origi- Drama. In 2016, Miranda 2002. He lives in NYC with nated the title role), earning won the Olivier Award for his wife, sons and dog. a record-breaking 16 Tony Outstanding Achievement Nominations and winning 11 in Music for the Original https://www.linmanuel.com , including two London production of In the personally for Miranda for Heights. Book and Score of a Musical. In addition, Hamilton was Miranda is a recipient of the awarded the 2016 Pulitzer 2015 MacArthur Foundation Prize in Drama. Award, the National Arts Club Medal of Honor and the Miranda’s In the Heights ASCAP Foundation’s Richard received four 2008 Tony Rodgers New Horizons Awards with Miranda receiv- Award. He has received stars ing a Tony Award for Best on both the Walk Score, as well as a nom- of Fame and the Hollywood ination for Best Leading Walk of Fame. He serves as Actor in a Musical. In the a Council Member of The

“You are perfectly cast in your life. I can’t imagine anyone but you in THE the role. Go play.” COMPOSER - Lin-Manuel Miranda

Notable Works

In the Heights (2005), Bring It On: The Musical (2011) , Hamilton (2015) In the Heights centers on a variety of characters living in the neighborhood of Washington Heights, on the northern tip of Manhattan.

At the center of the show parents, who have spent is Usnavi, a bodega owner their life savings on build- who looks after the bar- ing a better life for their rio’s aging Abuela next daughter. Ultimately, door, pines for the gor- Usnavi and the residents geous girl working in the of the close-knit neigh- neighboring beauty salon borhood get a dose of and dreams of winning what it means to be home. the lottery and escaping This revolutionary musical to the shores of his native combines Latin rhythms . and dance with hip-hop Meanwhile, Nina, a child- lyrics to tell a captivating hood friend of Usnavi’s, story about what it means has returned to the neigh- to chase your dreams as borhood from her first you cling to your roots. year at college with sur- prising news for her CHARACTERS *Lin-Manuel Miranda surprises ‘In the Heights’ crowd at the Kennedy Center

USNAVI DE LA VEGA, owner of De La Vega SONNY, Usnavi’s cousin Bodega ABUELA CLAUDIA, raised Usnavi, though not NINA ROSARIO, a freshman at Stanford his blood grandmother University DANIELA, owner of Daniela’s salon KEVIN ROSARIO, Nina’s father, owner of Rosario Car Service CARLA, works at the salon

CAMILA ROSARIO, Nina’s mother, co-owner GRAFFITI PETE, an artist of Rosario’s PIRAGÜERO ( GUY), scrapes pira- BENNY, employee of Rosario’s guas from his block of ice

VANESSA, works at the salon ENSEMBLE, Various People 8 MUSIC Magazine | May 2011

HISTORY AND ORIGINS OF PRODUCTIONS

Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote the first draft of In the Heights as a sopho- more undergraduate student at Wesleyan University in 1999. In April 2000, the musical was selected by Second Stage (a student-led theatre at the school) to be featured as an 80-minute one-act pro- duction. Encouraged by his classmates as well as theatre direc- tor and Wesleyan alumn , Miranda continued his devel- opment of In the Heights after graduation, bringing in book writer Quiara Alegría Hudes in 2004 and presenting a new version at the National Music Theater Conference in 2005, then making it all the way to the Broadway stage by 2008. Since then, the show has garnered a great deal of accolades and success, and it has even been adapted into a movie, set to open in theaters June 26, 2020. While the film will mirror the Broadway original in terms of musical numbers and produc- tion value, there is talk that the new screenplay has been updated to address current political issues affecting the Latinx community. Premiere July 23, 2005: Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Waterford, Connecticut. Productions - 2007 Off-Broadway, 2008 Broadway, 2009 US Tour, 2011 , 2011 Non-Equity Tour, 2013 Panama City, 2014 São Paulo, 2014 Off-West End, 2014 Tokyo, 2015 Melbourne, 2015 West End, 2015 Vancouver, 2015 , 2016 Lima, 2016 Lohne, 2017 Washington, D.C. 2018 Nyborg, 2018 Sydney, 2020 Film.

Awards

2007 Original Off-Broadway Production - Outstanding Ensemble Performance Drama Desk Award - Outstanding Choreography () Clarence Derwent Award - Most Promising Male Performer (Lin-Manuel Miranda)

2008 Original Broadway Production Tony Award - Best Musical Tony Award - Best Original Score (Lin-Manuel Miranda) Tony Award - Best Choreography (Andy Blankenbuehler) Tony Award - Best Orchestrations ( and ) Grammy Award - Best Musical Show Album

2016 Original West-End Production Laurence Olivier Award - Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical () Laurence Olivier Award - Best Theatre Choreographer (Drew McOnie) Laurence Olivier Award - Outstanding Achievement in Music (Lin-Manuel Miranda) WhatsOnStage Award - Best Supporting Actor in a Musical (David Bedella) “Here’s thethingthat I’ve aboutLinMiranda. observed embedded inboth ofthem.” Director Eustis, of the Public —Oskar Artistic Theater that heloves both forms — he’s notbeingatourist whenhe visitsoneortheother, buthe’s deeply and hassince to hewas work achild.ability inbothofthoseforms His isinseparable from thefact Broadway, andhassince he was achild, andhedeeplyloves andpopmusicasawhole, hip-hop MUSIC Hedeeplyloves musicaltheater and MUSIC Magazine | May 2011 11

“I wrote the show I wanted to be in. I grew up with hip- hop, and I wanted it to sound like my neighborhood.” — Lin-Manual Miranda

Performed in two acts with its principle characters expressing themselves through song and dance, In the Heights follows the traditional formula of a classic American Broadway musical. But Lin-Manuel Miranda contextual- izes this formula within Latinx culture, integrating bilingual lyrics and fusing various styles of music including hip hop, rap, salsa, R&B, funk, dance beat, waltz, bolero, pop ballad, reg- gaeton, merengue, and bachata. Influenced by his Puerto Rican roots, his upbringing in Inwood NYC (adjacent to Washington Heights where the play takes place), and his simultaneous love of 90’s hip-hop and Broadway tunes, Miranda merges his classic and contemporary sensibilities while celebrating the Latinx com- munity and promoting positive representation of Latinx charac- ters — a representation that has previously been lacking on the Broadway stage. 12 MUSIC Magazine | May 2011 THEMES

OPPORTUNITY. The opportunity that many seek when immigrating to the could perhaps be considered synonymous with the “American Dream.” This age-old aspiration sug- gests that with hard work and sacrifice, anyone can achieve the economic success they desire; or at the very least, they may create a better future for their children. The promise of such opportu- nity is especially present for the Rosarios in In the Heights as Kevin and Camila make the ultimate sacrifice, selling their car service in order to pay for their daughter’s Stanford education.

RESILIENCE. Resilience is defined as the capacity to adapt to stressful or tragic events, recovering ably from misfortune or change. The characters residing in Washington Heights show remarkable fortitude, drawing on each other for strength while navigating some of life’s most difficult challenges. From the threat of losing one’s business, to the struggle to afford educational opportunities, to the sorrow of saying goodbye to a loved one, the adversities reflected in In the Heights are met with both vigor and courage, depicting a community resolved to transcend even the greatest of hardships. MUSIC Magazine | May 2011 13

GENTRIFICATION. The term gentrification is used to describe the rebuilding of an urban neighborhood that results in an influx of more affluent residents and businesses. The process is controversial as it tends to displace current residents who often can no longer afford to pay rising housing costs or maintain their small businesses. In the Heights highlights the devastating effects of gentrification as we witness several of its characters and businesses — including Usnavi’s bodega, Daniela’s salon, and the Rosarios’ dispatch — struggle to survive.

COMMUNITY/LOVE. The word “community” holds a number of meanings. It can refer to a group of people with a common characteristic living together within a larger society, it can encompass a body of persons possessing the same social or economic interests, or it may simply indicate the shared heritage of a collective group. For the characters in In the Heights, community goes beyond any of the above definitions to reflect a neighborhood of residents who support one another, who lift each other up, and who come together in the most painful of times to offer love and healing.

IMMIGRATION. New York City’s Washington Heights has historically been home to a diverse population of immigrants seeking opportunity — and in some cases, refuge — in the United States. The neighborhood experienced a significant inflow of Latinx residents in the mid-1960’s, particularly those fleeing the Dominican Republic during a time of political turmoil. Rooted in this history, In the Heights celebrates the Latinx residents of Washington Heights, paying tribute to their vibrant culture and community. 14 MUSIC Magazine | May 2011 Lesson #1

Celebrating Community. This activity can be used Lesson #2 over the course of two class periods. During the first Reflecting on Opportunity. class, divide students into Either in class or as a home- groups of 4 or 5 and ask work assignment, instruct them to reflect on the word your students to write a “community.” After they have reflection about educa- agreed on a definition, ask tional opportunity. Ask each group to send up a rep- them to consider the sacri- resentative to write their fices that Nina Rosario and definition on the board. A her parents made in In the brief discussion can be held Heights in order for her to comparing the various defi- attend Stanford University. nitions and further expand- What were these particu- ing the students’ ideas of lar sacrifices? And how dif- community. Next, give stu- ficult was it to make them? dents a few minutes to indi- Was Nina’s attendance at vidually write down all of Stanford worth such sacri- the communities of which fices? Why or why not? Ask they are a part. When they your students to also reflect are finished, ask them to on their own educational peruse the list and pick one opportunities. Would they or community to which they their parents have to make feel most closely connected. similar sacrifices in order For the following class, ask for them to attend college? students to bring in some- Would it be worth it? If your thing (an object, a picture, students are in college, they a poem, a song, etc.) that in may reflect on any sacri- some way represents their fices that they or their fam- community. Students should ilies have already had (or present what they have not had) to make. Ask them brought and briefly discuss to reflect on how their edu- their connection to it as well cational opportunities are as to their community. As a (or have been) either similar final discussion, ask students to or different from those to reflect on the community available to Nina. the depicted in In the Heights. assignment been completed, What do each of the charac- allow any willing students to ters bring to their commu- share their reflections with nity, and what do they gain the class. from it? LESSON IDEAS IDEAS LESSON YOUR CLASS FOR MUSIC Magazine | May 2011 15 Lesson #4 Lesson #3 each group to share their Understanding thoughts with the class. Examining Resilience. Ask Gentrification. Begin this your students to define the activity by writing the fol- word “resilience.” While there lowing prompt on the board: may be several interpre- When you hear the word tations, try to decide as a “gentrification,” what comes class on one definition that to mind? Does it have a pos- fits best. Write that defini- itive or negative connota- tion clearly on the board, tion? Explain. Give the stu- and instruct the students to dents a few minutes to write open a notebook or journal. down their answers, and Give them a few minutes to then ask any willing stu- write down as many quali- dents to share. It is likely ties they can think of that that some students will would help a person to not have a full understand- remain resilient in a time ing of the meaning of gen- of difficulty. When they are trification, so instruct one finished, ask them to think student to look up the def- of a time when they exhib- inition and read it aloud. If ited one of these qualities. any of your students have How did this quality help experience with gentrifica- them to stay strong during tion, ask them to cite exam- a time of struggle? Allow ples for the class. Then them a few more minutes to show the short film titled jot down their thoughts, and Gentrification Explained then instruct them to find a which can be accessed at partner with whom they can https://www.youtube.com/ share their stories. Give each watch?v=V0zAvlmzDFc. pair roughly ten minutes While viewing, have the stu- to both share and respond dents write down any corre- (five minutes per student). lations they notice between When they have finished, the effects of gentrifica- ask if any of the pairs would tion discussed in the film like to share their stories and events that occur in In or thoughts with the entire the Heights. After viewing, class. Finally, ask the class if divide students into small there are any specific char- groups to discuss how the acters from In the Heights characters in the play are who demonstrated the qual- impacted by gentrifica- ities they have discussed, tion. (You may refer to the helping them to remain resil- theme section on page 13 ient in a difficult time. of this curriculum guide for a few examples.) Finally, ask one representative from 16 MUSIC Magazine | May 2011 GLOSSARY

While the In The Heights characters speak mostly in English, the Spanish slang and phrases are just as important to the play as the setting itself. Below are some translations that may help you undersatnd the characters better if you do not speak Spainsh.

Piragua — a frozen treat made of shaved ice and covered with fruit flavored syrup

Oye, piragüero, como estas? — Hey, piragua guy, how are you?

No, que pasó? — No, what happened?

Con leche — with milk

Paciencia y fe — patience and faith

Abuela — grandmother

Escuela — school The is a double-decked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting the Washington No me diga! — No kidding! Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City with the (No tell me!) borough of Fort Lee in New Jersey. The bridge was ceremoni- ally dedicated on October 24, 1931 No pares, sigue, sigue — Do not stop, go on, go on MUSIC Magazine | May 2011 17

“No Pares, Sigue, Sigue!”

Bodega - a small grocery Eso no importa — it doesn’t Ay bendito! — Oh, gosh! (Oh, store, especially in matter goodness!) a Spanish-speaking neighborhood. Comay — girlfriend Ay dios mio! — Oh my god!

Barrio — is a Spanish word Chacha — girl Muchacha — girl meaning a quarter or neighbourhood. Coño — damn Qué sé yo? — What do I know? Sandwichito — little Qué pasó? — What sandwich happened? Esa pregunta es — That question is Sigue andando el camino Entre, mija! — Come in, girl por toda su vida — Continue friend! Que calor — the heat walking the way (path) of your life Mira quién es! — Look who Toma — here it is! Te adoro — I love you Chuletas — pork chops Te quiero — I want you Pobrecita — poor girl No me preocupo por ella — I’m not worried about her Linda — pretty woman

Muñeca — doll Vieja — old woman

Mijo — my son Sucia — dirty girl

Pero — but Cabrona — bastard (bitch) 18 MUSIC Magazine | May 2011 3 CONTROVERSIAL

CASTING TOPICS

Great plays are not without controversies. These three topics can be great discussion starters for classrooms or rehearsals. CASTING ISSUE #1 CASTING ISSUE #2 CASTING ISSUE #3 ’s cast In 2008, a production of In The Heights In 2017, an Australian production of Jack DeCesare, a white actor of Italian was done with a cast of all Japanese In The Heights was cancelled due to descent, to play Usnavi. The Chicago actors. Surprising critics, the play was whitewashing concerns. Latinx community was very upset. received well.

QUESTION #1 QUESTION #2 QUESTION #3 In a play that tackles race, ethnicity While not an example of whitewashing, What is the difference between the and immigration, what do you think is this rendition dos not live true to In Japanese production and the Austra- the right way to solve this controversy? The Heights’ original community. Can lian? Why did the Japanese production a cast of only Japanese actors convey get great reviews while the Australian the themes Quiara Alegría Hudes and was cancelled? Lin-Manuel Miranda intended? 20 TEACHING ABOUT |May 2011 MUSIC Magazine IMMIGRATION “Imagine how“Imagine it paycheck.” for or a respect yourbreaking neck no regrets andnot highway oflife with real slow down the would feel going https://www-tc.pbs.org/independentlens/newamericans/pdfs/ immigration. Visit thelinkbelow for more lessonplanson MUSIC Magazine | May 2011 21

that misunderstandings can often lead to a negative view of UNDERSTANDING immigrants wishing to enter (or perhaps already residing) in IMMIGRATION our country. Next, instruct your students to take out a piece of paper and tear it into five sections. Explain that you will For this activity, please refer read five statements about immigration in the United States to Teaching Tolerance’s Ten that are either fact or myth. The students will guess as to Myths About Immigration whether or not the statements are true, writing “fact” or article which can be “myth” for each on a scrap of paper. Collect the scraps after accessed at https://www.tol- each statement, and tally them up, relaying to students how erance.org/magazine/spring- many believe the statement is a fact and how many believe 2011/ten-myths-about-immi- it is a myth. Then, reveal the correct answer by reading to gration. Before you begin, your students the corresponding section from Ten Myths make sure that your stu- About Immigration. The five statements are as follows: dents have a clear under- standing of how the topic 1. Most immigrants are here illegally (Myth); of immigration is present in In the Heights. You may 2. Immigrants take good jobs from U.S. citizens (Myth); refer to the theme section on page 13 of this curricu- 3. As an immigrant, it is difficult and very expensive to lum guide, and you may even enter The United States legally (Fact); have your students conduct their own research into the 4. Undocumented immigrants do not pay any of the same history of Latinx immigrants taxes that United States citizens pay (Myth); residing in New York City’s Washington Heights.* After 5. Refugees undergo more rigorous screenings than any a discussion of such rele- other individuals the government allows in the United vant information, explain to States (Fact). your students that immigra- *https://scalar.usc.edu/works/latino-metropolis-a-brief- tion is a controversial topic urban-cultural-history-of-us-latinos---1/washington- in the United States, and heights-1

More lesson plans on immigration!

https://www-tc.pbs.org/independentlens/newamericans/pdfs/tna8_mosaic.pdf

https://www-tc.pbs.org/independentlens/newamericans/pdfs/tna11_latinos.pdf 22 TEACHING ABOUT |May 2011 MUSIC Magazine LATINX IDENTITY “Latina” to refer to apersonofLatin descent. “Latinx” isagender-neutral term usedinlieuof “Latino” or Latinx/Latino/Latina don’t identify asbeingmale orfemale. descent whodon’t want to beidentified by gender, or who added theword in 2018to thoseofLatin describe American Pronounced “luh-TEE-neks, Merriam-Webster dictionary made “Latinx” bothaninclusive andcontroversial term. label. The gendered oftheSpanishlanguage has structure the LGBTQ anditsadvocates community have embraced the descentAmerican hasbecome more common asmembersin Using theterm “Latinx” to refer to allpeople ofLatin Illustrations byIllustrations Terry Blas The word was created as a gender- neutral alternative to “Latinos,” not only to better include those who are gender fluid, but also to push back on the inherently masculine term used to describe all genders in the .

Even though “Latinos” techni- cally refers to all genders of Latin American descent, it’s still a mascu- line word in Spanish.

For example, a group of females would be called “Latinas” and a group of males would be called “Latinos.” However, a group of males and females of Latin American descent would revert to the mascu- line “Latinos.”

https://www.usatoday.com/story/ news/nation/2019/06/29/latina- latino-latinx-hispanic-what-do-they- mean/1596501001/

Illustrations by Terry Blas