Cast Announced for ANNA IN THE TROPICS at Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts

The play by Nilo Cruz, directed by Marcos Santana, opens Saturday, July 2, and continues through Sunday, July 24.

By: May. 26, 2022
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Cast Announced for ANNA IN THE TROPICS at Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts

Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts has announced the cast and crew of Anna in the Tropics, winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize and the second show of the 2022 Mainstage Season, with previews starting June 28. The play by Nilo Cruz, directed by Marcos Santana, opens Saturday, July 2, and continues through Sunday, July 24. Mainstage Subscriptions remain the best opportunity to secure the best seats at the best prices, though single seat tickets are currently available starting at $49.99. To purchase a Mainstage Subscription or tickets, call the Box Office at 631 725 9500 or visit the Mainstage Subscriptions Page at baystreet.org.

Nilo Cruz's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Anna in the Tropics, centers on a sultry and steamy cigar factory in 1929 Tampa, Florida, where the lives of a Cuban-American family are challenged by the vices and temptations that surround them. The factory owner, Santiago, wrestles with a gambling addiction that's emboldened by his half-brother, while his daughters, unhappy in their respective relationships, long for the affection of the factory's handsome lector. Romance, lust, and jealousy collide as the family confronts the discontent in their lives, as a wave of modernization threatens to dispel the very traditions they hold dear. Directed by Marcos Santana.

The cast includes Christian Barillas as CheChe (Yerma, Native Gardens, As You Like It); Maria Isabel Bilbao as Marela; Serafin Falcon as Santiago; Iliana Guibert as Ofelia; Gullermo Ivan as Paloma/Eliades; Anthony Michael Martinez as Juan Julian; and Christine Spang as Conchita.

The creative team for Anna in the Tropics at Bay Street Theater includes Marcos Santana, Director; Rick Sordelet, Fight/Intimacy Director; Luciana Stecconi, Scenic Designer; Fabian Aguilar, Costume Designer; Maria-Cristina Fusté, Lighting Designer; Milton Cordero, Projection Designer; Andrew Diaz, Props Designer; Lori Lundquist, Production Stage Manager; and Kate Croasdale, Assistant Stage Manager.

Marcos Santana is born and raised in Puerto Rico. Broadway credits include On Your Feet (Assoc. Choreographer) Tony nomination, Marquis Theater; Rocky (Assoc. Choreographer) Tony nomination, Winter Garden Theater; and Guys & Dolls (Assoc.) Nederlander Theater. Others: Passing Through (Goodspeed Terris Theatre-World Premiere); In The Heights (Westport Country Playhouse); West Side Story (Maltz Jupiter Theater); Evita (Bay Street Theater); Man Of La Mancha (Westport Country Playhouse); In The Heights (Olney Theater, Hellen Hayes Award, Broadway World Award); Newsies (Maltz Jupiter); Iggy; Ada; Rosie; (Theaterworks USA); Man Of La Mancha (Shakespeare Theater Company); Randy Newman's Faust (City Center Encores); The Pirates Of Penzance (Stratford Shakespeare Festival); White Noise (Royal George Theatre); My Fair Lady (J. Engeman Theater); Kiss Me Kate (Maltz Jupiter); Brazil Brazil (New Victory Theater); Guys & Dolls (J. Engeman Theater); Paul Simon's Capeman (Assoc.) Delacorte Theater; Amor Cubano; 88 Keys (Playlist Productions); and Fortress Of Solitude (Assoc.), The Public Theater/Dallas Theater Center. Film and television: Chasing Papi, Across The Universe, The Producers, Annie, Diva Las Vegas, The Nikki Cox Show, Pop Stars, Tony Awards, Stephen Colbert Show, Good Morning America, among others.

Christian Barillas' theater credits include Yerma at The Huntington; Native Gardens (directed by Jason Alexander) and As You Like It (directed by Bill Rauch) at Pasadena Playhouse; Curve of Departure, Amadeus, Peter and the Starcatcher and The Motherf**ker with the Hat (LADCC nomination) at South Coast Repertory; Pride & Prejudice and Twelfth Night (directed by Darko Tresnjak) at Oregon Shakespeare Festival; Romeo & Juliet and Richard III at Utah Shakespeare Festival; Lydia at Yale Repertory and Denver Center (world premiere); and Sonia Flew at Laguna Playhouse. On television, Christian recurred as Ronaldo opposite Nathan Lane on Modern Family. Other television highlights include appearances on The Handmaid's Tale, The Kominsky Method, Grace & Frankie, The Resident, The Bridge and as a series regular on the CBS pilot for The Jim Gaffigan Show. His film credits include Martin McDonagh's Seven Psychopaths. Barillas attended the University of North Carolina and received his MFA from UCLA. christianbarillas.com

Maria Isabel Bilbao's credits include In The Heights (Portland Center Stage); On Your Feet! (Westchester Broadway Theatre); On Your Feet (Aurora Theatre); Next to Normal and Shrek the Musical (Miami Stage Company); Evita (The Rep Theater of St. Louis); Dare to Be Different (Amas Musical Theatre); Mary Poppins the Musical and Metamorphoses (Coral Reef); and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The Pajama Game, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Jekyll and Hyde, and The Light in the Piazza (Miami Children's Theater).

Serafin Falcon is a Cuban-American actor, born and raised in Miami's Little Havana. Film and television credits include The Sopranos, Burn Notice, Graceland, Transporter 2, NCIS: LA, and The Chosen. On stage he has appeared as Palomo (Anna in the Tropics), Sierra Madre Playhouse (Los Angeles); and August G for Casa 0101 (Los Angeles). He has worked on several Nilo Cruz play including Hurricane, Tsunami, and Color of Desire. He originated the role of Fedor in Cruz's Hotel Desiderium. Anna in the Tropics is a personal homage for Falcón as his grandmother and her siblings were all cigar rollers (torcedoras/es) in Cuba. He is extremely grateful for this opportunity to honor their memory. A special thanks to his mother, whose unwavering love and support continues to inspire him daily, and to his friends he calls his family. Special thanks to Natalie Kollar and the Los Angeles Talent team. Last, a big thanks to the Bay Street Theater team for this beautiful opportunity. Gracias!

Iliana Guibert is honored to perform at the Bay Street Theater. She got her start at New York's Gramercy Arts Theatre where she originated many roles for Repertorio Espanol. Recent performances include Superstitions, directed by Jenna Worsham; It's Okay for MCC's Youth Company; and Voices from a Pandemic for the Notch Theatre Company, which won her a Broadway World nomination for Best Actress. Some television credits include Law & Order: SVU, Organized Crime, City on a Hill, Quantico, Blue Bloods, and HBO's White House Plumbers. Leylak, one of her producing projects, won numerous awards including the jury award at Flicker's Rhode Island Film Festival and the Special Jury Prize at Tribeca Film Festival. Iliana has appeared in several 9/11 documentaries and has been featured in magazines and news segments for her humanitarian efforts, philanthropy, and inspiration. She thanks her agents at About Artists for their support. @iliana.Guibert

Graduated from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Havana, Guillermo Ivan moved to New York to complete his full-time training at HB Studio. His work can be seen in many films including Trade, Vantage Point, La Casa de los Babies, Welcome to Acapulco, and The Strike. He starred in and directed Habana Instant (Innovation Award at Montreal World Film Festival and Best Actor at Tequila Film Festival). He was cast as the lead on the Netflix show El Desconocido (The Unknown Hitman) and the NBC/Telemundo television series Al Otro Lado del Muro. He played the iconic role of Juan Diego on Lady of Guadalupe and was honored with the Diamond Award as best performer. In 2021 he was nominated for an Oscar Signature Award at the World Film Festival in Dubai for Rumba Love.

Anthony Michael Martinez is making his Bay Street Theatre debut! The New York City-based actor and acting coach has appeared Off-Broadway at CSC; Vineyard Theatre; Boomerang Theatre in Comedy of Errors (Antipholus of Syracuse); New Ohio; Flea Theatre; and Theatre Row. Regional credits include appearances at Great Lakes Theater in 39 Steps (Hannay); Alabama Shakespeare in Macbeth; Folger Theater in Antony & Cleopatra; Illinois Shakespeare in Shakespeare In Love (Will); Triad Stage, Miami New Drama; Florida Rep; and Shakespeare Theatre New Jersey. He has an MFA in Classical Acting and is an instructor at Shakespeare Theatre Company's Academy for Classical Acting. Resident teaching artist at Red Bull Theatre, Classic Stage, and New York Theatre Workshop. He created and teaches a masterclass Acting In Spiritual Principle. www.anthonymichaelmartinez.net.

Christine Spang recently appeared in the Off-Broadway production of Lucky at 59E59 and The Drunken City at Kraine Theatre. Film credits include Wicked Games, Out of Breath, Loleh, Lingua Franca, The Light of the Moon, Roadies, Mujeries as in Women, Evening News, Kids Don't Die, and Fort Tilden (SXSW Grand Jury Award, Narrative Feature). Television credits include Lucy on HBO's Succession, FBI: Most Wanted, Law & Order: SVU, Love Life, Lisey's Story, The Blacklist and When They See Us. Thank you to her family and friends and a special dedication to her great great Aunt Conchita Valdivieso.

The 2022 Mainstage Season is made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; New York State through the generosity of Assemblyman Fred Thiele and State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle; Town of Southampton; The Shubert Foundation; The Neuwirth Foundation; Suffolk County Office of Film & Cultural Affairs; fully or partially funded by the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development & Planning; Maggio's Environmental; and Weill Cornell Medicine. Support for new work comes from the Joseph Stein New Musical Fund.

Bay Street Theater is a fully vaccinated company. All attendance is available via touchless ticketing. All guests will be required to wear a mask upon entry to the theater. For full list of COVID-19-related safety procedures and guidelines for in-person events, please visit us online at baystreet.org.

Bay Street Theater is a year-round, not-for-profit professional theater and community cultural center, which endeavors to innovate, educate, and entertain a diverse community through the practice of the performing arts. It serves as a social and cultural gathering place, an educational resource, and a home for a community of artists.



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