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Image for Kiss My Aztec!
Navigating the Digital Program

Welcome to the new Hartford Stage digital program! Use the "Event Guide" under the show title, find everything you need to know about Kiss My Aztec!, the Cast & Creative team, and Hartford Stage.

From the Artistic & Managing Directors

Dear Friends of Hartford Stage:

Bienvenidos a nuestra última obra de la temporada.

We are thrilled to welcome you to the final show of the Raise the Curtain Season, Kiss My Aztec! What a way to end the year: with a funny, irreverent, and raucous work that invites us to conspire with the performers in revisiting a chapter in history that has deep implications for all of us in the Americas. 

Alongside the creative team of Kiss My Aztec! — John Leguizamo, Tony Taccone, Benjamin Velez, David Kamp, and Mayte Natalio — we celebrate the resilience, humor, and ingenuity of the diverse Latine community. We continue to highlight these voices, following Quixote Nuevo by Octavio Solis on our stage in 2019 and our virtual New American Voices Play Festival in 2021. And, next season, enjoy the east coast premiere of our first ever fully bilingual production Espejos: Clean by Christine Quintana.

This past season has offered a range of perspectives, voices, and visions from reimagined classics like Ah, Wilderness! and relevant revivals like Lost in Yonkers, to new works by emerging playwright Alaudin Ullah and established visionary Pearl Cleage — and finally this joyous new musical. 

Within the wonderful absurdities of this script of Kiss My Aztec! lie many truths about the Aztecs, including mentions of their codices — their mostly pictorial narratives that captured their stories, and saved them for posterity. Every culture preserves its stories, knowing their importance for community connection.

We know from these past two and a half years how very important it is to come together and loudly reaffirm our collective humanity through our stories. Thank you all for cherishing and supporting live theatre in this most important moment.

Enjoy this amazing group of artists, and don’t be afraid to laugh and even hum along. You all are, after all, our co-conspirators,

 
Melia Bensussen            
Artistic Director        


Cynthia Rider
Managing Director

Production Credits

MELIA BENSUSSEN, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR 
CYNTHIA RIDER, MANAGING DIRECTOR

presents

Book by JOHN LEGUIZAMO
and
TONY TACCONE

Music by BENJAMIN VELEZ

Lyrics by
DAVID KAMP,
BENJAMIN VELEZ

and
JOHN LEGUIZAMO

Based on a screenplay
written by
JOHN LEGUIZAMO
and
STEPHEN CHBOSKY

Choreography by
MAYTE NATALIO

Directed by TONY TACCONE


June 1 – 26, 2022

 
Scenic & Costume Design
CLINT RAMOS

Lighting Design
ALEXANDER V. NICHOLS

Sound Design
JESSICA PAZ & BETH LAKE

Wig & Hair Design
CHARLES G. LAPOINTE

Puppet Design
JAMES ORTIZ

Casting
TARA RUBIN CASTING
XAVIER RUBIANO, CSA

Music Supervision &
Co-Incidental Music
Arrangements
DAVID GARDOS

Dance, Vocal &
Co-Incidental Music
Arrangements
BENJAMIN VELEZ

Orchestrator
SIMON HALE

Music Director
ROBERTO SINHA

Additional Percussion
Arrangements
WILSON R TORRES

Copyist
JOANN KANE MUSIC/
RUSSELL BARTMUS, 
MEGAN SPERGER

Production Stage Manager
JEFFREY RODRIGUEZ

Stage Manager
AMANDA MICHAELS

Assistant Stage Manager
HANNAH WOODWARD

 

Artistic Producer
RACHEL ALDERMAN

Director of Production
BRYAN T. HOLCOMBE

General Manager
EMILY VAN SCOY 

 

Originally commissioned by Berkeley Repertory Theatre and made possible by a generous grant from the Roy Cockrum Foundation.

World Premiere produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse.

The Hartford Production of Kiss My Aztec! is produced by special arrangement with Joey Parnes.

The Actors and Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

The Scenic, Costume, Lighting and Sound Designers in LORT theatres are represented by United Scenic Artists Local USA-829, IATSE.

The Director and Choreographer are members of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.

 

The video or audio recording of this performance by any means is strictly prohibited. 

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Kiss My Aztec! Exclusive Sponsor & 
Raise the Curtain Leadership Sponsor


2021/2022 Season Sponsor


Presenting Opening Night Sponsor

Additional Support is provided by

The Shubert
Foundation

The Cast

Listed in alphabetical order.

Colombina    
KRYSTINA ALABADO

Ensemble
ANGELICA BELIARD

Captain Soldier/Ensemble
CHAD CARSTARPHEN 

Ensemble
NICHOLAS CAYCEDO

El Jaguar Negro/Reymundo
EDDIE COOPER

Ensemble
KC DELA CRUZ

Pierre Pierrot/Ensemble
RICHARD RUIZ HENRY

Fernando/Sebastian
Z INFANTE

Tolima/Ensemble
MARIA-CHRISTINA OLIVERAS

Pepe
JOEL PEREZ 

Ensemble
GEENA QUINTOS 

Pilar/Ixtli
DESIREÉ RODRIGUEZ

Rodrigo/Uncle Paco
MATT SALDIVAR

Swings
JESÚS E. MARTÍNEZ
BRITTANY NICOLE WILLIAMS


THERE WILL BE ONE
15-MINUTE INTERMISSION

 

UNDERSTUDIES
Understudies never substitute for listed actors unless a specific announcement is made at the time of the performance.  

for Colombina,
Female Ensemble Roles:
BRITTANY NICOLE WILLIAMS

for Pepe, Fernando/Sebastian:
NICHOLAS CAYCEDO

for El Jaguar/Reymundo:
CHAD CARSTARPHEN

for Pilar/Ixtli:
GEENA QUINTOS

for Rodrigo/Uncle Paco:
RICHARD RUIZ HENRY

for Captain Soldier, Pierre Pierrot,
Male Ensemble Roles:
JESÚS E. MARTÍNEZ

for Tolima:
ANGELICA BELIARD


The Actors and Stage Managers used in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Musical Numbers

Act I

White People on Boats

Punk-Ass Geek-A

No One Compareth to the Spanish

The Inquisition

Make the Impossible Possible

What I Can Be

Tango in the Closet

Cave Rap

Everybody Needeth a Fixer

Happy Amigos

 

Act II

Where the Bloody Moon At?

Spooneth Me

Pilar’s Lament

New Girl, New World

Puppetry Slam

Plan B

Chained Melody

Reymundo’s Requiem

Throwdown Showdown

Día de los Vivos

 

ORCHESTRA

Conductor/Keyboard
ROBERTO SINHA

Keyboard
DAVID KIDWELL

Guitars
OSCAR BAUTISTA

Bass/Synthesizer
AMANDA RUZZA

Drums
ROSA AVILA

Percussion
WILSON R TORRES

Woodwinds
JOHN MASTROIANNI

Trumpet/Flugelhorn
DON CLOUGH

Trombone
SCOTT CRANSTON

 

Keyboard Programmer
RANDY COHEN

Associate Keyboard Programmers
SAM STAROBIN
NICK SCHENKEL
TIM CROOK

Ableton Programmer
SCOTT WASSERMAN

Score Manager
STEPHANIE LEAH EVANS

Musician Contractor
GEORGE SANDERS

 

Additional Production Credits

Assistant Director
EMILIA LIRMAN

Associate Choreographer
EHIZOJE AZEKE

Fight Director
THOMAS SCHALL

Associate Scenic Designer
DIGGLE

Associate Costume Designer
ANNA BLAZER

1st Assistant Lighting Designer
CHRISTOPHER S. CHAMBERS

2nd Assistant Lighting Designer
JACOB SIKORSKI

Lighting Programmer
GRANT WILCOXEN

Assistant Sound Designer
MEGAN CULLEY

Head Audio Engineer
ABIGAIL MARTIN

Assistant Wig & Hair Designer
CHIA CHIA FENG

Makeup Designer
TOMMY KURZMAN

Assistant Makeup Designer
HOLLY ROMERO

Assistant Puppet Designer
SOPHIA ZUKOSKI

New York City Covid
Safety Supervisor
JAKOB W. PLUMMER

Production Assistant
KATHLEEN ROSE GALLARDO

Script Production Assistant
VANESSA REBEIL

Fight Captain
MATT SALDIVAR

Dance Captain
ANGELICA BELIARD

 

Rehearsed at the
New 42nd Street Studios

Lighting Equipment from
PRG Broadway

Sound Equipment provided by
Sound Associates Inc.

Automation Effects provided by
Stage Machines LLC

Costumes provided by
Bethany Joy Costumes, Inc.

Specialty Rigging by
United Staging & Rigging, LLC

Image for Kiss My Aztec!
Navigating the Digital Program

Welcome to the new Hartford Stage digital program! Use the "Event Guide" under the show title, find everything you need to know about Kiss My Aztec!, the Cast & Creative team, and Hartford Stage.

From the Artistic & Managing Directors

Dear Friends of Hartford Stage:

Bienvenidos a nuestra última obra de la temporada.

We are thrilled to welcome you to the final show of the Raise the Curtain Season, Kiss My Aztec! What a way to end the year: with a funny, irreverent, and raucous work that invites us to conspire with the performers in revisiting a chapter in history that has deep implications for all of us in the Americas. 

Alongside the creative team of Kiss My Aztec! — John Leguizamo, Tony Taccone, Benjamin Velez, David Kamp, and Mayte Natalio — we celebrate the resilience, humor, and ingenuity of the diverse Latine community. We continue to highlight these voices, following Quixote Nuevo by Octavio Solis on our stage in 2019 and our virtual New American Voices Play Festival in 2021. And, next season, enjoy the east coast premiere of our first ever fully bilingual production Espejos: Clean by Christine Quintana.

This past season has offered a range of perspectives, voices, and visions from reimagined classics like Ah, Wilderness! and relevant revivals like Lost in Yonkers, to new works by emerging playwright Alaudin Ullah and established visionary Pearl Cleage — and finally this joyous new musical. 

Within the wonderful absurdities of this script of Kiss My Aztec! lie many truths about the Aztecs, including mentions of their codices — their mostly pictorial narratives that captured their stories, and saved them for posterity. Every culture preserves its stories, knowing their importance for community connection.

We know from these past two and a half years how very important it is to come together and loudly reaffirm our collective humanity through our stories. Thank you all for cherishing and supporting live theatre in this most important moment.

Enjoy this amazing group of artists, and don’t be afraid to laugh and even hum along. You all are, after all, our co-conspirators,

 
Melia Bensussen            
Artistic Director        


Cynthia Rider
Managing Director

Production Credits

MELIA BENSUSSEN, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR 
CYNTHIA RIDER, MANAGING DIRECTOR

presents

Book by JOHN LEGUIZAMO
and
TONY TACCONE

Music by BENJAMIN VELEZ

Lyrics by
DAVID KAMP,
BENJAMIN VELEZ

and
JOHN LEGUIZAMO

Based on a screenplay
written by
JOHN LEGUIZAMO
and
STEPHEN CHBOSKY

Choreography by
MAYTE NATALIO

Directed by TONY TACCONE


June 1 – 26, 2022

 
Scenic & Costume Design
CLINT RAMOS

Lighting Design
ALEXANDER V. NICHOLS

Sound Design
JESSICA PAZ & BETH LAKE

Wig & Hair Design
CHARLES G. LAPOINTE

Puppet Design
JAMES ORTIZ

Casting
TARA RUBIN CASTING
XAVIER RUBIANO, CSA

Music Supervision &
Co-Incidental Music
Arrangements
DAVID GARDOS

Dance, Vocal &
Co-Incidental Music
Arrangements
BENJAMIN VELEZ

Orchestrator
SIMON HALE

Music Director
ROBERTO SINHA

Additional Percussion
Arrangements
WILSON R TORRES

Copyist
JOANN KANE MUSIC/
RUSSELL BARTMUS, 
MEGAN SPERGER

Production Stage Manager
JEFFREY RODRIGUEZ

Stage Manager
AMANDA MICHAELS

Assistant Stage Manager
HANNAH WOODWARD

 

Artistic Producer
RACHEL ALDERMAN

Director of Production
BRYAN T. HOLCOMBE

General Manager
EMILY VAN SCOY 

 

Originally commissioned by Berkeley Repertory Theatre and made possible by a generous grant from the Roy Cockrum Foundation.

World Premiere produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse.

The Hartford Production of Kiss My Aztec! is produced by special arrangement with Joey Parnes.

The Actors and Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

The Scenic, Costume, Lighting and Sound Designers in LORT theatres are represented by United Scenic Artists Local USA-829, IATSE.

The Director and Choreographer are members of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.

 

The video or audio recording of this performance by any means is strictly prohibited. 

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Kiss My Aztec! Exclusive Sponsor & 
Raise the Curtain Leadership Sponsor


2021/2022 Season Sponsor


Presenting Opening Night Sponsor

Additional Support is provided by

The Shubert
Foundation

The Cast

Listed in alphabetical order.

Colombina    
KRYSTINA ALABADO

Ensemble
ANGELICA BELIARD

Captain Soldier/Ensemble
CHAD CARSTARPHEN 

Ensemble
NICHOLAS CAYCEDO

El Jaguar Negro/Reymundo
EDDIE COOPER

Ensemble
KC DELA CRUZ

Pierre Pierrot/Ensemble
RICHARD RUIZ HENRY

Fernando/Sebastian
Z INFANTE

Tolima/Ensemble
MARIA-CHRISTINA OLIVERAS

Pepe
JOEL PEREZ 

Ensemble
GEENA QUINTOS 

Pilar/Ixtli
DESIREÉ RODRIGUEZ

Rodrigo/Uncle Paco
MATT SALDIVAR

Swings
JESÚS E. MARTÍNEZ
BRITTANY NICOLE WILLIAMS


THERE WILL BE ONE
15-MINUTE INTERMISSION

 

UNDERSTUDIES
Understudies never substitute for listed actors unless a specific announcement is made at the time of the performance.  

for Colombina,
Female Ensemble Roles:
BRITTANY NICOLE WILLIAMS

for Pepe, Fernando/Sebastian:
NICHOLAS CAYCEDO

for El Jaguar/Reymundo:
CHAD CARSTARPHEN

for Pilar/Ixtli:
GEENA QUINTOS

for Rodrigo/Uncle Paco:
RICHARD RUIZ HENRY

for Captain Soldier, Pierre Pierrot,
Male Ensemble Roles:
JESÚS E. MARTÍNEZ

for Tolima:
ANGELICA BELIARD


The Actors and Stage Managers used in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Musical Numbers

Act I

White People on Boats

Punk-Ass Geek-A

No One Compareth to the Spanish

The Inquisition

Make the Impossible Possible

What I Can Be

Tango in the Closet

Cave Rap

Everybody Needeth a Fixer

Happy Amigos

 

Act II

Where the Bloody Moon At?

Spooneth Me

Pilar’s Lament

New Girl, New World

Puppetry Slam

Plan B

Chained Melody

Reymundo’s Requiem

Throwdown Showdown

Día de los Vivos

 

ORCHESTRA

Conductor/Keyboard
ROBERTO SINHA

Keyboard
DAVID KIDWELL

Guitars
OSCAR BAUTISTA

Bass/Synthesizer
AMANDA RUZZA

Drums
ROSA AVILA

Percussion
WILSON R TORRES

Woodwinds
JOHN MASTROIANNI

Trumpet/Flugelhorn
DON CLOUGH

Trombone
SCOTT CRANSTON

 

Keyboard Programmer
RANDY COHEN

Associate Keyboard Programmers
SAM STAROBIN
NICK SCHENKEL
TIM CROOK

Ableton Programmer
SCOTT WASSERMAN

Score Manager
STEPHANIE LEAH EVANS

Musician Contractor
GEORGE SANDERS

 

Additional Production Credits

Assistant Director
EMILIA LIRMAN

Associate Choreographer
EHIZOJE AZEKE

Fight Director
THOMAS SCHALL

Associate Scenic Designer
DIGGLE

Associate Costume Designer
ANNA BLAZER

1st Assistant Lighting Designer
CHRISTOPHER S. CHAMBERS

2nd Assistant Lighting Designer
JACOB SIKORSKI

Lighting Programmer
GRANT WILCOXEN

Assistant Sound Designer
MEGAN CULLEY

Head Audio Engineer
ABIGAIL MARTIN

Assistant Wig & Hair Designer
CHIA CHIA FENG

Makeup Designer
TOMMY KURZMAN

Assistant Makeup Designer
HOLLY ROMERO

Assistant Puppet Designer
SOPHIA ZUKOSKI

New York City Covid
Safety Supervisor
JAKOB W. PLUMMER

Production Assistant
KATHLEEN ROSE GALLARDO

Script Production Assistant
VANESSA REBEIL

Fight Captain
MATT SALDIVAR

Dance Captain
ANGELICA BELIARD

 

Rehearsed at the
New 42nd Street Studios

Lighting Equipment from
PRG Broadway

Sound Equipment provided by
Sound Associates Inc.

Automation Effects provided by
Stage Machines LLC

Costumes provided by
Bethany Joy Costumes, Inc.

Specialty Rigging by
United Staging & Rigging, LLC