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Dreamer
The Firebird (complete)
Performance Information
Free, but tickets are required. Click here to reserve complimentary tickets.
East Coast premiere, simulcast from Zellerbach Hall at University of California, Berkeley
From the sanctuary city of Berkeley, California, to the sanctuary city of our nation’s capital, the powerhouse creative team of Jimmy López and Nilo Cruz and a roster of all-star performers (including Bay Area contemporary vocal ensemble Volti and the UC Berkeley Chamber Chorus) debut a courageous work of wrenching, immediate relevance. The oratorio centers on the story of several so-called “dreamers,” immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children and whose legal status is in jeopardy because their parents arrived in the U.S. undocumented. The soprano, chorus, and orchestra narrate the stories throughout six separate movements. The fictional story is based on true testimonies that Cuban-American Cruz and Peruvian-American López have collected from immigrants who have come to the U.S. in search of a better life.
**Pre-Performance Activities**
5pm • Pop-up Latinx Artisan Market (lobby): Featuring businesses from the Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School Small Business & Entrepreneurship Program
5:15pm • Pop-up performance by Venezuelan singer-songwriter Jonathan Acosta (lobby)
5:30pm • "I'm an Immigrant" (Sidney Harman Hall): Performed by students from Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School
5:50pm • Welcome remarks (Sidney Harman Hall): Jenny Bilfield, President & CEO, Washington Performing Arts
Expanding the Conversation
The premiere of Dreamers will be surrounded by several activities throughout the week, curated by the Mars Urban Arts Initiative (MUAI) in partnership with GALA Hispanic Theatre and Carlos Rosario Public Charter School. Explore varied perspectives on this timely issue through performances and conversations with a range of artists, advocates, and policy-makers.
Press release (English) • Comunicado de prensa (Español)
Additional Events
Latinx in DC Showcase: José André Trio • Mon, Jan 28, 6pm • Kennedy Center Millennium Stage (archived live stream)
Voices of Change: MUAI Spoken Word Showcase • Tue, Jan 29, 6pm • Kennedy Center Millennium Stage (archived live stream)
Vocal Recital: Promised Lands? Of Leaving and Longing • Sun, Feb 10, 2pm • All Souls Church, Unitarian
Panel Discussion: Latinx Immigrant Stories and the Arts • Wed, Feb 27, 6pm • Embassy of Peru (archived Facebook live stream)
Immigration Book Discussion Series (Part 1) • Tue, Mar 5, 7pm • Politics & Prose Union Market
Latinx in DC Showcase: Jonathan Acosta Band • Sun, Mar 10, 3pm • GALA Hispanic Theatre
The State of U.S. Immigration Policy (panel discussion) • Tue, Mar 12, 7pm • NYU DC (archived live stream)
Cissa Paz Band: Live at The LINE • Sat, Mar 16, 5pm • The LINE DC
Immigration Book Discussion Series (Part 2) • Tue, Apr 30, 7pm • Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood Library
Immigration Book Discussion Series (Part 3) • Tue, May 7, 7pm • Solid State Books
Dreamers was created with funding from a Hewlett 50 Arts Commission, commissioned by Cal Performances at the University of California, Berkeley, and co-commissioned by Washington Performing Arts and others. This simulcast is presented in Washington in partnership with GALA Hispanic Theatre and Carlos Rosario Public Charter School.
This performance is made possible in part through the generous support of Tom Gallagher, in honor of Turnaround, Inc, Fred and Lucia Hill, and Gary and Silvia Yacoubian. Washington Performing Arts orchestral performances in the 2018/19 season are made possible through the generous support of Betsy and Robert Feinberg.
One of 30+ World in Our City mainstage performances this season and part of Latinx in D.C., this performance is made possible in part through the generous support of Events DC.
Her Excellency Kirsti Kauppi, Ambassador of Finland, is the honorary patron of this engagement.
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