About the Show

This presentation of Havana Hop was made possible by the generosity of our Donors and Sponsors.

Season Sponsors:

ArtsFund
Microsoft
The Shubert Foundation

Government Partners:

4Culture
ArtsWA
Seattle Office of Arts and Culture

Paul G. Allen Family Foundation

Seattle Children’s Theatre Presents...

Havana Hop

Written, choreographed and performed by Paige Hernandez
Directed by Danielle Drakes
Commissioned by Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning, VA
Developed by Playhouse Square, OH
With original music by Nick “Nick tha 1da” Hernandez and Kris Funn

Cast & Creative

Paige Hernandez* Yeila
Emily Grierson Stage Manager
Kris Funn Set Design
Paige Hernandez and Ruthmarie Tenorio Projections
Lisa Vivo Additional Creative Consultant

Photo and video capture of any kind (including your mobile device) is prohibited during this performance. Havana Hop is 60 minutes, no intermission. *Actors Equity Association Member ^United Scene Artists Member, Local 829 **Stage Directors and Choreographers Society Member

Summary

Young Yeila dreams of being a superstar but her lack of confidence gives her awful stage fright. With advice from her mother and mentors, Yeila begins her journey to find her roots, get confidence, and be amazing! Travel with Yeila who visits her grandmother in Cuba to add a salsa flavor to her own hip-hop style! The audience gets to dance along in this dynamic participation play where one actress creates three generations of lively women. Journey with Yeila as she discovers the fun of her multi-cultural heritage. 

Themes

IDENTITY – People are like puzzles with our lives, stories, and cultures acting like little puzzle pieces that all come together to make us the unique person we are. These pieces of ourselves are our superpowers because they help us understand how special we are, which only makes us stronger. Havana Hop shows the audience how different everyone’s puzzle pieces can be. By following Yeila in finding her roots, we see how all these different pieces of us make the person we are today, and the person that we hope to become.

FAMILY AND STORIES – Families are super special for people. Whether they’re the ones we are born into or the ones we choose, families connect us to our past and help us look toward the future. In Havana Hop Yeila learns more about herself by talking to her mom and Abuelita. By watching Yeila learn from the stories her mother and Abuelita tell, we see how listening to the stories our family shares can make us stronger.

SELF-CONFIDENCE AND OVERCOMING YOUR FEARS – In Havana Hop Yeila struggles being confident and facing her fears. In the play Yeila goes on an adventure to learn about all the different parts of her that make her special. As she finds out more about herself, Yeila becomes more confident and gains the courage to face her fears. Watching the show, we see how learning more about what makes us unique can make us strong and brave just like Yeila.

SELF-EXPRESSION – Havana Hop follows Yeila on an adventure of finding out what makes her unique. The play teaches us how knowing what makes you special and being proud to share that with the world is what makes us strong and brave.

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Note From Cessalee Smith-Stovall

Deputy Managing Director, Director of Belonging and Inclusion

Hello and welcome to Seattle Children’s Theatre!

I’m Cessalee Smith-Stovall, the Deputy Managing Director and Director of Belonging and Inclusion, and I’m so glad you’ve joined us today. Havana Hop is a tale that is very dear to me — Yeila’s story of the generations of women who love and celebrate her is close to my heart. My daughter was born while I was living in Australia and the pandemic separated us from our family here in the US. Though we pushed through with technology, the things that kept us connected went much deeper than the digital: particularly for my mother and daughter who maintained their relationship through story. Grammy would sit (ie. video chat) with my daughter for hours every day telling stories about walks around the block, or the rainbow she saw in the sky, or mastering her scooter, or a new dance she learned that Grammy simply must get up and perform over the phone. For two years, the bond that formed between those two was stronger and more powerful than the distance. My daughter knows that her Grammy is part of her identity, and because she feels that, she knows that she belongs.

My favorite part of my job is getting to watch the young and the young at heart come into the theatre and learning that stories like Yeila’s are already in them — at SCT our job is just to connect the dots. Whether the connections are from families living overseas, adventures in your neighborhood, lifelong learnings, or journeys in the name of true friendship, theatre magic takes the stories that are in us and makes them universal and individual all at once. Our identities are made up by the places we go, the people we know, and the stories inside all of us. Hopefully, you will see some bit of your story in Yeila.

Havana Hop gives audiences a chance to participate, move their bodies, dance, and know that they belong. It’s an invitation for you and the good humans around you to celebrate your identity through movement. We hope that you are inspired by Yeila’s story, and that on the way home, you’ll pick up a conversation card to share your story with your theatre companions and beyond.

We’re so glad you’re here today. You belong here, you belong in your communities, you belong with your families, and you belong as the lead character in your story.

In community,
Cessalee Smith-Stovall (she/her)

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Cast and Creative

Paige Hernandez Yeila – Paige Hernandez is a multidisciplinary artist who is critically acclaimed as a performer, director, choreographer, and playwright. As an AEA Equity actress, Paige has performed on many stages throughout the country. She has collaborated with the Lincoln Center and has been commissioned by several companies including the National New Play Network, the Smithsonian, The Kennedy Center, La Jolla Playhouse, and the Glimmerglass Festival. She is the recipient of an Individual Artist Award from the Maryland State Arts Council as well as four Helen Hayes nominations for choreography, directing, and performance. Paige has also been named a “classroom hero” by The Huffington Post, a “Citizen Artist Fellow” with the Kennedy Center, “40 under 40” by the Washington Post, and one of “Six Theatre Workers You Should Know” by American Theatre Magazine. Her work on inclusive spaces and theatre-based trauma informed practices has received international acclaim and garnered her such acknowledgement as the inaugural Victor Shargai Leadership Award and a repeat keynote speaker and presenter for Disney. In 2023, Paige was appointed to the Maryland State Arts Council by Governor Wes Moore. Paige was recently named one of the Top 5 Most Produced Artists for Theatre for Young Audiences. She is elated to be the Associate Artistic Director of Everyman Theatre in her hometown of Baltimore, MD. With her company B-FLY ENTERTAINMENT, Paige continues to develop and tour original work internationally. Learn more about her work at paigehernandez.com.

Emily Grierson STAGE MANAGER – Emily (they/them) is a Seattle-based stage manager from Perry, NY. Since they began stage managing in 2018, Emily has had the pleasure of working with artists on theatre, dance, and puppetry productions across the country. Recent credits: Guards at the Taj (ArtsWest), Henry V (Shake on the Lake), New York State Puppet Festival 2024, Kayfabe (Josh Rice Projects/Dixon Place), DIALOGUE (Spectrum Dance Theater), The Bed Trick (Seattle Shakespeare Company), and The Snow Queen workshop (Seattle Children’s Theatre). They are excited to join SCT and the Havana Hop team!

Seattle Children’s Theatre is a member of TYA/USA, the national center of the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People.

SCT is a constituent of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national service organization for the nonprofit professional theatre.

SCT is a proud member of International Performing Arts for Youth (IPAY).

ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION, founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 50,000 professional actors and stage managers. Equity endeavors to advance the careers of its members by negotiating wages, working conditions, and providing a wide range of benefits (health and pension included). Member: AFL-CIO, FIA. #EquityWorks.

Lighting, sound, staging, property, scenery, scenic art, and costume work at Seattle Children’s Theatre is performed by employees represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists, and Allied Crafts of the US and Canada, AFL-CIO, CLC.

Seattle Children’s Theatre works with the Stage Directors and Choreographers society.

The designers at this theatre are represented by United Scenic Artists (Local USA 829) of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.

* Indicates members of the Actors’ Equity Association

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Events

Spotlight Performance at Sea Mar
Thursday, October 24th, 2024 at 6:30PM Sea Mar Museum
9635 Des Moines Memorial DR Seattle, WA 98108

Join us at the Sea Mar Museum of Chicano/a/Latino/a Culture for an interactive spotlight performance of Havana Hop. This event includes language and music from the show and is a great complement to the full performance of Havana Hop. Please note this performance will take place at the Sea Mar Museum, not at the Seattle Children’s Theatre.

Lobby Performances with Orquesta Northwest
November 3rd, 15th, and 16th
SCT Lobby

Orquesta Northwest is adding a lively prelude to SCT’s production of Havana Hop with vibrant mini performances before select shows. Featuring a small ensemble and a dancer, these short performances infuse the theatre with the rich sounds and rhythms of Latin American music, setting the stage for the dynamic storytelling of Havana Hop.

Community Partners

Orquesta Northwest music programs, performances, and events, featuring Latinx artists, composers, and culture, serve as a bridge to excellence in every dimension of life, empowering marginalized communities, especially youth, and strengthening their voice in civic life. To learn more about their free live musical performances before select performances of Havana Hop, visit our Show Experiences page.

The first of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, the Sea Mar Museum of Chicano/a/Latino/a Culture showcases the history of Chicano/as and Latino/as from post war immigration to present time.

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