A brand-new superhero is soaring onto the stage in Austin, and families can catch the action right now at ZACH Theater. The vibrant, family-friendly musical “Zapata” is currently on stage, and it just celebrated its world premiere last week.
“Zapata: A Folklórico Superhero Musical” makes world premiere at Zach Theater. Photos Courtesy Axel B Photography.
Two of the show’s stars, Lucero Garcia and Zaid Ricarte, joined Trevor Scott and Sierra Waggoner to share more about this special show and the unique way the story unfolds.
Music and dance is the show,” said Ricarte, “So the show is all based around how folklorico is a superpower. Also, culture is your superpower. And we have a beautiful, beautiful, score written by Jesse Sanchez, with some great original songs, some great original beats.”
Garcia explained the show’s premise and why it has been so special to share with audiences. “So the story follows Xochitl Fernandez, a 16 year old girl. She wants to be a folklorico dancer like her abuela. But her mother wants her to live the life of a normal American girl. She wants her to fit in. She wants her to make friends. When she gets kidnaped by Helado, the villain of our story. So she and her dog, Chicalinga have to embark on the unlock the power of Zapata.”
Two of the show’s stars, Lucero Garcia Zaid Ricarte, joined Trevor Scott and Sierra Waggoner to share more about this special show and the unique way the story unfolds.
The show blends music and dance into its superhero storytelling, adding to what makes the production stand out as a fresh, new theatrical experience. With the world premiere held Friday, the musical is now in its early run as audiences get their first look at the new work.
Garcia sahred, “We have seen them laugh. We have seen them cry. The space is so intimate, so I can make direct eye contact with anyone at any moment. They’ve been loving it. It’s been amazing and so fulfilling.”
“Zapata: A Folklórico Superhero Musical” makes world premiere at Zach Theater. Photos Courtesy Axel B Photography.
The production also marks the debut of a brand-new story being brought to life onstage in collaboration with the playwright.
“I think it’s so cool originating roles that have never been performed on stage before,” said Garcia, “I think originating the story with the help of Zach, our writer Jesse, our director on it has been such a thrill and so rewarding as a performer and especially like doing it here in this community and having so many people see it has been so, so fun.”
Ricarte added, “Seeing your imagination, your creativity, up on the stage, like manifested in reality now, and I think that was so fun. And with the help of Jesse, the writer and our director, Anna, whenever we face, like, a hurdle or a challenge, it was so great to just be like, well, what do we do now? How do we fix it? Or how do we change? Or how do we modify? Or how do we add something so that the show is so much better? So I think that has been so fun.”
“Zapata: A Folklórico Superhero Musical” makes world premiere at Zach Theater. Photos Courtesy Axel B Photography.
For more information about “Zapata,” visit ZACH Theatre’s website and be sure to follow them on Instagram!
“Zapata: A Folklórico Superhero Musical” makes world premiere at Zach Theater