FIRST STAGE PRESENTS: ESPERANZA RISING

May 18, 2025 3:30 pm

FIRST STAGE PRESENTS: ESPERANZA RISING

Based on the book by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Adapted by Alvaro Saar Rios with original music by Dinorah Marquez. Originally Commissioned by First Stage, Jeff Frank, Artistic Director and directed by Michelle Lopez-Rios.

Shows run from May 2 – May 18, at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center. To purchase tickets, visit https://www.firststage.org/Production-Details/Esperanza-Rising

Two young storytellers, with the help of an ensemble of actors, take the stage and begin to weave the tale of Esperanza — a wealthy Mexican girl whose privileged existence is shattered when tragedy strikes, and she and her mother must flee to California. Forced to work in a migrant labor camp, Esperanza must learn to rise above her difficult circumstances and discover what she’s truly made of. Set in the turbulent 1930s, and based on the popular book by Pam Muñoz Ryan, Esperanza Rising is a poetic tale of a young girl’s triumph over adversity.

Event Website

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Todd Wehr Theater, Marcus Performing Arts Center
929 N. Water Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202

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