Donald Rupe's new musical From Here premieres Off-Broadway as the Pershing Square Signature Center June 27. Running through August 11, opening night is set for June 29.
Set in 2016, From Here tells the story of Daniel, a 30-something gay man learning to balance life, love, and family when the Pulse Nightclub shooting changes him and his hometown forever. On June 12, 2016, a gunman opened fire around 2 AM in Orlando’s Pulse gay nightclub, where more than 300 people were inside. The attack marked one of the deadliest against the LGBTQIA+ community in the nation’s history.
Featuring a book, music, and lyrics by Rupe (Flying Lessons), the New York run is led by Blake Aburn as Daniel, Becca Southworth as Becca, and Omar Cardona as Ricky. They are joined by Michelle Coben (Flying Lessons) as Jordan and Jullien Aponte (Milk) as Michael, with the ensemble filled out by Justin Jimenez, Chris Keough, Kendall Leamy, Jerry Mullings, Dee Quintero, Devin Skorupski, and Kyle Ashe Wilkinson. Janine Papin and Kyle Ashe Wilkinson serve as understudies. All cast members are reprising their roles from the world premiere run at Orlando's the Ren earlier this year.
Jason M. Bailey provides arrangements and orchestrations. The band features Noah Baez on keys, Bryce Hayes on bass guitar, Chris Kampmeier on drums, and Matthew Lynxwiler on electric and acoustic guitar.
“For me, theatre is such an important part of healing and learning, and art can play an important role in honoring and remembering even the worst parts of history,” shared Rupe in a previous statement. “We hope that From Here will have a long-lasting effect on its audiences: that those who see it will learn from these life-changing moments, be moved by the people they meet, and that they will honor and remember them moving forward. We cannot wait to bring our musical from our beloved community in Orlando to New York this summer.”
From Here features scenic and lighting design by Philip Lupo, sound design by Matt Craig, costume design and stage management by J. Marie Bailey and vocal direction by Chris Keough. Choreography is by Adonus Mabry. General management is by Maximum Entertainment Productions. Marketing and advertising are by Situation Interactive. Casting is by Kayla Kelsay Morales.
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