The Cuban-American singer, dancer and actress has signed with United Talent Agency (UTA).
Villafañe currently stars as a series regular on Hulu’s hit series South Beach.
On the film side, she’ll next be seen in Max Steel, opposite Maria Bello and Andy Garcia.
She also portrays singer Gloria Estefan, opposite Josh Segarra in On Your Feet! The Story Of Emilio & Gloria Estefan, a new musical about the powerhouse pop singer and her producer husband (and the Miami Sound Machine) that earned excellent reviews earlier this summer in its Broadway tryout in Chicago. The show, with book by Alexander Dinelaris (Birdman Or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) is staged by Jerry Mitchell (direction) and Sergio Trujillo (choreography).
Villafañe, who attended the same Miami high school as Gloria Estefan, won the role through a filmed audition when she could not make the Miami call.
The show begins previews October 5 at the Marquis Theatre and is slated to open on November 5.
It’s a Miami Sound Machine moment for Ana Villafañe…
The Cuban-American singer, dancer and actress has been cast as Gloria Estefan in On Your Feet!, the highly anticipated Broadway musical about the Latin music superstar and her equally talented husband, producer Emilio Estefan.
Villafañe, who attended the same Miami high school as la Estefan, wasn’t able to make the open casting call last fall but sent a video audition, according to an announcement Monday from the production team. She got the call to audition for director Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots, Hairspray) and the Estefans, and was cast in the show.
She’ll star opposite Josh Segarra, who will portray Emilio.
The musical — a rare Latino-themed Broadway offering that will surely benefit from Estefan’s global status — is based on the life story of the seven-time Grammy-winning singer and her husband, who owns 19 of his own Grammys. It’s slated to open at Broadway’s Nederlander-operated Marquis Theatre on November 5, following previews beginning October 5. I
n addition to staging by Mitchell, the show will have choreography by Sergio Trujillo (Jersey Boys, Memphis), with a book by Oscar winner Alexander Dinelaris (Birdman). Prior to Broadway, the show will try out at Chicago’s Oriental Theatre from June 2-July 5.
“She walked into the room, and I immediately thought to myself – ‘this is it’,” Mitchell said of Villafañe in a prepared announcement. “Not only was she beautifully reminiscent of a young Gloria, but she embodied her energy and spirit in such a captivating way. And then she fully rose to the occasion by giving a sensational audition.”
Villafañe’s film and television credits include Magic City Memoirs (executive producer Andy Garcia), Los Americansand the upcoming Hulu original series South Beach: Fever as well asthe female lead in Max Steel (Mattel), set for global release this summer.
Segarra has appeared in New York in Second Stage Theater’s Dogfightand Lysistrata Jones. On television, he stars in USA’s comedy series Sirensand has a recurring part on NBC’s Chicago PD as well as PBS’ The Electric Company, and guest appearances on Showtime’s Homelandand FX’s TheFollowing. This summer, he’ll appear in the Judd Apatow feature film Trainwreck.
The company will also feature Andréa Burns (In The Heights) as Gloria Fajardo (Gloria’s mother); Alma Cuervo (Beauty And The Beast) as Consuelo (Gloria’s grandmother); Alexandria Suarez as Little Gloria; and Noah Johnston as little Emilio.
David Rockwell (Kinky Boots, On The Twentieth Century) has designed the sets, with costumes by Emilio Sosa (Porgy & Bess), lighting by Kenneth Posner (Wicked, Hairspray), sound by Steve Kennedy and projections by Darrel Maloney. The show is produced by James L. Nederlander and Estefan Enterprises Inc., in partnership with Bernie Yuman.
In anticipation of a wide-ranging social media campaign to publicize the show, the production also released three videos about the Estefan’s and the making of the musical.
Gloria Estefan is ready to get you on your feet! this fall.
The 56-year-old Cuban singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur and her music producer husband Emilio Estefan’s previously announced Broadway musical On Your Feet!is slated to premiere on Thursday, November 5 at the Marquis Theatre in New York City.
Based on the life of the Latin music power couple, the show’s preview performances will kick off October 5, 2015.
On Your Feet! will tell the story of the Estefan’s rise to stardom, set to the long list of hits performed by Gloria Estefan both as a soloist and as part of Miami Sound Machine, including “Conga,” “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You” and “Mi Tierra,” plus new music.
In a departure from other major Broadway productions, the show is launching an international casting search dubbed “Reach Gloria” (#ReachGloria on Twitter) that will allow performers around the world to submit audition videos online at the production’s website. The casting search is open to all roles, from the leads to the dancers.
In addition, open casting calls will take place at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami Sept. 21 and another at Pearl Studios in New York on Sept. 9.
Searching for acts in Miami, said Gloria Estefan in a statement, was key.
“Our own journey together started in Miami, a city that has been such an inspiration to us both, and it only felt right that the city be a cornerstone of our search for the next generation of bright talent,” she said.
On Your Feet! will be directed by two-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo.
It’s produced by James L. Nederlander and Estefan Enterprises in partnership with Bernie Yuman.
Gloria Estefan’s name is being added to the annals of Latin music history…
The 56-year-old Cuban singer-songwriter and seven-time Grammy Award winner has been named as a Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee.
Estefan, one of the top 100 best selling music artists with an estimated 100 million records sold worldwide, rose to acclaim as the lead singer of the Miami Sound Machine.
But the “Conga” singer, the female artist with most No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, earned critical acclaim for penning some of her biggest solo hits in English and Spanish, including “Cuts Both Ways,” “Always Tomorrow,” “Coming Out of the Dark,” “No Llores” and “Oye Mi Canto (Hear My Voice).”
Estefan also co-wrote Shakira’s hit single “Whenever, Wherever” with the Colombian superstar and Tim Mitchell and co-wrote Jennifer Lopez’s signature song “Let’s Get Loud.”
In addition to Estefan, Ricardo Arjona, Juan Luis Guerra, Panamanian composer Omar Alfanno, Spanish pop songwriter Rafael Pérez Botija and Mexican singer/songwriter Lolita de la Colina will also be honored at this year’s induction ceremony — known as La Musa Awards — taking place on October 18 at Miami Beach’s Ritz Carlton hotel.
The Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame debuted in 2013 with a black tie gala honoring well-known Latin music figures including Jose Feliciano, Julio Iglesias and composer Armando Manzanero.
Founded by songwriters and producers Desmond Child and Rudy Perez, the goal of the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame is to “honor the world’s greatest Latin songwriters and their music in every genre.”
It looks like the rhythm is gonna getWilliam Levy…
The 33-year-old Cuban actor and telenovela star is currently working on a film with Miami Sound Machine masterminds Gloria and Emilio Estefan.
The movie, based on the 1970s bilingual sitcom Que Pasa, U.S.A.? that aired on public television in the United States, focuses on the idea that the hatred and racism “that we Latinos have sometimes suffered” can transform a person’s life, said Estefan.
“(This is) a film that took me 14 years to finance and I got the people I wanted,” Estefan said.
The film, which is being shot in Miami, is expected to be released in early 2015.
In the meantime, Levy is set to appear in Single Mom’s Club opposite Zulay Henao, as well as Addicted later this year.
Gloria Estefan is heading back to the standards with her old label…
The 55-year-old Cuban singer, who is developing a Broadway musical about her life, has signed a multi-album agreement to return to her longtime label Sony Music Entertainment, a deal that will begin with the releaseof her upcoming English-language album, The Standards, due out this fall.
Estefan’s album will be a set of American standards, with the repertoire having special significance to Estefan, beginning with “The Way You Look Tonight” and “Good Morning Heartache,” which she performed at her very first Tonight Show appearance in 1985 with Miami Sound Machine.
Estefan spent 30 years with Sony, releasing albums in both English and Spanish, both as a solo artist and with Miami Sound Machine. Then, in 2011, she took a hiatus and released Miss Little Havana via a worldwide distribution and marketing deal with Verve Forecast and Universal Music Group. In the U.S., the physical album was sold exclusively through Target. Now, Estefan has returned to Sony and will be promoted through both its Latin and Masterworks arms.
“Gloria is one-of-a-kind — in any language, in any genre,” said Afo Verde, Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment for the Latin Region, Spain and Portugal.
“Masterworks is thrilled to be a marketing partner with Sony Latin and Gloria Estefan on this very special project,” added Bogdan Roscic, President of Sony Classical and Sony Masterworks. “It represents another landmark in the career of an artist who continues to be a creative inspiration in all styles of popular music.”
The Miami Sound Machine could be conga’ing all the way to New York City…
Gloria Estefan and her husband Emilio Estefan are looking to develop a Broadway stage musical inspired by their lives, and they’ve partnered with theater operator Nederlander Organization to make it happen, the couple announced Tuesday.
The 55-year-old “Queen of Latin Pop,” her 59-year-old music producer husband and Nederlander officials should be revealing the creative team behind the new production in the near future.
“We are very excited to share this story, which is based on hope, determination and the belief that with hard work and passion, our dreams can become our reality,” the Estefans said in a press statement. “Our music has been a true reflection of who we are, where we came from and the journey that has brought us to where we are today.”
The Nederlander Organization, the nation’s largest operator of theatres and other music venues, will partner with Bernie Yuman, producer of Siegfried & Roy‘s Las Vegas production, to bring the new project to life.
“I am thrilled to collaborate with Gloria and Emilio to see their amazing story come to fruition on the Broadway stage,” said organization president Jimmy Nederlander. “The Estefans’ journey of success, led by raw talent and passion, is captivating as it drove them from relative obscurity to global sensations.”
The husband-and-wife team, both born in Cuba, struck it big with crossover hits like “Conga,” “Rhythm is Gonna Get You” and “Cuts Both Ways.”
Estefan is one of the top 100 best selling music artists of all time, having sold an estimated 90 million records worldwide. She’s a three-time Grammy winner and four-time Latin Grammy winner, and is considered the most successful crossover artist in Latin music.
Meanwhile, Estefan’s husband was named Producer of the Year at the 2000 Latin Grammys for his work on Charlie Zaa’s Ciego de Amor, Carlos Vives’ El Amor de Mi Tierra and the song “Da la Vuelta” by Marc Anthony.
Their breakthrough success in the English-language marker helped pave the way for several Latin artists, including Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Ricky Martin, John Secada and Shakira.
He’s one of the successful Latin music producers of all time… And now Emilio Estefan is setting his sights on television.
The 59-year-old Cuban-born musician and music producer has signed a development deal with 20th Century Fox Television. As part of the agreement, Estefan will bring to life his first drama series for network television.
Estefan is already meeting with writers for the project, a Latino-themed series which he’ll executive produce. The pitch is expected to be presented to the networks this fall.
“Reaching out to all audiences, including the Latino audience, is a critical priority for this studio as we look for that next big international hit,” said 20th TV chairmen Dana Walden and Gary Newman. “Emilio has a vision for a dramatic series that combines great storytelling with an authenticity in terms of Latino culture that we think every network will want on their schedule.”
During his career, Estefan launched the Miami Sound Machine and has played a vital in developing the careers of his wife Gloria Estefan, Marc Antony, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Ricky Martin and Jon Secada, among others.
After helping so many Latino musicians crossi over into the mainstream, Estefan is ready to do the same with a Latino-themed series.
“I think this is the perfect time to do it,” he said, noting that Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing minority in the U.S.
Years ago, he shopped a script for Beauty Parlor, a series he said was in the vein of Modern Family, which is produced by 20th TV. Back then, he was told the American TV audiences were not ready for a Latino family. But Estefan, the winner of 19 Grammy Awards, believes the times have changed.
