Alexis Scheer and Laura Alcalá Baker's Bilingual Play 'Laughs in Spanish' Heads to Pittsburgh and Rochester in 2027

A bilingual new play with deep roots in the Latine diaspora experience is heading to two of the regional theater circuit's most respected stages, and it is actively casting right now. "Laughs in Spanish," written by Alexis Scheer and directed by Laura Alcalá Baker, is set for a 2027 production run beginning at City Theatre Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in February, followed by a transfer to Geva Theatre in Rochester, New York, wrapping in early June. With casting underway and the full production timeline stretching across nearly four months, this is a project that actors, stage managers, designers, and movement specialists should be tracking closely.

Scheer is the playwright behind "Our Dear Dead Drug Lord," the off-Broadway hit that earned widespread attention for its sharp, culturally specific voice and its fearless blending of dark comedy with genuine emotional weight. That play established Scheer as a writer with a particular gift for centering young Latine women in stories that are simultaneously intimate and politically alive, and "Laughs in Spanish" appears to build directly on that sensibility. The play follows MARIANA, a half-Colombian, half-Jewish woman in her late twenties to early thirties who was born and raised in Miami and now directs Studio Six, an art gallery participating in Art Basel. Her world is complicated by the arrival of ESTELLA, her glamorous Colombian mother and movie star, born in Medellín. The script weaves through themes of family, identity, cultural inheritance, and the particular friction of navigating two heritages at once. Scheer has noted that the production will incorporate Latin dance styles in scene transitions, which signals a creative team that will need to bring movement expertise to the table alongside traditional theatrical craft.

Director Laura Alcalá Baker brings a strong regional theater resume and a reputation for work that centers Latine stories with specificity and care. Her background makes her a natural collaborator for this material, and the pairing with Scheer suggests a production built on genuine creative alignment rather than a standard assignment. Casting for the production is being handled by Katja Zarolinski, whose involvement is worth noting for agents and actors actively seeking audition opportunities. The fact that casting is already underway this far in advance of the February 2027 start date suggests the creative team is being deliberate and thorough in finding the right bilingual performers, particularly given the play's Colombian-Jewish cultural framework and its Miami setting.

The production is a regional theater co-production between City Theatre Company and Geva Theatre, two institutions with strong track records for developing and presenting new American work. City Theatre in Pittsburgh has long been one of the country's premier homes for new plays, with a particular commitment to work by emerging and mid-career playwrights, and its artistic director Clare Drobot has continued that mission since taking the helm. Geva Theatre in Rochester, led by artistic director Elizabeth Williamson, is similarly well regarded as a destination for new work and has a robust history of co-producing with peer institutions to bring ambitious productions to life. A co-production of this structure typically means shared design resources and creative investment across both venues, which is a meaningful signal about the production's overall ambition and budget relative to a single-venue regional run.

For crew and designers, the Pittsburgh leg of the production offers access to a solid local theater infrastructure, with the Pittsburgh region home to a number of experienced scenic, lighting, and costume professionals who regularly work at the city's major houses. Rochester has a smaller but capable local crew base, and the Geva Theatre itself is a well-equipped regional house. Given the play's setting in Miami and its incorporation of Latin dance in transitions, the scenic and costume design opportunities here carry some real specificity. A production evoking Miami's Art Basel world and the visual language of Colombian glamour alongside a Jewish-American identity will demand designers with range and cultural fluency. Movement direction or choreography for the dance transitions is another role to watch as the production continues to staff up.

For actors, the bilingual nature of the play and the Colombian-Jewish cultural specificity of the lead character make this an audition opportunity that is unlikely to come along often. Performers who bring authentic bilingual Spanish-English facility, particularly those with familiarity with Colombian or broader South American cultural contexts, will be especially competitive here. The Miami setting of the script also suggests that casting may extend beyond the immediate Pittsburgh and Rochester markets, and agents representing Latine talent should be in contact with casting director Katja Zarolinski sooner rather than later given how early the process has begun.

ProductionList.com carries the full listing for "Laughs in Spanish," including production contact information, venue details for both City Theatre Company and Geva Theatre, and scheduling updates as they are confirmed. With rehearsals still more than a year out, this is the ideal window to make initial contact, submit materials, and position yourself for a production that combines strong new play credentials with a creative team that clearly knows exactly what it is making. Check the full listing and bookmark it for ongoing updates as casting and design assignments are announced.

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