It may still be chilly outside, but as February forges forward, a new Songwriter has whirled into view!
Samora la Perdida is a trans trilingual creator and performer whose work straddles the language divide between Spanish and English to emphasize the creative possibilities within the hybrid language of Spanglish. As a part of the Playbill Songwriter Series, la Perdida presented material from two of their new musicals.
The first three songs are from her musical SPANGLISH SH!T, including "On the Day That Terror Wore Lipstick/Que Rico," "Dreaming in English," and "Spanish Sh!t." The material from SPANGLISH SH!T includes music from Josiah Handelman, Mobéy Lola Irizarry, and Matthew Zwiebel, in addition to la Perdida's lyrics. In 2025, SPANGLISH SH!T will be the first recipient of Baryshnikov Arts Center's Artist Labs residency, and receive residencies at Pocantico Arts Center and The Watermill Center.
"On the Day That Terror Wore Lipstick/Que Rico" is performed by Jess Darrow, la Perdida, Florencia Cuenca, Sean Stack, and Brandi Chavonne Massey; "Dreaming in English" is performed by la Perdida and Stack; and "Spanish Sh!t" is performed by la Perdida, Suni Reyes, and Stack. All material from SPANGLISH SH!T features Mobéy Lola Irizarry on percussion, Matthew Zwiebel on the Sing For Hope piano, and track mixing by Josiah Handelman.
The fourth song is "pato, pato, maricón," the title track from la Perdida's queer rap opera. Featuring music by Andrew Abrahamsen, the song is performed by Simone Joy Jones, Safiya Harris, and Gabriela Joy, and Abrahamsen on the Sing For Hope piano, Mobéy Lola Irizarry on percussion, and Maggy Simon on violin.
La Perdida is a 2024 Princess Grace Award winner and YoungArts Fellow. Her TEDxTalk, Do Latines Need to Speak Spanish? Finding Your Lost Mother Tongue, features music from her upcoming bilingual brujería musical: SPANGLISH SH!T. That title is being produced by En Garde Arts and has been developed with support from Berkeley Rep, NYSCA, Antenna Cloud Farm, and Baryshnikov Arts Center. La Perdida's queer spanglish rap opera, pato, pato, maricón, debuted at Ars Nova's ANT FEST. Its public school tour was documented by BRIC TV.
Additionally, la Perdida starred in the Off-Broadway productions of Soho Rep’s Notes on Killing Seven Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Board Members; Quiara Alegría Hudes’ My Broken Language at Signature Theatre; as well as Tina Landau’s A Transparent Musical at the Mark Taper Forum. She graduated from LaGuardia HS as a YoungArts Presidential Scholar in the Arts, and from Carnegie Mellon University with a dual degree in Drama and Global Studies.
The piano utilized in the filming of this episode was provided to Playbill by Sing For Hope. Sing For Hope harnesses the power of the arts to create a better world. Our creative programs bring hope, healing, and connection to millions of people in hospitals, schools, care facilities, refugee camps, transit hubs, and community spaces worldwide. A non-profit organization founded in New York City in response to the events of 9/11, Sing for Hope partners with hundreds of community-based organizations, mobilizes thousands of artists in creative service, and produces artist-created Sing for Hope Pianos across the US and around the world. The official Cultural Partner of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, Sing for Hope champions art for all because we believe the arts have an unmatched capacity to uplift, unite, and heal. Learn more at SingForHope.org.
