Bianca Marroquín, Zeus Mendoza, Elijah Reyes, and more join the company of Karen Zacarías beloved comedy

The Denver Center Theatre Company is pleased to announce the full cast and creative team for Destiny of Desire: A Telenovela Play with Music by Karen Zacarías (Just Like Us, Native Gardens), the first production of the Theatre Company’s 2026/27 season. Destiny of Desire will launch a co-production in Denver on September 11 in the Wolf Theatre and then transfer to Los Angeles where performances will begin at Center Theatre Group’s Mark Taper Forum on November 11.

Destiny of Desire will feature Victoria Gómez (Basura, Alliance Theatre) as Victoria María del Río/Nurse 1/Ensemble, Adam Enrique Hollick (Jersey Boys, Pioneer Theatre Company) as Sebastián José Castillo/Paramedic 1/Cop 1/Ensemble, Adrián Javier (The Reservoir, Geffen Playhouse) as Dr. Diego Mendoza/Paramedic 2/Cop 2/Ensemble, Jessica Lopez (DCPA debut) as Pilar Esperanza Castillo/Nurse 2/Ensemble, Bianca Marroquín (Chicago, Broadway) as Fabiola Castillo/Ensemble, Zeus Mendoza (twenty50, DCTC) as Armando Castillo/Ensemble, Francisca Muñoz (The Gardens of Anuncia, Lincoln Center Theatre) as Hortensia del Río/Ensemble, Elijah Reyes (Hamilton, national tour) as Ernesto del Río/Ensemble, Al Rodrigo (Open Admissions, Broadway) as Dr. Jorge Ramiro Mendoza/Casino Dealer/Bartender/Guard/Ensemble, Cheryl Umaña (Alma, Center Theatre Group) as Sister Sonia/Ensemble, Ge Enrique (Jesus Christ Superstar, Palace Theatre) as Musician/Ensemble, Robert Almodovar (Into the Woods, Singapore Repertory Theatre) as Understudy for Armando Castillo/Dr. Jorge Ramiro Mendoza/Ensemble, James Frederick Everts (Spring Awakening, East West Players) as Understudy for Ernesto del Río/Sebastián José Castillo/Dr. Diego Mendoza/Ensemble, Isabella Bria Lopez (Evita, Shakespeare Theatre Company) as Understudy for Victoria María del Río/Pilar Esperanza Castillo/Ensemble, and Sandra Ochoa Rice (The Addams Family, Center Stage Theatre) as Understudy for Hortensia del Río/Fabiola Castillo/Sister Sonia/Ensemble.

Destiny of Desire will be directed by Marcela Lorca (Sueño, American Players Theatre) with music direction by Deborah Wicks La Puma (Frida Libre, La Jolla Playhouse), choreography by William Carlos Angulo (Hello, Dolly!, Ogunquit Playhouse), scenic design by Takeshi Kata (The Reservoir, DCTC), costume design by Raquel Barreto (Cebollas, DCTC), lighting design by Pablo Santiago (Somewhere, DCPA), sound design by Lindsay Jones (Cowboys and East Indians, DCTC), original compositions by Aldo Max (Don’t Let the Kids Alone), dramaturgy by Ken Cerniglia (Hadestown, Broadway), voice and dialect coaching by Elisa Gonzales (Anna in the Tropics, American Players Theatre), fight direction and intimacy choreography by Samantha Egle (Godspeed, DCTC), casting by RBT Casting (Ryan Bernard Tymensky, CSA) (Brigadoon, Pasadena Playhouse) and Grady Soapes, CSA (Next to Normal, DCTC), and stage management Brooke Redler (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, DCTC) and Abigail Peterson (The Phantom of the Opera, national tour).

“We are delighted to launch our 2026/27 Theatre Company season with Karen Zacarías’ hilarious and heartfelt homage to the telenovela, Destiny of Desire,” said Artistic Director Chris Coleman. “Karen is one of the most influential and widely produced playwrights in American theatre today, and it is especially meaningful to welcome back a playwright whose work has been produced across all our theatres. Destiny of Desire brilliantly blends sharp comedy, sweeping romance, and surprising twists while exploring the universal search for identity and belonging. There could be no better way to open our season than by inviting audiences to share in the laughter and vibrant theatricality of this remarkable play.”

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the DCPA will host a Latiné Heritage Celebration Night in the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex on September 17 prior to that evening’s performance with pre-show music and a post-show talkback. In addition, Spanish interpretation services will be available during two performances of Destiny of Desire on September 17 and October 3. For additional information and tickets, visit denvercenter.org.

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DENVER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

The non-profit Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) is the Rocky Mountain region’s premier theatre organization. Founded in 1972 in downtown Denver’s Arts Complex, the DCPA brings Broadway’s hottest touring shows to the Mile High City and handcrafts classic plays, engaging musicals, and modern hits through its Tony Award-winning Theatre Company. As an incubator for new play development, the DCPA launches works destined for regional theatres, Broadway, and the big screen. The theatrically trained Event Services staff collaborates with clients to host unforgettable events in dramatic spaces, while DCPA Education nurtures a lifelong love for theatre in students of all ages through classes and plays. Together, the DCPA engages people from every corner of the community to build a more inclusive home for all artistic voices. Visit denvercenter.org to learn more.

CENTER THEATRE GROUP

Center Theatre Group, one of the nation’s preeminent arts and cultural organizations, is Los Angeles’ leading not-for-profit theatre company, which, under the leadership of the Brindell & Milton Gottlieb Artistic Director Snehal Desai, Managing Director / CEO Meghan Pressman, and Producing Director Douglas C. Baker, programs the Mark Taper Forum and the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles, and the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. Center Theatre Group is one of the country’s leading producers of ambitious new works through commissions and world premiere productions and a leader in interactive community engagement and education programs that reach across generations, demographics, and circumstances to serve Los Angeles. Founded in 1967, Center Theatre Group has produced more than 700 productions across its stages, including such iconic shows as Zoot Suit; Angels in America; The Kentucky Cycle; Biloxi Blues; Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; Children of a Lesser God; Curtains; The Drowsy Chaperone; 9 to 5: The Musical; and Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. CenterTheatreGroup.org