Emmy winner and Tony nominee John Leguizamo will be the keynote speaker at the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene Immigration Arts Summit. The summit will be held July 17 and 18, coinciding with the Off-Broadway run of the musical Amerike—The Golden Land.

The two-day event will take place at the Museum of Jewish Heritage and will bring together leaders who serve immigrant communities or present work inspired by cultures from abroad. The summit will conclude with a free outdoor concert at the Robert F. Wagner Park on July 18, where attendees will be able to hear excerpts from the musical Amerike—The Golden Land.

Participating organizations include Pan Asian Repertory, Irish Repertory Theatre, Repertorio Español, the Irish Arts Center, the Kairos Italy Theater, and the Turkish American Repertory Theatre. Confirmed participants include journalist Ann Curry and Larry Kirwan.

“All immigrant story lines of starting new lives in America and pursuing the American Dream share many common threads,” says NYTF CEO Christopher Massimine. “That is why we are so excited by the opportunity to welcome a wide array of New Yorkers from different backgrounds to see Amerike—The Golden Land, a musical that vividly depicts an iconic journey from hardship and racism to integration and continued identification with the mother culture. There is so much we hope to learn about the positive and negative aspects of this uniquely American experience.”

Amerike—The Golden Land will run from July 4 to August 6 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage.

Tickets for the summit are $10 for each day or $15 for both. The concert is free and open to the public. For more details or to purchase tickets, visit NYTF.org.

LOVE THEATRE? CHECK OUT THE NEW ARRIVALS AT THE PLAYBILL STORE!