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Rowland High School Theatre Presents Lin-Manuel Miranda’s
In the Heights
Tony Award-winning musical runs April 30–May 2 at Rowland Unified Performing Arts Center
The Rowland High School Theatre program will bring the vibrant streets of Washington Heights to life this spring with its production of In the Heights, the Tony Award-winning musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes. Performances will take place April 30 through May 2, 2026 at the Rowland Unified School District Performing Arts Center, with evening performances at 7:00 p.m. and an additional matinee performance at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 2.
Tickets are $10 in advance ($12 at the door) and will be available through Rowland High School via GoFan at bit.ly/RHSMUSICAL26.
The production is led by Ovation Award-winning director Kasper, with music direction by Brandon Harris and choreography by Rowland High School alumni Marienne Carrillo and Allen Ormeo. Featuring more than 70 student performers, musicians, designers, and technical crew members, this production is the most ambitious theatre undertaking mounted by the Rowland High School Theatre program in recent history.
In the Heights tells the story of a community on the cusp of profound change. Set in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood, the musical unfolds across three sweltering summer days as rising heat and rising pressure reach a boiling point. Blending hip-hop, salsa, merengue, and R&B, the show follows residents as they navigate generational expectations, cultural identity, and the fear that the place they call home may be slipping away.
The struggles and triumphs of In the Heights resonate deeply within the Rowland High student body, where many students recognize pieces of their own lived experiences reflected onstage.
“I look back on my time living in Washington Heights with deep fondness and gratitude. To me, the barrio is far more than a collection of storefronts and city noise—it’s a living organism shaped by the people who move through it and the dreams they fight to protect,” said director Kasper. “Just as the neighborhood pulses with the legacies of its Latino and Afro-Latino communities, Rowland Heights carries its own layered histories. The same forces that animate this musical, from economic pressure and cultural inheritance to the question of who gets to stay, echo inside our own classrooms and corridors.”
“There was great intention behind selecting a show that not only challenges and showcases our students’ talent, but also invites our audience to reflect on our role in nurturing and sustaining the communities we call home,” said music director and Rowland High School VAPA Chair Brandon Harris. “We are grateful to have Kasper at the helm. They bring an extraordinary depth of experience as a longtime performer, dramaturg, and devised theatremaker. Under their direction, the production is guided not only by artistic vision, but by a deep respect for the voices and stories at the heart of the musical.”
Performance Details
In the Heights will be performed at the Rowland Unified School District Performing Arts Center on the Rowland High School campus located at 2000 S. Otterbein Ave, Rowland Heights, CA, 91748.
Performance Dates
- Thursday, April 30, 2026 — 7:00 PM
- Friday, May 1, 2026 — 7:00 PM
- Saturday, May 2, 2026 — 2:00 PM (Matinee)
- Saturday, May 2, 2026 — 7:00 PM
TICKETS
Tickets are $10 in advance ($12 at the door) and will be available through Rowland High School via GoFan at bit.ly/RHSMUSICAL26.
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About Kasper
Kasper is a Los Angeles-based actor, musician, dramaturg, and director whose work spans stage and film. They starred as Ezra in the world premiere of A Transparent Musical (Amazon TV series creator Joey Soloway, dir. Tina Landau) at The Mark Taper Forum, and played the title role in Amina (prod. Lena Waithe & Hillman Grad) which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival. Their decades-long career includes collaborations with Center Theatre Group, Geffen Playhouse, The Wallis, Yale Repertory Theatre, Four Larks, Netflix, Disney, and CBS Studios. They are thrilled to bring their mission of community-centered storytelling to their work as an educator and director in their debut production with Rowland High School.
John A. Rowland High School is a 2021 and 2019 California Distinguished School, a 2025 AP Access Silver winner for creating a college-going and it It has been ranked consistently as one of the top high schools in the nation by US News & World Report. For more information visit www.rowlandhs.org.