Join us for an evening of fun, film, and music with “West Side Story: David Alvarez and the making of a cross-cultural musical.” This event begins at 5PM with an unveiling and short presentation on select costumes from the 2021 film, directed by Steven Spielberg. At 6PM, MOLAA’s Education department will host a Q&A with actor David Alvarez (“Bernardo”). An indoor screening of the film will start at 6:30PM and has a run time of 2 hours and 36 minutes. Local food trucks will be onsite offering delicious food and beverages for purchase.
Program:
5:00 PM Unveiling/Presentations of the costumes the lobby at MOLAA
6:00 PM Q&A with David Alvarez
6:30 PM Film Screening Starts
9:00 PM Event ends
David Alvarez
David Alvarez is a Canadian dancer and actor, widely recognized for being one of the original Billys in the Broadway production of Billy Elliot the Musical. He left theater to serve in the US Army and following a service of two and a half years with the 25th Infantry Division he returned to Broadway, becoming a swing in a production of On the Town.
While attending Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, in the fall of 2018, he was found by the casting director for Steven Spielberg's West Side Story, and on January 14, 2019, it was announced that Alvarez would be playing the role of Bernardo in this Spielberg's adaptation of the film. His awards to date include: Broadway World Awards - 2009 - Best Leading Actor in a Musical (David Alvarez as Billy Elliot), Theatre World Awards - 2009 - Performance (David Alvarez as Billy Elliot), Tony Awards - 2009 - Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (David Alvarez as Billy Elliot, The Musical).