SHELTER
Inspired by the reporting of LAUREN SANDLER
Book by KIRSTEN GREENIDGE & LAUREN SANDLER
Music & Lyrics by CRYSTAL MONEE HALL
Directed by LORIN LATARRO​
Jazmine is like a lot of nineteen-year-olds in New York, splitting her time between schoolwork and blowing off steam in the city. But she's got problems as big as her dreams, living in a homeless shelter for new mothers and caring for her newborn baby. With an infectious score that sounds like the city itself, Shelter is the unforgettable story about the often-unseen New York and one determined young woman's struggle to succeed against impossibly stacked odds.
Produced by FourthWall Theatrical
Jen Hoguet and Jana Bezdek
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Saturday, July 19 at 7pm
Sunday, July 20 at 2pm
Marist University
LAUREN SANDLER is the award-winning and bestselling author of three books, including the 2020 New York Times Notable Book THIS IS ALL I GOT: A NEW MOTHER’S SEARCH FOR HOME, for which she spent a year reporting in a Brooklyn shelter and followed one woman through her trials to find a stable home. Lauren began her journalism career at NPR before shifting into writing essays and narrative. Her writing on gender, race, inequality, and religion have appeared in dozens of publications including The New York Times, Slate, The Atlantic, Time, and New York Magazine. Lauren has been a Poynter Fellow at Yale, and has received arts fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the MacDowell Colony, Virginia Center for Creative Arts, the James Merrill House, Loghaven, and the Maison Dora Maar in Menerbes, France.
KIRSTEN GREENIDGE Village Voice/Obie and PEN America/Laura Pels recipient Kirsten Greenidge is the author of THE LUCK OF THE IRISH, MILK LIKE SUGAR, as well as OUR DAUGHTERS LIKE PILLARS and COMMON GROUND: REVISITED, an adaptation of J. Anthony Lukas’ Pulitzer Prize-winning book about Boston’s desegregation efforts in the 1970s. A hallmark of Kirsten’s work is her focus on the nexus of race, class, and gender in the United States in the past and present. More recent work includes MORNING, NOON, AND NIGHT, commissioned by Company One Theatre as part of Kirsten’s Howlround/Mellon Foundation Theatre Residency; MATILDE: A FABLE, commissioned by Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the Lucille Lortel Theatre and presented at La Jolla Playhouse’s 2024 DNA Festival; and the adapted libretto for THE ANONYMOUS LOVER, an adaptation of the original by Joseph Bologne, which premiered at Boston Lyric Opera and was most recently presented at Opera Philadelphia. Kirsten is an associate professor of theatre at the School of Theatre at Boston University, where she oversees the playwriting track of study and also serves as the school’s director. An alum of New Dramatists, Kirsten attended Wesleyan University and the Playwrights Workshop at the University of Iowa, and is a resident artist at Company One in Boston. Upcoming commission work includes projects with Plays-in-Place and Boston Lyric Opera.
CRYSTAL MONEE HALL is a powerhouse singer/songwriter, actress, and vocal director/arranger/producer whose career spans roles on Broadway (RENT), TV (HBO’s HIGH MAINTENANCE and WALKER), movies (Disney’s WISH), and sold-out tours with Ben Platt and Mickey Hart (Grateful Dead). She has collaborated with an array of top artists, from providing backing vocals for Oleta Adams and Patti Austin, to performing with Thomas Rhett at Madison Square Garden and being featured in Cynthia Erivo’s PBS special. Crystal was named a 2025 Woman to Watch by the Broadway Women's Fund and was a recipient of The Lilly Awards’ “Go Write a Musical” award and the Black Theatre Coalition’s inaugural Composer Fellowship Award. Hall’s songwriting has been showcased in Kristin Chenoweth’s live concerts, and her latest EP IF YOU BREATHE has been praised by Billboard Magazine. Crystal is the composer of the new musical 3 SUMMERS OF LINCOLN, which premiered at La Jolla Playhouse in 2025. crystalmoneehall.com.
LORIN LATARRO Broadway: ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, TOMMY, THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL, INTO THE WOODS, WAITRESS, MRS. DOUBTFIRE; The Met: LA TRAVIATA; Other: PETER PAN, THE PRODUCERS (The Chocolate Factory).
CAST
DANNY BOLERO (Dominic) is honored to be part of SHELTER. In 2023, he was awarded the NYC 2023 Bistro Award and MAC Award for his critically acclaimed one-man show, THEY CALL ME CUBAN PETE: THE MUSIC AND GENIUS OF DESI ARNAZ. Danny’s career spans Broadway, television, and film. He made his Broadway debut in JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, later returning in IN THE HEIGHTS, where he originated the principal role of Kevin in the First National Tour. Most recently, he starred in Broadway’s PLAZA SUITE alongside Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick. Danny proudly lends his voice to Abuelo in PBS Kids' ALMA’S WAY. Regional and Off-Broadway credits include MISS YOU LIKE HELL at The Public Theater, EVITA, NINE, BEDBUGS, and SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. Film work includes TOWNHOUSE CONFIDENTIAL, RAPID EYE MOVEMENT, LOW TIDE, and THE HITCHER. Deep gratitude to CTG, Entertainment Labs, and the angels on my shoulder. @ELAactorinNYC | www.dannybolero.com
MIA GERACHIS (Yara) is thrilled to be working on SHELTER with this unbelievable team. She is a New York-based artist with a BFA in Drama from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. She recently closed RAGTIME at the Goodspeed Opera House as Evelyn Nesbit. Other notable credits include: SWEENEY TODD (2023 Broadway Revival), PRETTY WOMAN (First National Tour), KINKY BOOTS (Hollywood Bowl), MYSTIC PIZZA (Paper Mill Playhouse), JEKYLL & HYDE (Lucy Harris), and JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (Narrator). Mia is so excited to be returning to her hometown of Houston, TX later this summer to star in a production of THE LAST FIVE YEARS! Keep an ear out for her on the original cast album of MYSTIC PIZZA, available on all streaming platforms this September. Forever grateful to family, friends, and Stewart Talent! Instagram: @onomato.mia | TikTok: @miagerachis
MATTHEW GRIFFIN (Matteo) is thrilled to be a member of this wonderful production and to be making his debut at NYSAF! Some credits include — BROADWAY: THE COLLABORATION (understudy for Jean-Michel Basquiat), TINA — THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL (Original Broadway Cast). OFF-BROADWAY: THIS LAND WAS MADE (Vineyard Theatre), THE NEW YORKERS (City Center), BORN FOR THIS (Cutler Majestic), CRUEL INTENTIONS: THE MUSICAL, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, SINATRA: THE MUSICAL (presentation). TV: INVENTING ANNA (Netflix, Co-Star), GODFATHER OF HARLEM (EPIX, Co-Star). FILM: REIMAGINED. (Coming soon)
LAURISSA ROMAIN (Luciana) Theater: SOUTH PACIFIC (Broadway, Lincoln Center). TV: THE SAVANT (upcoming, AppleTV+), THE POLITICIAN (Netflix), ARE WE THERE YET? (TBS). Film: YOU WERE ALWAYS (2020 short film; Best Lead Actress nomination at France’s International Film Festival), KURT AKA THE MAN BEHIND THE CAMERA (upcoming, Netflix), SON OF THE SOUTH (dir. Spike Lee), TOP FIVE (dir. Chris Rock).
ARIELLA SERUR (they/she) (Mel) is a Bushwick-based performer, writer, and composer passionate about new work. Select Performance Credits: Broadway: 1776. Regional: 1776 (A.R.T.); FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (A.C.T. of Connecticut); RENT (RedHouse Arts Center). Writing: WE START IN MANHATTAN: A NEW QUEER MUSICAL, co-written with partner Sav Souza, has had multiple sold-out concerts and was developed with POWERHOUSE THEATER at Vassar College and LIVE & IN COLOR (garnering NAMT’s 2024 FRANK YOUNG FUND AWARD for New Musicals Writers Residency Grant). Ariella is currently a first-year composer in the BMI LEHMAN ENGEL MUSICAL THEATRE WORKSHOP. @ariellaserur | WeStartInManhattan.com | ariellaserur.com
DONNA VIVINO (Gert) made her Broadway debut at age 8, originating Young Cosette in LES MISÉRABLES. Since then, she has played iconic leading roles including Elphaba in WICKED, Grizabella in CATS, Diana in NEXT TO NORMAL, Mary in MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, and Jersey in Alicia Keys’ HELL’S KITCHEN. Her additional Broadway and national tour credits include HAIRSPRAY, SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, and FAME BECOMES ME opposite Martin Short. Donna was nominated for a 2024 GRAMMY AWARD as a lead vocalist on SONDHEIM UNPLUGGED. On screen, she has appeared in THE SOPRANOS, LAW & ORDER, the feature film EZRA with Robert De Niro and Bobby Cannavale, and FBI: MOST WANTED (CBS). She is the founder and artistic director of BROADWAY UNLIMITED, a youth arts program, and also runs a private coaching and vocal studio in North Jersey and NYC. Instagram: @donnavivino