"The Other Americans" is Sept. 11,

"The Other Americans" is Sept. 11, Public Theater, 

The Public Theater announced on Tuesday the complete casting for the New York premiere of The Other Americans, a new play by Emmy Award-winning actor and playwright John Leguizamo, directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson. The production will begin performances on Sept. 11 with a free public preview at the Anspacher Theater and is set to officially open on Sept. 25. The limited run ends Oct. 12.

Set in 1990s Queens, The Other Americans follows Nelson Castro, a Colombian American laundromat owner whose carefully constructed life begins to fracture when his son, Nick, returns from a mental health facility. Played by Leguizamo himself, Nelson is a man determined to secure the American dream while wrestling with a past that refuses to stay buried.

“It’s about the American dream when it smacks into American reality while being Latino,” Leguizamo said in a statement. “A laundromat mogul in 90s Queens has to confront his past as his son, who struggles with mental health issues, inadvertently undoes his web of lies.”

The production arrives in New York after a fall 2024 world premiere at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., and marks a return to The Public for both Leguizamo and Santiago-Hudson—two artists whose careers were shaped in part by the institution. Leguizamo’s Latin History for Morons debuted at The Public in 2017 before moving to Broadway and streaming on Netflix. Santiago-Hudson’s Lackawanna Blues began at The Public and earned him an Obie Award.

The cast is Rosa Evangelina Arredondo as Norma, Sarah Nina Hayon as Veronica, Rebecca Jimenez as Toni, Trey Santiago-Hudson as Nick, Bradley James Tejeda as Eddie, and Luna Lauren Vélez as Patti. Understudies include Kimberli Alexis Flores, Jaime José Hernández, and Juan Francisco Villa.

“This is a beautifully written, classic American drama,” Santiago-Hudson said. “The Castro family are salt-of-the-earth, hardworking people trying to hold on to their share of the American dream. But most importantly, it’s about family—the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

The design team includes Arnulfo Maldonado (scenic design), Kara Harmon (costume design), Jen Schriever (lighting), Justin Ellington (sound), and Anika Seitu (hair and wigs). Thomas Schall handles fight direction; Lorna Ventura choreographs. James Latus serves as production stage manager.

The Other Americans is part of a sweeping 2025–26 season for The Public, which also includes the reopening of The Delacorte Theater in Central Park after a major renovation. 

The newly restored venue will launch its season in August with a production of Twelfth Night, directed by Associate Artistic Director Saheem Ali, and featuring a starry cast including Peter Dinklage, Sandra Oh, Lupita Nyong’o, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

Later in the season, The Public will present Oh Happy Day!, a new gospel-infused work by Jordan E. Cooper and Stevie Walker-Webb, with music by Grammy winner Donald Lawrence. The season also includes Zoë Kim’s Did You Eat? in collaboration with Ma-Yi Theater Company; Ethan Lipton’s The Seat of Our Pants, a musical riff on Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth; and Initiative, a world premiere by Else Went.

Tickets for The Other Americans are now available at publictheater.org, by phone at (212) 967-7555, or in person at The Public’s box office at 425 Lafayette Street. 

Free tickets for the Sept. 11 preview will be distributed via a TodayTix lottery beginning Sept. 4. Performances are Tuesdays through Sundays at 7:30 p.m., with matinees on Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m.

Accessibility performances include audio description (Oct. 4), American Sign Language interpretation (Oct. 10), and open captioning (Oct. 11). A full calendar is available online.

Founded by Joseph Papp, The Public Theater continues its mission to present theater as a public good, with a deep commitment to community, access, and the telling of urgent stories. With seven stages in its downtown home, Free Shakespeare in the Park, and community-based programming across the five boroughs, The Public remains one of the country’s most influential nonprofit theaters.