Islanders Embrace the Big Apple: ‘Basic Glitch’ to Premiere in Prestigious Off-Broadway Festival

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – From the salty breeze of Ward Island to the bustling streets of the Big Apple, a group of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi alumni are making their Islander Impact. After coming together at the Islander Alumni Mixer held in New York City this summer, Ashley Kristeen Vega, Abigail Harris, Cory Alexander, Cassi Torres, and Thomas Valdez have reunited to bring to life the play “Basic Glitch.”

This one-act play about a woman seeking customer service support for her infertility issues was written by Stephanie Salazar-Amaro, a former Corpus Christi resident, and premieres on Tuesday, Aug. 6, at the 2019 Broadway Bound Theatre Festival in New York City.

“I’m excited to share this deeply personal story with the world on a prestigious New York City stage with fellow Islanders on my team,” said Vega `17, director of Basic Glitch. “Creating new, feminist theatre focusing on the Hispanic experience and female reproductive issues is exactly the kind of theatre I want to be making. Having a team of theatre professionals I can trust who share my alma mater is truly a blessing.”

Vega, who encouraged Salazar-Amaro to try her hand as a playwright, has been involved with Basic Glitch since its inception. The play itself started out as a 10-minute production with only two characters and was entitled “Some Assembly Required.”

“While dealing with my own infertility glitches, I created this play, which helped me deal with the loss and heartache that comes along with the journey to planned pregnancy,” said Salazar-Amaro. “The characters in this play manifested as I dealt with each failed attempt. Their journey to a solution is also my own.”

In January 2018, Rosy Gutierrez `17 and Vega read the lead characters for the premiere performance of “Some Assembly Required” in the Ivy Theatre Company’s 24 Hours of Women Reading Festival in New York City. Then they reprised their roles – under the direction of Morgan Urbanovsky `18 – for the 2018 New York Theatre Summerfest at the Hudson Guild Theatre. After these successful runs, Salazar-Amaro decided to expand the play and introduce two new characters, which brought it to its current iteration.

“My role with the play has grown from developer to lead actress to PR representative to director of the Off-Broadway premiere, and I can thank my time on the Island for helping me earn a well-rounded theatre education,” said Vega, who graduated Summa Cum Laude.

After a few years of braving the Big Apple, Vega had this advice for with future Islander alumni.

“Don’t sell yourself short,” said Vega. “We have everything within us to create the world we want to live in and should use our gifts as well as our Islander education to strive for it with all we have.”

Cassi Torres `10, who plays Ramona, the main character in “Basic Glitch,” also shared words of inspiration.

“You have stories, ideas, songs, plays, inventions, medical cures, businesses, and dreams that only you can bring into this world,” said Torres, who was also a former Island University music faculty member. “You will create something that didn’t exist yesterday. People will laugh at you. Some people will think you’re crazy, tell you it’s a horrible idea, or give all the reasons why it’ll never work. Do it anyway.”

Additional Information

Basic Glitch will be performed during the 2019 Broadway Bound Theatre Festival at the Lion Theatre, 410 West 42nd Street, Manhattan, NY, on the following dates and times:

• Tuesday, Aug. 6, at 5 p.m.
• Wednesday, Aug. 7, 8 p.m.
• Friday, Aug. 9, at 2 p.m.
• Wednesday, Aug. 21, at 8 p.m.

For ticket information, visit the Broadway Bound Theatre Festival website.

Islander alumni involved in Basic Glitch:

• Cassi Torres `10 (B.A. in Music) as Ramona 
• Thomas Valdez `17 (B.A. in Theatre) as Lino  
• Ashley Kristeen Vega `17 (B.A. in Theatre) as director 
• Cory Alexander `18 (B.A. in Theatre) as assistant stage manager 
• Abigail Harris `18 (B.A. in Theatre) as scenic and graphic designer, 

Additional cast and production crew:

• Laura Kay as Magda
• Patricia Perales as Tia Leanore
• Stephanie Salazar-Amaro as the playwright and producer
• Danielle Dube as stage manager