From Landfill Harmonic to Basura: A Musical Journey to Broadway
Join dramaturg Ken Cerniglia for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the new Broadway-bound musical Basura, inspired by the true story of the Orchestra of Recycled Instruments of Cateura.
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The afternoon will kick off with a screening of Landfill Harmonic, a 2015 documentary film directed by Brad Allgood and Graham Townsley, about Paraguayan music teacher Favio Chavez and his children’s orchestra in Paraguay that performs with materials recycled from a landfill near Asunción. According to The Huffington Post, “[t]he film is both an exposé on the harsh conditions of slum life and a commentary on the global threats of consumption and waste.”
Shortly after the film’s premiere, Broadway producer Michael Shulman optioned Landfill Harmonic as the basis for a new Broadway musical, which would ultimately feature music and lyrics by internationally acclaimed Latin recording artist Gloria Estefan and her daughter Emily Estefan; a book by one of America’s most produced living playwrights, Karen Zacarías; and direction by 5-time Tony Award-nominee Michael Greif (Rent, Dear Evan Hansen, Next to Normal).
As the show’s dramaturg (a theatrical editor for new works), Ken’s creative journey began in April 2022 with a research trip to Asuncion, Paraguay, where he and Karen attended classes and rehearsals at the Orchestra’s new music school, interviewed musicians and family members, and experienced a week in the life of Cateura, a poor community in the shadow of South America’s second-largest landfill. Since then, Ken has worked closely with the musical’s creators through countless drafts, several developmental readings and workshops, ongoing cultural consultations, and two months of rehearsals and performances of its first production.
With its provocative new title (Spanish for “garbage”) Basura’s mission is to deliver a thrilling live musical storytelling experience that welcomes diverse, multigenerational, English-speaking audiences in the United States, while joyfully representing Paraguay and honoring the truth of the Orchestra’s story. Basura made its world premiere in Atlanta on June 12, 2026, and became the Alliance Theatre’s most recommended and best-selling new musical in history.
About Ken Cerniglia
Ken Cerniglia is a veteran dramaturg, writer, and organizational leader whose dramaturgy is currently represented on Broadway in Hadestown and Aladdin. During 16 years as dramaturg and literary manager at Disney Theatrical, he developed over 70 titles for Broadway, touring, international, and licensed productions, including Peter and the Starcatcher, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Freaky Friday, Newsies, The Little Mermaid, High School Musical, and Tarzan. He adapted several Disney librettos for young performers and developed a new series of Marvel plays for teens. Regional dramaturgy includes Destiny of Desire: an unapologetic telenovela in two acts (Denver Center), the new bluegrass musical Eugene Onegin (TheatreSquared), The Tale of the Gifted Prince (Theatre Calgary), Romeo y Juliet (CalShakes), Blood Moon (PROTOTYPE Festival); Bridges (Berkeley Playhouse); and OLIVERio: A Twist on Dickens (Kennedy Center). His book for Antigone 1989: A Town Hall Musical premiered at Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer. He is board co-chair of Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA) and is a graduate of UC San Diego, Catholic University, and the University of Washington, where he earned a Ph.D. in theatre history and criticism. www.kencerniglia.com
