FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts
Blair Nelson
blair@blenderadv.com
214-329-3852
Attack Theatre Presents Someplace, Not Here
Step inside, experience the moment, be transported to a scene of your own creation.
\PITTSBURGH, PA, (March 25, 2025) — Attack Theatre will end its Season of Fire with Someplace, Not Here April 4-6 at Attack Theatre Studios. This unique blend of mediums will feature a musical performance by Nikki Guerra and Ariel de la Portilla’s Mama Fuma, a Miami-based Cuban roots funk band; accompanied by Dave Eggar on the cello, Phil Faconti on the guitar, and Levi Trent on percussion.
Approximately 75 minutes
Friday, April 4, 2025 at 7:30pm
Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 7:30pm
Sunday, April 6, 2025 at 2pm
Welcome to A Bar. The lights are dim. The air is thick with stories. The music hums like a heartbeat. Step inside to Someplace, Not Here – your neighborhood bar, a fleeting moment, a place where reality changes with each step. The staff of the bar – Attack Theatre’s company dancers Isabella Bergamin, Miranda Braseth, Melissa Burke, Anya Epstein, and Olivia Nellis – work the room and dance their stories of life and work. Each story shares a unique point of view for audience members: a tearful goodbye, a first date, or a heated argument… it all depends on you. Choose a drink, choose a song, this place is waiting for you.
Mama Fuma’s Nikki Guerra will heat up the scene with her powerhouse vocals. A native of Miami, FL, she straddled multiple musical cultures, passionately embracing her Cuban roots while immersing herself in classic rock and Caribbean funk. Her charisma, mass appeal, and command of the stage visibly radiate, engaging multicultural audiences through dynamic performances.
Nikki has trained in opera and musical theater performance from an early age, and then found a second calling in creative arts therapies, completing her BFA in Musical Theatre at The New School in Manhattan with a certificate in Creative Arts and Health. Since then, Nikki has channeled the healing powers of music and art by mentoring, teaching, and performing in many arts-based programs from New York to Miami, including Village Playback Theatre, Guitars Over Guns, and For Jamaica Inc. She also works as a Teaching Artist with female survivors of human trafficking.
After a decade in NYC, Nikki and her husband – bassist and songwriter Ariel de la Portilla – returned to their roots, resettling in Miami and creating their collaborative groovechild, Guerra Grooves, now known as Mama Fuma. Greatly influenced by early Rock ’n Roll, Funk, Blues, Jazz and Cuban Son, Ariel de la Portilla is an eclectic multicultural bassist, songwriter, and composer who is equally inventive on both electric and acoustic bass.
A native of Matanzas, Cuba, Ariel emigrated to Miami, Florida with his parents in the early 80s and began his musical journey with acclaimed bassist Nicky Orta and prominent jazz educator J.B. Dyas. He graduated from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and later received a BM from the University of Miami School of Music, studying under Don Kaufman, Lucas Drew, and Matt Bonelli. Following his studies in New York, Ariel burst into the music scene and has been working ever since, performing in Miami, New York, Virginia, and abroad.
Music Director with Attack Theatre since 2000, Dave Eggar will accompany Mama Fuma on the cello, Phil Faconti will round out the performance on the guitar, and Levi Trent on percussion.
“Peter first met Ariel on a project in the Philippines about a decade ago, and after many years we’re thrilled to welcome Mama Fuma for their first time to Pittsburgh. As creative artists, we thrive on discovering, learning, and exploring with new people and influences, and this show will do exactly that,” said Michele de la Reza, co-founder and co-Artistic Director of Attack Theatre.
In addition to this performance, teaching artists from Attack Theatre will partner with Casa San Jose twice a month to facilitate creative movement workshops that emphasize social-emotional learning for students ages 7-15. On Saturday, April 5 the students will have the opportunity to work with Mama Fuma to explore music and storytelling as alternative avenues for self-expression.
Someplace, Not Here will transport audience members to a scene of their own creation. Walk into this evening of electrifying live music and dance together and leave with the moments that are yours alone.
Purchase tickets online: www.attacktheatre.com/someplace-not-here-feat-mama-fuma
About Attack Theatre: Founded in 1994 by Michele de la Reza and Peter Kope as a collaboration between two dancers and a city, Attack Theatre fuses modern dance, original live music, and interdisciplinary art forms to create engaging dance performances. We create work at the intersection of art and community, resulting in productions that are personal, authentic, welcoming, and fearless.