Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson: “Mexodus” (ONLINE)
About This Event
Join us for an enlightening discussion on the craft of playwriting and the fusion of hip-hop, R&B, jazz, and bolero in musical theater, including the creative possibilities of live-looping. Before its highly anticipated run at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, meet the co-creators and performers of the award-winning new musical Mexodus, former Chicago native Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson. Streamed live from the American Writers Museum.
Told through live looping, bold storytelling and sick beats, Mexodus reimagines the Underground Railroad heading south to Mexico—unearthing a powerful, untold chapter of American history. This groundbreaking musical follows a freedom seeker and an unlikely ally as they forge a remarkable bond that transcends borders. Quijada and Robinson will discuss the historical and musical inspirations behind this show, how they create the entire soundscape of the musical live each night, and what they learned diving into this lesser-known story from America’s past.
A New York Times critics pick, Mexodus swept this year’s awards Off-Broadway, including the Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical, the first Off-Broadway musical to win the award in 30 years. The Chicago premiere of Mexodus is presented by Studebaker Theater, P3 Productions and Audible, in collaboration with Teatro Vista Productions, from November 7-21, 2026.
This is the livestream of an in person program at the American Writers Museum. When you register for this event, you will receive access to the livestream link. If you would like to attend the program in person at the AWM, get your tickets here.
About the Venue
American Writers Museum
As one of the most unique Chicago museums downtown, our mission is to celebrate the enduring influence of American writers on our history, identity, culture, and daily lives. American writing is distinctive, diverse, and comes in many forms from across the nation. As the only museum devoted to American writers and their works, AWM connects visitors with their favorite authors and writings from more than five centuries, while inspiring the discovery of new works of every type – poetry, lyrics, speeches, drama, fiction, nonfiction, journalism, and more. The authors and works we present are not meant to be a definitive list of who is the greatest or most influential. Instead, we present authors and works as part of a continuum that will grow and change. We hope you will visit us often to see what authors and works come next! The American Writers Museum owes its existence to the vision, passion and tenacity of its founder, Malcolm O’Hagan. We are forever indebted to Malcolm for his generosity and his enduring belief that America’s great writers deserve a home all their own.
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