Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! The celebration begins annually on September 15 to commemorate the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively. The month-long celebration of Hispanic communities continues through October 15. 

With a multitude of Latiné playwrights, performers, composers, and creative artists working in the industry, Playbill is celebrating their rich heritage and contributions to the theatrical landscape by bringing their work to the forefront in this four-part series. Broadway's Javier Ignacio, most recently seen in the Tony Award winning revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Company, joins Playbill for the first installment.

“Storytelling is universal. Growing up in Venezuela, my first exposure to musicals was Disney films, and I can sing most of the songs from those Disney films in Spanish before I can sing them in English,” says Ignacio.  “Now, being an actor in New York City, I work with many different directors and explore different ways of storytelling. One being the most recent revival of Company where we explored how this story can go beyond gender, placing the leading character of Bobbie now as a woman.”

Watch the video above to see Ignacio sing “Quiero Vivir” (“Being Alive”) from Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Company, featuring a Spanish translation by Javier Vilalta, consulted by Javier Ignacio.

Next week’s episode will feature Mexican performer Mario Tadeo with a special rendition of a Jerry Herman classic.