By Cary Shuman
The Chelsea contingent knew right away that its presentation was well-received at the All-America City Awards in Denver.
First came a standing ovation from the contingents across the country inside the ballroom at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Then came the praise from the judges themselves.
“Guys, that was awesome. It’s clear you practiced and you invested a lot in that, and you did hard work and it paid off,” said one judge.
Added another judge, “Thank you, Chelsea. I get goosebumps seeing the way that you declared The Chelsea Way and the way you’re coming together from many different walks of life.”
Then came the most exciting review of the day from a third judge, “First of all, you all should take this show on the road. I feel like this should be seen on Broadway.”
Armando Rivera, the man who directed the amazing seven-minute performances, could finally smile. If the AAC Awards were the Oscars, Rivera would have taken home the award for Best Director.
With its precise timing, catchy physical elements, and dancing finale – all complemented by a brilliant script composed by Deputy City Manager Devon Fields and the script presentation team – Chelsea was clearly in a class by itself.
“[City Manager] Fidel Maltez had a vision of the Bad Bunny halftime show, so we really wanted to make it a theatrical production, and that’s when we knew we needed to loop in Teatro Chelsea and luckily Armando Rivera was able to join us as a director,” said Fields. “And that really brought us to the next level.”
One of the most well-constructed moments was Police Officer Damian Strait – a gentleman who looks like he stepped right out of a fitness magazine – overseeing pushups by Build The Base students, exemplifying how exercise and teamwork can build discipline. For sheer emotion, the words of Shiara Lara about her personal recovery and The Hub’s contribution to Chelsea were memorable and compelling.
City Manager Fidel Maltez said candidly that he wasn’t sure that the Chelsea group could accomplish everything in the wide-ranging script. “I was skeptical in the beginning because it was a very complicated production,” said Maltez. “But Armando proved me wrong. He had everyone just like it was a finely tuned Swiss watch.”
Rivera humbly took all the praise in stride.
“I’m just glad to have offered all my theatrical talents and skill set to the presentation,” said Rivera.
Rivera has an accomplished background is in the dramatic arts. He is a theater actor and director and the co-artistic director at Teatro Chelsea, where he is a producer as well.
Rivera, 35, is a graduate of Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers. He studied theater and holds degrees in theater and history.
His introduction to theater was bolstered by his home’s proximity to Disney World in Lake Buena Vista. “I went to high school in Kissimmee, Florida. I always like to say that I don’t know how many times I’ve been to Disney, but it’s somewhere between 100 and 200,” said Rivera.
Rivera said after he was given the Chelsea team’s script, he consulted with Maltez and watched previous presentations at the AAC Awards. “What I noticed was that we could do a lot of showy stuff, but the core is to tell the story of Chelsea, and make sure that the people who were being featured, that we got to know them.”
Rivera felt the presentation needed what he described as “our heart moments.”
“You need to have multiple places where you can touch someone’s heart, and thankfully the presentation had heart in abundance,” said Rivera.
The rehearsals in Denver were the spaces where Rivera truly sparkled. His title as director involved telling some of Chelsea’s most consequential community leaders, including Maltez and La Colaborativa President and CEO Gladys Vega, what would work best in the presentation.
“I even had to tell Gladys to just breathe a little bit,” said Rivera. “It’s not about acting better, it’s about slowing down and being able to just emphasize the right parts of your story, and that’s what I hope we accomplished. Obviously, the National Civic League recognized part of that.”
Rivera also made a last-minute audible in Denver, opting to conclude the presentation with a dance number. “For me, it was a beautiful moment and an opportunity to show that culture isn’t just a food, it isn’t just music, but it’s the way that we move through the world, and to see the image of twelve of our group come out – from youth to police officers, law enforcement, educators, city councillors – they all sat together, they danced together, and they moved in unison, which told a larger message about the actual type of community that exists.”
Inspired by the support and overall leadership of Maltez and Fields and the confidence and trust instilled in him by the entire group’s willingness to listen and take directions, Rivera brought that community together for seven wondrous minutes on a stage in Denver.
And the team representing Chelsea accomplished the goal it had so ardently pursued: a second consecutive All-America City Awards and a spot in the annals of the country’s most prestigious civic competition.