1776... A Diamond Forged in Fire: Reflections as we close at Ford's Theatre

 Tomorrow, May 16th, we close 1776.

And today, as I reflect on this journey, I can honestly say this has been one of the most inspiring experiences of my career.

As a director, one dreams of those rare moments when every department comes together with precision, passion, artistry, and trust. When the pressure is high enough to polish the diamond. That is what 1776 became for me.

This process demanded everything. Detail. Patience. Listening. Courage. Precision. Humanity.

For months — and truly, for years through all the roads that led here — we worked to get this right. Every transition. Every visual beat. Every emotional turn. Every conversation about history, storytelling, rhythm, tension, and truth. Thank you FORD'S!

This production reminded me why I love directing... somehow, through that intensity, something extraordinary emerged. It all reminded me that theatre is one of the greatest collaborative art forms in existence. We had some of the finest actors in Washington D.C. standing on that stage every night with immense commitment and generosity. We had designers who elevated the storytelling beyond what I could have imagined. We had stage management, musicians, crew members, associates, technicians, producers, and collaborators all moving toward the same goal: telling this story with urgency, humanity, and theatrical imagination.

At Ford's Theatre, that responsibility carried even more weight. The history in those walls speaks to you. You feel it every single day. And because of that, we challenged ourselves to create a production that was not simply historical, but alive. A production that invited audiences to ask:

Who gets to tell America’s story?
And perhaps even more importantly:
What does freedom demand from us now?

One of the great gifts of this process was watching every department rise to that challenge. The scenic world by Milagros Ponce de León gave us a space that felt monumental yet intimate. The projections by Clint Allen expanded the storytelling into something cinematic and haunting. The lighting by Venus Gulbranson sculpted emotional focus with incredible precision. The costumes by Ivania Stack grounded us in history while supporting character and movement beautifully. The sound by David Budries wrapped the audience inside the world of the play. And the orchestrations and musical work by Daniel Gutiérrez helped shape the emotional pulse of the evening. Special thanks to CLAY who has kept all that together in music and to Craig our amazing tage manager who loves theatre so so soooo much! 

I am deeply grateful to every single collaborator, associate, assistant, crew member, musician, producer, and artist who poured themselves into this production. And then there were the audiences. Night after night, you leaned in. You listened. You laughed. You reflected. You applauded moments of debate, contradiction, hope, and vulnerability. You reminded us that theatre still matters deeply.

Some of the response to this production has been profoundly moving to receive.

The Washington Post wrote:
“Salgado delivers.” 

Hotchka called the production:

“Really quite spectacular.”
and described it as a
“visual masterpiece.”

 

Talkin’ Broadway praised the production’s:

“surprising and effective frame.”

And DC Theater Arts described it as:

“a rousing revival.”

 

What I treasure most, however, is not simply the reviews. It is the process. The long rehearsals. The discoveries. The exhaustion. The breakthroughs. The moments where collaborators challenged each other to go further. The feeling that everyone was reaching toward excellence together. That is the dream.

This production pushed me as a director in every possible way, and I leave it more inspired than ever to continue pursuing work of this caliber — work that demands rigor, imagination, collaboration, and heart.

As this chapter closes, I do so with enormous gratitude. To the cast. To the creative team. To the crew. To Ford's Theatre.
To every audience member who joined us.

Thank you for believing in the power of live storytelling.

And thank you for helping turn this production into something I will carry with me forever.