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Hearing the Sound of Spanish . . . |
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Written by Juan Castañeda
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Tuesday, 27 May 2008 10:45 |
The Language my parents speak…
This paraphrased line from Cloud Tectonics really got stuck in my head, and then when the Alcyone Festival came around the phrase eventually lead to La Hija de Las Flores.
I remember asking Tony where the Latin playwrights were when choosing the line-up for the festival. “That’s a good question” he responded as he began to click away on the computer. We found three scripts in Spanish all by the same playwright (Gertudis Gomez de Avellaneda). The thing that made me lean towards Hija was how much the characters of Juan the gardener and Tomasa his wife reminded me of my parents. When reading a play I know I’m enjoying it when I imagine the story in my head. Before the play got cast, I always saw my mom and dad in my head.
At first we toyed with the idea of translating the play and having the actors perform in English, but when we realized we had four months to write the translation the idea to try it in Spanish came to everyone’s head. Tony expressed some concern in finding Spanish speaking actors. “It shouldn’t be too much of a problem” I told him. It shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Before I go on, I’d like to mention how much talent the cast of Flora has and brings to the rehearsals, and how much fun we have during rehearsals. The play is a stroke of comic genius and the cast is executing that comedy to perfection. The problem with having such a talented cast is that I’m not the only one who notices their talent. I’m fighting conflicts during the rehearsal period left and right. Once I think I have a grasp on things some new conflicts are thrown into my hands causing me to fumble then lose my grip again. The fact of the matter is the pool of Spanish speaking actors isn’t exactly the size of Lake Michigan; it’s more like an inflatable kid’s pool in someone’s back yard.
So has the production been worth the struggles? Hell yes, both personally and for the sake of the company. As far as the company goes, we preach this concept of one world, one story, and I feel that this play falls into our mission perfectly. It shouldn’t be enough that we have such a diverse ensemble but that we should use the differences in our ensemble to get the most out of ourselves. As for me, Flora gives me the opportunity to be involved with a production that my parents can fully understand, and enjoy; as art assumes the language that they have been speaking all of their lives.
But what happens to someone as an artist if they just stick to what feels comfortable without seemingly expanding or challenging themselves to other works. Am I limiting myself to Latin based works as a director because I feel the need to do that, or because that’s all I feel comfortable doing? Is there anything wrong with only exploring genres you're comfortable with, and is there a sense of obligation because I am a Latino?
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"Is there anything wrong with only exploring genres you're comfortable with..." I would say no. Every artist approaches works differently, if you know that for your art to be its most effective, it should originate from somewhere you are comfortable, then thats where you should start, I think. From that starting point you can then push and experiment. As a rough example, a vegan chef would never start a dish with a side of beef or a rack of lamb. However, give that same vegan chef a head of cabbage, a tomato, and a carrot, and a great dish would be coming your way.
"...is there a sense of obligation because I am Latino." Only you can answer that one, for you. Artist are only obligated to do what they feel motivates them to do their work. If its not in you, you wouldn't feel obligated to do it, no matter how many people told you you should.
A Director first and foremost, I think, should have something important and relevant to say. The Director should provoke thought, inspire a dialouge, push others into action, while entertaining.
However he/she wants to tackle all of those is up to him or her. It make sense though, that a director would begin in a comfortable place, with text that motivates them to push the boundaries of that comfort for themselves and their audience.