Broken Heart Story
nytheatre.com q&a preview by Rebecca Martinez
September 21, 2012
What is your job on this show?
Actor and Choreographer.
What type of theater do you like most to work on?
I am interested in creating work that is highly visual and interdisciplinary. I love working on material that is challenging, both emotionally and physically, and that allows the audience to be delighted, surprised and moved. I love humor, absurdity and simple truths. I love a good story.
Why do you do theater (as opposed to film, or TV, or something not in the entertainment field)?
I love TV and film. But only in theater do you have that immediate connection between performers and audiences. It's one of the few times when a group of strangers regularly all agree to be in a room together and direct their attention to the same idea. Much of the theater I've worked on (as an ensemble member of Sojourn Theatre) has capitalized on this agreement to find ways of using dramaturgy, event and place to further these connections.
Why did you want to write/direct/produce/act in/work on this show?
I think this is an amazing play for Ingenue Theatre's first full-length production. When I first read the script I was moved by the story, but was also delighted by the style. This play is upside-down, circular, naturalistic, absurdist and tempestuous in its storytelling. The language is visually descriptive and the script leaves enormous room for imagination in staging. But when the wind dies down and the rain stops, a simple story is revealed. I mean, who hasn't had a broken heart?
Which famous New Jerseyite would like your show the best: Snooki, Bruce Springsteen, Thomas Edison?
Well, this is super tough choice, but since Snooki is stuck at home with the new baby and the Boss is in the studio, I'd have to say Thomas Edison. He'll love what we've done with his lightbulbs.
How important is diversity to you in the theater you see/make?
I am a Latina artist. Much of the work I see and do reflects this. However, that's not all I am. Don't get me wrong, I can play a maid like nobody's business (especially since I have real life experience!), but I salute theater makers who know it's important to bring people of all backgrounds together to tell human stories.
