Theatre historians considered the musical Oklahoma! (1943) as the work that epitomized the “book musical.” In fact, it is often said that the history of musical theatre is divided into everything before Oklahoma! and everything after Oklahoma! Although, enough time has passed to have other musicals …
Another visit to NYC and another round of Broadway musicals to enjoy, well, at least that is the hope. The first show to see this week was the musical SMASH, which is based or inspired, or whatever, on the hit …
As someone who teaches musical theatre and has dedicated his last 10 years of teaching to centering people of color within the theatre world, I have talked about George C. Wolfe and other African American theatre artist who have tried …
Before I start my review on this Broadway revival, let me be very transparent about one thing: I DO NOT LIKE ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S MUSIC. I find it simplistic, repetitive (read boring), and from a whole musical theatre composition one …
I have been directing for many years, more than I care to admit. In my long years as a theatre director, I have learned many things, mainly that I don’t know everything. Throughout my directing tenure I have made mistakes …
The first time I heard about Tarrell Alvin McCraney was for his play WIG OUT!, which I saw at the Royal Court Theatre in London. The show was an unforgettable theatrical experience so, naturally, when I was in NYC and …
A few days ago I attended the production of MEXODUS, a new hip-hop play by Brian Quijada. This new production took place at Berkeley Rep in Berkeley, CA. I was excited to see this production for two reasons, three really. …
Back in November 2023, my new play “CURSED: The House of Atreus” was produced at Contra Costa College under my direction. Yes, that is the institution I worked at. The play was entered to the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Region …
00050: THE KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Read more »
Normally, rehearsals for a play take between four to six weeks, sometimes longer depending on the complexity of the production and the company’s budget. A one-person show usually rehearses for a minimum of four weeks. However, due to the busy schedules …
Before spending my sabbatical days in Italy learning about Commedia dell’arte, I was already working on a one-person show, also as part of my sabbatical. I spent six months writing a script and having dramaturgical meetings with a theatre director. …
Humboldt County is located in Northern California. Within Humboldt County, a very small town (population 1200 as of 2020 census) named Blue Lake is found. This town is located on the Mad River, 6 miles northeast of Eureka, at an …
By the time some of you read this entry I will be at the airport. Or maybe I will be on cloud nine, or perhaps I will already be in Venice, trying to recall my rusty Italian language, one I …
When I first started my career in theatre, and I mean, going to school for it, I had no idea what “commedia dell’arte” was. When I first encountered it, I didn’t quite grasp its true meaning and didn’t think much …
I don’t know if you ever saw the TV show “What Not To Wear.” It was a reality series where to fashionistas ambush a person nominated by a family member. This person had its own unique fashion but in the …
I moved and I said to myself that I was going to write about that but never did. Then I said I was going to write about something else and I didn’t. I was also scheduled to do a “before …
I started running while attending college. Mainly because the first time I went to the college’s gym, I found myself very intimated by the other college guys who seemed to have muscular bodies, making them look like Adonis. A nerd, …
It’s 2006 in Arizona, USA and I’m attending a social retreat with my fraternity brothers. One of the fun activities we’re doing is tarot card and palm readings, and I just think this is a silly game I’m willing to …
Lately I’ve been incredibly quiet. I’ve kept myself from socializing and engaging with my inner and outside worlds. I have, for example, stop posting things on my social media outlets. My last post on Instagram was on April 30. My …
I have not written in a long time. I take that back. I have written… a lot. But I have not written for this blog. My last blog entry was April 11; I’m just one day shy of a month …
It’s been a week since my last post. I did this on purpose because I wanted some time off from writing my personal feelings on the page. This doesn’t mean I have not been actively out there in the meta …
Today I woke up feeling good. And then, suddenly, I just started crying. I know I’m happy but there are moments when I simply start to cry out of the blues. I have been dealing with a lot since October …
Last night my husband and I watched a new film from Taiwan, Your Name Engraved Herein. The film is about two high school students falling in love. The themes explored in the film, as well as the message, triggered memories …
10 days, ten items I’ve reached the first ten days of my 30-day 2.0 Minimalism Challenge. It’s been easy. I see something I had not used or seen in a long time, off it goes. It makes me laugh because …
During the months of February and March 2018 I was rehearsing a new play titled, The Cries of La Llorona. The play was an attempt to reach the Latinx audience and to introduce my own work to the college. Also, the …
30 days, thirty items Wow! I cannot believe it! I’m starting to write this post just ten minutes before 9 AM on Sunday, February 28, 2021, and I’m feeling incredibly accomplished because I was able to achieve one of my …
00049: 30-day Minimalism Game/Challenge Completed!!! Read more »
27 days, twenty-seven items I’m getting closer to the end of my 30-day Minimalism Game/Challenge. And the more I continue to clean, the more stuff I find that was once useful but now can be removed from my life. Because …
I got my heart broken when I was a kid. I was in elementary school maybe in third of fourth grade. I don’t know; I don’t remember. My older sister had a best friend who used to come over the …
22 Days, twenty-two items I still cannot believe the amount of stuff I have accumulated in one single room. People, I have eight days to go and I still have not touched one quarter of my home office and the …
21 Days, twenty-one items Wow! I’m getting rid of posters and things I have kept for years. And no, I’m not talking four or five years but 16 to 20 years. Somewhere among those posters, there is one of me, …
19 Days, nineteen items My family never had enough money to afford a “family doctor.” We always went to social services center to get medical attention. Needless to say, I had to figure out on my own what was happening …
Every time I go to Mexico City, I go to the theatre. There are two main reasons: 1) I’m a theatre artists and 2) my late friend Luis and I loved going to see shows all over the capital. The …
18 Days, eighteen items So far, I have dug out, not one, not two, not three, but four different bags/storage boxes with postcards. When I was younger and unable to travel, I decided that collecting postcards would be a way …
17 Days, seventeen items Yes, I am obsessed with Dr. Who and I do have a lot of paraphernalia regarding this show and characters. Most of it is at my school office though, in fact the two boxed items you …
16 Days, sixteen items After 15 days of playing the 30-Day Minimalism Game, I’m starting to notice an awareness about the stuff I have in the house. This morning for example, I was in the bathroom and I noticed there …
Throughout the years, I have set up many intentions, plans, goals, yet many of my desires have ended right at the beginning: at the intention, at the plan, at the wish. This has happened for many reasons; some intentions are …
I was taking a shower when I heard one of my dogs bark, then I heard a whimper. Not wanting to take any chances, I stepped out of the shower. There were no problems. One dog was not allowing the …
Day 13, thirteen items I have to acknowledge that I became a little too confident at the beginning of the 30-Day Minimalism Game by counting several items that were the same type of items as one single item. Now that …
Less than a week ago several (more than three) members of my family tested positive for COVID-19, among, my mamá and an aunt. Why so many people you ask? Because my mamá’s house is a multi-generational household and those who …
Day 12, twelve items By now, you know I love writing and so, in my many trips to the bookstore I have bought writing journals because my intentions are always to “jot things down.” I imagine myself in a café …
Day 11, eleven items I saw the musical WICKED on Broadway in 2007. I was attending a conference with one of my best colleagues and friends and we decided we needed to see three Broadways shows: We saw The Color …
You know how strange and awkward is to have someone say, “let’s meet for a cup of coffee,” meet and then tell them you don’t drink coffee? Trust me, it is awkward. The last time it happened, well, it was …
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… actually it was just two years ago in my own house. For some reason, maybe it was one of those days, I had a very strong desire to own a …
For many years, family and friends have sent me letters, postcards, and birthday cars. There was a time when I would make an effort to send “thank you” notes. I have not idea when such practice ended for me. In …
On Day 6, I say good-bye to my Les Miserable coffee mugs.
Because of my age, this may be very strange to many people, but I love Harry Potter. I love the books; I love the films, and I love the Harry Potter Universe. I’m not a fanatic, and by that, I …
When “Marky Mark and The Funky Bunch” came into the scene in 1991 with their song “Good Vibrations,” I immediately felt in love with the group and their music, and I secretly went bonkers over Marky Mark. Seeing him shirtless …
Day 4, four items In the fall of 2019 (which seems like ages ago), I was directing my own play “Frida Kahlo: The Woman; The Artist.” It wasn’t a smooth experience because people kept dropping the show and replacing them …
Day 3, three items Except for the “Travel Ireland Magazine” there is nothing special about these items. The magazines (there are three), were part of a trip I took to Dublin for a Gay Theatre Festival where I participated with …
Every time I visit my mother, I look around her house and see that every surface, every corner, every wall, every space is her house is filled with stuff that has taken over her living space. We have talked about …
Day 2, two items The first time I went to Disneyland was back in 1991. The person I went with, my adopted mother (more about that later), bought me a Steamboat Willie plush toy to remember the occasion. Years, later, …