00053 CHOIR BOY
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 …
Category: Writing
00052-MEXODUS
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. …
00051: THE LEHMAN TRILOGY
Let me start this entry by saying that I have seen this show more times that I ever planned to see it. The first time I saw it was when it first opened at the National Theatre of London back …
00050: THE KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
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 …
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00049: MJ MUSICAL
I must start by saying I do not like jukebox musicals very much. I have many reasons why I don’t like them, but mainly because they seem to be created with little originality, following a simple, uncomplicated, and very predictable …
00048: THE WIZ REVIVAL 2024
I recently attended the Broadway Bound production of THE WIZ, and let me tell you it was a spiritual experience to say the least. The Wiz was originally produced on Broadway back in 1975, and like today’s revival, it had a pre-Broadway run …
00047: UNWANTED AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
For several months now, actually more than a year, many of my fellow theatre artists, theatre colleagues and I have been discussing the, now very popular issue of the unwanted audience participation incidents. I’m sure you know what I’m talking …
00046: WINTERLAND
While my show Alicia from the Real in Wonderland was being produced at Contra Costa College, the place where I worked as a full-time theatre faculty and Chair of the Drama Department, the president of the college approached me and …
00045: CURSED, THE HOUSE OF ATREUS
I did it! I finally was able to write a play based on Greek mythology: CURSED: The House of Atreus. It took me two years to write this play. One year to simmer the idea and write a first draft and one …
00044: ALICIA FROM THE REAL IN WONDERLAND
A while ago, during a work meeting, the dean mentioned that perhaps we needed to produce a play that would cater to young people. “Sure!” Everyone said with enthusiasm as they looked at me for a more concrete answer. “I …
00043: INTRODUCING MODERNA SUSPIROS
And so it came to past, after a pandemic, several setbacks, challenges, injuries, and personal matters that Moderna Suspiros finally made it to the stage. The show only had two showings but there were beautiful, fun, exciting, and filled with …
00042: WE’RE BAAAAACK!
That’s right! After a six-month absence, the director and I are reuniting to make sure the production of INTRODUCING MODERNA SUSPIROS: A Fable Based on True Event… We Think takes place. Yes, it has been a long way coming and lots of …
00041: INJURIES!!!
Wear heels they said! You will look good in heels they said! It’s easy they said! And yes, it is fun to wear heels, but if you are a person who isn’t used to wearing heels and suddenly you have …
00040: SHOES! COSTUMES! AND MAKEUP! OH MY!
We had a costume fitting just a couple of weeks ago. The the fitting also included shoes, of course. It has taken me a while to post about this matter because the fitting, although exciting, was also a little bit …
00038: REVISITING THE ONE-PERSON SHOW!
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. …
00037: A COMMEDIA DELL’ARTE COURSE
One of the main objectives of my sabbatical research, is the creation of a new theatre course on Commedia dell’arte. Using the many resources I was able to find, the information I was able to collect, and the different theatre …
00036: DELL’ARTE ALUMNI CONVERSATION
The following transcript is based on conversations with a closed friend who is an alumni from Dell’Arte International. Our conversations centered around her training and the benefits of it. The conversation has been edited for clarity and brevity. –What made …
00035: DEL’ARTE INTERVIEW
The following conversation with Tony Fuemmeler (interim head of training programs) took place over zoom. The content has been edited for clarity and space. –What can you tell me about Physical Theatre training for the actor? In general, physical theatre …
00033: ARRIVEDERCI ITALIA!
Welp, my trip to Italy has ended. I had the best of times; I have the worse of times. And regardless of the experiences, I am in fact, very thankful for the opportunity to spend so much time in a …
00032: IL DOTTORE DI BOLOGNA
The last commedia dell’arte character on my list is commonly known as IL DOTTORE, “The Doctor.” His real name is “Il Dottore Balanzone” and he’s from Bologna. He’s part of the older generation of characters, “I Vecchi,” (The Old Ones) …
00029: VALLE BREMBANA; TERRA DI ARLECCHINO, PART I
I’m starting this post with a disclaimer. There is place in the Bergamo region that claims to be “Arlecchino’s House” and also “Arlecchino’s Museum.” This place is known as “Casa Museo di Arlecchino.” The “house/museum” is located in the village …
00029: VALLE BREMBANA; TERRA DI ARLECCHINO, PART I Read more »
00028: ARLECCHINO AROUND TOWN
While Napoli embraces Pulcinella as part of its arts and culture, the entire region of Campagna also embraces the character as part of its popular pop culture. Bergamo, on the other hand, and the entire region have not made Arlecchino …
00026: ARLECCHINO A BERGAMO
While the City of Bergamo doesn’t show the same “enthusiasm” for Arlecchino as Napoli shows for Pulcinella, Bergamo still recognizes Arlecchino as part of their culture and their art. Within half a block from Bergamo Centrale train station, a statute …
00025: BERGAMO, LA CITTÀ DIVISO IN DUE
The city of Bergamo, in the region of Lombardy Italy, is located about 25 miles north of Milano and about 18 miles south of Switzerland. I mention its location because no other city is further north in Italy than Bergamo. …
00024: IL CAPITANO MATAMOROS
One of the most entertaining commedia dell’arte characters who is also less known to most people is Il Capitano (The Captain.) Like Pulcinella, Il Capitano was born in Naples, although Napoletani don’t pay homage to him the way they do …
00022: PULCINELLA A CAMPANIA
I knew I was going to see a sign of Pulcinella before arriving to Naples. After all, I was aware that somewhere in the city there is a statue dedicated to this commedia dell’arte character. What I didn’t know was that …
00020: IL TEATRO OLIMPICO
Every semester I teach one or two “Introduction to Theatre” classes. Within the class, at some point I get to talk about Italian Theatre during the Renaissance period. One aspect we discuss in class is Italian architecture, literature, and inventions …
00019: IL CARRO DEI COMICI
One of the last plays I saw during the Carnevale was “Il carro dei comici.” This production was presented by Compagnia Pantakin da Venezia, which is the same company that presented VENEZIA MILLENARIA. This company is also responsible for the …
00017: IL TRIONFO DI ARLECCHINO
The commedia dell’arte festival during the Carnevale, was an international event that also included two different countries: France and Rumania. Because I arrived during the second week of the festival, I missed the theatre presentation from Rumania, which only participated …
00014: LA CASA DI CARLO GOLDONI
Carlo Goldoni was an Italian playwright born in Venice in 1707. When he was a young man, his father, a doctor, moved to Perugia and then to Remini. It was there that Carlo Goldoni studied philosophy and law, fields that …
00010: UP, UP AND AWAY!!!
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 …
0009: THAT’S WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT!
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 …
0008: COMMEDIA DELL’ARTE CALIFORNIA
Besides going to Italia to investigate Commedia dell’arte matters, I also have to do two more things during my sabbatical. Both are in relation to Commedia, of course. I must create a Commedia dell’arte class to become part of our …
0007: WHAT NOT TO WEAR
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 …
00067: It’s Been So Long
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 …
00066: Walking Bodies
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, …
00065: Self-Doubt & Second Guessing
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 …
00064: Being Petty
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 …
00063: Always Writing
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 …
00062: Why not?
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 …
00061: My Bday!
That’s right! Today is my birthday and unlike other birthdays that are quietly acknowledge through a small gathering or a trip to New York or Disneyland, this birthday, on April 3, 2021, is being acknowledge with humility because I’m overwhelmed …
00059: Melancholy
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 …
00057: Stop Asian Hate
I am not part of the AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islanders) community but being that such community is part of the Global Minorities in the country, I’m saddened and pissed off at the events in Atlanta. I don’t think I …
00055: HEARTBROKEN
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 …
00054: 10 Days / Sadness
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 …
00053: In Memoriam
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 …
00050: Brand New Day!
It’s very strange but today, being the first of March, feels like a brand new day to me. I mean, I know it is a new day but I sense a force of positive energy and a desire to shout, …
00049: 30-day Minimalism Game/Challenge Completed!!!
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 »
00046: Emotional Burden
The last couple of weeks have been very emotionally tough. As I said in one of my earlier posts, I use writing as a tool to deal with my feelings. Yet, I have not written much about the burden I’ve …
00040: First Crush?
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 …