Inside Electricidad with Cesar Hernandez!

Today we play Q&A with actor Cesar Hernandez who plays Nino from the upcoming production of ELECTRICIDAD by Luis Alfaro.

CESAR HERNANDEZ


· Born & Raised: El Paso, TX

· Education: A little in Chuco, a little in Austin, & a little bit here in the Metroplex.

· Zodiac Sign: Born in the year of the Dragon! (also a Capricorn)

· Must See TV Show; Dexter, Breaking Bad, Epitafios.

· Why you work in theatre: It's a great feeling to lose yourself on stage...teatro is a rewarding way to reach the community and stay grounded in your roots.

· First Role: Don't remember the character's name but it was the guy who gets the plate of sardines glued to his hand and loses his pants in Noises Off.

· Favorite Play: Favorite I've been in thus far has been Nuestra Pastorela with Cara Mia Theatre Co.

· Pre Show Rituals: Driving to the theater and doing vocal warm-ups.

· Special Skills: I can knit a scarf of cherry stems with my tongue.

· Favorite Post Show Meal: Negra Modelo

· Biggest On Stage Mishap: Smoking a huge Cheech & Chong joint (tobacco) on stage and parts of it falling out & leaving a smoky trail behind me.

· Something you're REALLY bad at: Snorkeling.

· If you could go back in time and catch any performance, what would it be? Either the Beatles or the Doors live at the peak of their careers.

· Stage or screen stars of the past you would most have loved to perform with: Giulietta Masina, Tin Tan

· The one performance – attended - that you will never forget: Dralion by Cirque du Soleil

· Most played song on your iPod/mp3/cd player: I listen to so much different music on shuffle all the time that it sould be anything.

· Last book you read: The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder by Vincent Bugliosi.

· Last good movie you saw: Sukiyaki Western Django

· Some films you consider classics: Goodfellas, 8 1/2, Seven Samurai, Dazed & Confused

· Favorite liquid refreshment: Cerveza

· Three things you can't live without: Sex, Cultura, y Familia

· Best thing about Fort Worth & the North Side: Rose Marine Theater & tacos


Cesar Hernandez, who plays Nino, pictured with James "Jimmy" Moreno who plays Orestes.

*Photos by Shannon Atkinson

ACTING 101: Learning how to be a Real Chola, when you are not really a Real Chola

Today we blog with New York Actress Claudia Acosta on her upcoming stint as ELECTRICIDAD.
In case anyone wondered, I am not a chola or ever was. I was a big geek when it mattered to be anything in high school. Califas born, I grew up on the eastside of El Paso, otherwise known as El Chuco. It is the birth place of the forefather of the Cholo, el Pachuco, but there was no chuco or cholo or chimigangas in my house growing up. Unlike Electricidad, I was under lock and key.

I wanted to be on the drill team and wear GAP clothes, but couldn’t. I didn’t own a pair of Vans, went to church and I raised my hand in class. Not an eastside Loca, but a walking bullseye. Luckily, I knew how to deflect the glares under intimating eye-brows and incessant insults from those burgundy lined lips. I pretended they didn’t exist while I got rubber bands in my hair, but I watched them closely.

In my process with Electricidad, I learned five things about myself and a culture I had to run away from growing up. Just because I can use black eye liner like I am some Diego Rivera doesn’t automatically make me a chola. I had to dig deep.

• I couldn’t play this role if I was younger. The imagination is a powerful thing, but when coupled with experience you get the Google Earth of road maps for any performance. In my life, I think I have some reference to grief, betrayal, pain, and want for vengeance…ok maybe a lot.

• Look for the chola inside. Isn’t everybody loyal, protective, tough, and committed to a code of honor, pride and style? Or is it just me? I too have learned how to smile now and cry later.

• Being a chola means you can kick someone’s ass if you needed to. Despite some people’s assumptions, I have never raised a fist to anyone (accept on the occasions when a loco tried to get fresh). How do I find the street fighter inside? Pos training at the 24hour fitness with my old kick-boxing routine.

• Embrace the voice. I worked hard as an actor to be regionally neutral only to find, that is what casts actors that look like “us”. When I talk to anybody from El Paso, I speak more Spanglish than a Tide commercial on Univision. The musicality, cadence, and sounds come back. Luis Alfaro captures the voice of his Califas and mine where my sisters gave me the oldies and feathered bangs. It is the voice of an American who straddles the fence. The voice like a cruise on a boulevard. It is the voice of two cultures and a history wrestling with economics for place to call home.

• Instead of seeing a Young Chola, see a Young Woman. A young woman who believes in ideals. A young woman who wants to preserve honor and dignity the best she knows how. A young woman who loves her father. Electricidad sees and feels nothing else, but loss. Her world has left her betrayed. I shudder to think of life when my parents are gone. I don’t know how I would move on if I thought I lost my brother. What if no one was there to believe in my grief? Electricidad has love beyond all bounds. That is something, I know very well. I hope the audience does too.

Photo by Shannon Atkinson

ELECTRICIDAD: WORTH THE WAIT

Today, we blog with Director Yvonne Duque on the upcoming REGIONAL PREMIERE of Luis Alfaro's ELECTRICIDAD!



Worth the wait…

In 2006, when Electricidad was first brought to Teatro de la Rosa, the timing wasn’t right. I had pushed to put it on the season, but it was met with a number of obstacles. Now I know why. Teatro had to run its course and Artes de la Rosa needed to experience its renaissance under new leadership. A friend of mine sent me a message last week - "Electricidad...I know that's a long one in the making". This couldn’t be truer.

Sometimes it is hard to release your dream project and wonder if it will ever find you again. In the arts, we often act on instinct, on the here and now. This is a great idea and I will do this now matter the odds! This kind of conviction can fall either way. It can (1) create exciting, innovative art or (2) compromise your vision by becoming a personal crusade, ultimately watering down what’s most important – the play.

Getting to direct Electricidad, NOW, means doing it for the right reasons and with the complete support of Artes de la Rosa. The personal journey is about the work, the play and not about proving myself as an artist. Ultimately, I’ve already won, DFW is going to have the chance to experience a story that has its roots dating back some 2500 years.


The Cast of ELECTRICIDAD By Luis Alfaro at Artes de la Rosa
...so worth the wait!

Photo by Shannon Atkinson

CASTING COMPLETE FOR ELECTRICIDAD

Artes de la Rosa ANNOUNCES THE CAST for the REGIONAL PREMIERE of ELECTRICIDAD


Fort Worth, TX – January 20th – Artes de la Rosa is proud to announce the casting of Luis Alfaro’s ELECTRICIDAD which is receiving it’s Regional Premiere this March at Artes de la Rosa’s home The Rose Marine Theater. Playing the mother Clemencia is Artes de la Rosa veteran Danielle Reboli (Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof). Making her Rose Marine Theater stage debut playing Electricidad’s reformed sister Ifgenia is Dallas Actress Raquel Lydia Leal. The banished heir Orestes is played by Jaime “Jimmy” Moreno (A View From The Bridge) with Cesar Hernandez playing Nino. Taking on the no nonsense wise-cracking Abuela in her Artes de la Rosa debut is Lee Castro De Choudens. As the spirit of the departed Agamenon is Fredy Edward Quiroga. Rounding out the cast as the vecina’s are Kristi Ramos Toler, Zulma Fernandez and Yvonne Duque.

As previously announced, Artes de la Rosa has enlisted New York Actress Claudia Acosta for the starring role of Chicana heroine, Electricidad. Production begins March 9th at the Rose Marine Theater in Fort Worth for a strictly limited 3 week engagement through March 25th.

Electricidad is freely adapted from Sophocles Electra by renowned Chicano performance artist, writer, theater director, and social activisLuis Alfaro (Downtown (Institute of Contemporary Art-London, XTeresa Performance Space-Mexico City), No Holds Barrio (Goodman Theatre-Chicago), Bitter Homes and Gardens (Latino Chicago, Playwrights Arena-Los Angeles) Ladybird (La Jolla Playhouse), Black Butterfly (Smithsonian Museum, The Kennedy Center-Washington D.C., Mark Taper Forum-Los Angeles)). The play, produced by Artes de la Rosa Artistic Director Adam Adolfo, is directed by Yvonne Duque (The Vagina Monologues).

About ELECTRICIDAD
Driven by love, loyalty, hate and vengeance, Electricidad keeps a 24 hour vigil by her father's side and dominates this contemporary look at the power and consequences of revenge. Using the East L.A. barrios as the backdrop for the Electra myth, this modern twist on the Greek tragedy thrusts you into fits of laughter and catches your breath in moments of unimaginable sorrow. This award-winning adaptation by Luis Alfaro, of the Sophoclean tragedy, is evidenced by his use here of Greek roots, Latino soil, and timeless psychological themes of revenge, obsession, and self-destruction.

TICKET INFORMATION
ELECTRICIDAD opens Friday March 9th and plays Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sunday Matinees at 2:30 pm through Sunday March 25th. Tickets are $25 for Opening Night, which includes Private VIP After Party with the cast, $18 for adults and $15 for students and seniors for all other evening performances, matinee prices are $15 and $10 respectively. For tickets or more information, call the Rose Marine Theater Box Office at (817) 624-8333. Special ticket prices are available for groups of 10 or more. Tickets can be purchased online at www.artesdelarosa.org.

NEW YORK ACTRESS RETURNS HOME

NEW YORK ACTRESS RETURNS HOME for the REGIONAL PREMIERE of ELECTRICIDAD



Fort Worth, TX – January 20th – Artes de la Rosa is proud to announce the casting of New York based Actress Claudia Acosta for the upcoming Regional Premiere of the play ELECTRICIDAD by Luis Alfaro.

Artes de la Rosa Artistic Director Adam Adolfo offers, “It is so wonderful that we are able to bring Claudia home to the Rose Marine Theater. She is an exceptional woman and a powerhouse talent making her the perfect actress to bring to life the Greek Electra myth in our new staging of Luis Alfaro’s adaptation. She will be giving DFW audiences a potent theatre experience.” Ms. Acosta’s return to Artes de la Rosa’s venue, The Rose Marine Theater, is a homecoming of sorts. She was one of the founding members of the Teatro de la Rosa, the previous theatre company at the Rose Marine, and Founder and Producer of The Rose Marine Latino Film Festival, now entering its second season.

CLAUDIA ACOSTA is an actor, writer, producer and teaching artist from Texas. Recent New York acting credits include: ‘Rosita’ in 'Don Cristobal Billy Club Man' (HERE, San Clemente Soto Velez); ‘Chela’ in 'Pandora's' (Theater Row). Currently, Claudia is a teaching artist for Lincoln Center Institute and Arts Connection. Claudia is Producer of the short documentary IT IS ROCKET SCIENCE IN PRESIDIO directed by Academy and Emmy Award winning Director Nigel Noble to be premiered this year. Ms. Acosta is member of the National Association of Independent Producers and National Association of Latino Arts and Culture. Claudia is a member of the INTAR Actor's Collective and has also performed for Ma-Yi Theatre Company, and American Theatre of Harlem. In Texas, she performs yearly with Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Metropolitan Classical Ballet, as narrator for 'Peter and the Wolf' at Bass Performance Hall.

The New York actress offers insight on her upcoming role saying, “Electricidad is strong piece for women, specifically Latina women. Those roles are very hard to come by in American Theater. This play's roots in Greek tragedy remix for a new myth for a culture in great need of exploring their own narratives as Americans. I was more than excited to do this play with my Artes de la Rosa family. An opportunity to play this part on a stage that is near and dear to my heart could not be missed.”

Ms. Acosta was co-founder of Teatro de la Rosa, served as Interim Artistic Director for Cara Mia Theatre Company and has worked with Hip Pocket Theatre, Fort Worth Theatre, Teatro Dallas. She has produced cultural events for seven years in Texas and New York showcasing top artists in music, poetry, film and theater. Claudia was script developer for Scenarios USA’s 'Man in the Mirror' directed by Joel Schumacher. Claudia's first play 'Girlie Stories' is now published in the anthology 'Taboo Theater: Sex and Violence on Stage' (Cognella). Claudia has served after-school programs, public schools, colleges, universities, safe houses, homeless shelters, and the prison at Riker's Island with Shadow Box Theater, White Bird Productions, The Public Theater’s Shakespeare Initiative and Creative Arts Team of CUNY.

When asked if she misses her DFW stage roots, Ms. Acosta replys, “The people will always bring me back to DFW. When you grow with a community, it never leaves you. The amazing artists, performers, writers, directors in my families from Artes de la Rosa, Hip Pocket Theater, Fort Worth Theater, PAFW, Teatro Dallas, Cara Mia Theater Company all made me who I am today. We have such great memories creating theater in DFW that there is no question if I should continue making more. I am very lucky to have expanded my professional and personal creative community in New York. New York may have a chunk of my heart, but I will always come home to my incredible inspirational arts family living in Dallas-Fort Worth. I am blessed.”

Artes de la Rosa’s Director of Education Yvonne Duque directs the regional premiere of Electricidad.

About ELECTRICIDAD
Driven by love, loyalty, hate and vengeance, Electricidad keeps a 24 hour vigil by her father's side and dominates this contemporary look at the power and consequences of revenge. Using the East L.A. barrios as the backdrop for the Electra myth, this modern twist on the Greek tragedy thrusts you into fits of laughter and catches your breath in moments of unimaginable sorrow. This award-winning adaptation by Luis Alfaro, of the Sophoclean tragedy, is evidenced by his use here of Greek roots, Latino soil, and timeless psychological themes of revenge, obsession, and self-destruction.

TICKET INFORMATION
ELECTRICIDAD opens Friday March 9th and plays Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sunday Matinees at 2:30 pm through Sunday March 25th. Tickets are $25 for Opening Night, which includes Private VIP After Party with the cast, $18 for adults and $15 for students and seniors for all other evening performances, matinee prices are $15 and $10 respectively. For tickets or more information, call the Rose Marine Theater Box Office at (817) 624-8333. Special ticket prices are available for groups of 10 or more. Tickets can be purchased online at www.artesdelarosa.org.

About Artes de la Rosa at the Rose Marine Theater
Artes de la Rosa is dedicated to preserving, promoting, and interpreting the art,
lives, and history of Latino culture for all.
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ON THE JOURNEY: 26 Miles is coming to a close...

If feels like the show just opened and here we are going into closing weekend! The excitement of Opening Night was incredible! We were ready & the response from the audience was thrilling. It's what we, as actors, work towards during rehearsals. We enjoy creating characters with a message & visual experience that will speak to the people sitting in the seats of the theatre, "sharing the human experience."

I sound very idealistic, but I am! I want people in those seats to enjoy a night of "live" acting & theatre, to forget for a brief moment, our daily worries & "see" first hand how others relate in similar ways to similar situations & revel in the fact that we are all connected in the same way we live, love, hurt, joy &... Fill in any word here about what it means to be a person with natural emotions. - To express another human's (the playwright, director & designer's) experience in this life on this place we call home!

That is why I can say the next two nights after Opening Night - I was sad! Our audiences were small in number. Yes, I can be grateful that people came & that should satisfy me, at least our message was heard, BUT it didn't. I selfishly wanted full houses for the following performances! I needed that energy to feed off. I needed people to hear me!

That is sometimes our dilemma, filling those seats, most especially when we have busy schedules with our family & friends & on top of that the Holiday season! It takes planning & effort to peel away from what we need to do & then there are the other elements we have to compete with like TV & the movies. Big spectacles that we most likely can't reproduce on stage unless you saw the 70 million dollar Spiderman on Broadway, which I did, but that's another story.

I think to myself what do I need to do to help bring in bodies to those seats? I invite my Friends & Family & most come, but what can I say to YOU, friendly Stranger, to encourage you to be here the next few performances/weekends or even for the next show at Rose Marine Theatre/Artes de la Rosa?

I was in New York when September 11th happened. And, in fact, in the middle of rehearsals for a show & when Opening Night came, we worried if we would have an audience. We were all in mourning. And who could ask people to come see a show at that time. But we did and we had an Audience! People came in droves to each performance! They needed to escape their sadness and reconnect to what we almost lost and did lose. They came to see theatre!

I encourage you to come see US, come see Theatre at its best! Come escape!

What else do I need to tell you to encourage you? Do I need to get on my knees?! Do I need to tell you a little more about myself so you can “see” why I do this? I am a recent Breast Cancer survivor; I have not been on the stage for a while because I was recovering AND going through a lot of other things, like a divorce, loss of a home, leaving New York, loss of my life as I knew it… and the only thing I wanted to do was to get back on stage, get back to my passion of sharing LIFE! That is what it means TO ACT for me… SHARING LIFE!

So here is my challenge to you… For those of you who may not want to spend the money during these times, I will gladly take some of my Christmas money and spend it on YOU as a MY GIFT TO YOU! Buy your tickets online at www.artesdelarosa.org and use the discount code DEANNA and I will pay $4 dollars of your ticket! THERE IS NO LIMIT to this if 150 of you want to come, I'll be paying $4 off each of your tickets!

That's my gift to you! Everyone deserves to see this amazing show at Rose Marine Theatre... I DARE YOU! Please come! We need YOU there! Come escape with us! it's a wonderful drive!

DeAnna Gonzales*
Actress
26 Miles
Artes de la Rosa

ON THE JOURNEY - 26 Miles; So Long Sabbatical

After a weeklong “sabbatical” from rehearsal, I am eager to get back to our "play" world. I missed it. As actors, directors & designers, I realize how close the cast becomes while "working" on a play. For the actor, it's about how individually close we become to our character's journey, story & words. There becomes a need to see them, to be with them rehearsal after rehearsal... To keep working towards our goal, as theatre artists, to enliven the words, characters & relationships on the page into a visual story that needs to be heard & shared. Our short break made that longing unbearable! We return to our work on Sunday & I just think about how exciting it will be to see everyone in the cast, to hear what new things we each have discovered or polished while we were away! What new elements for the play our Director has to share with us! After all, that is what theatre is about! Coming together to share our experiences & stories as human beings in a tangible way. We are on the precipice of achieving that goal for our audience & that is the most exciting part. Our lines are learned, our blocking studied & now our remaining rehearsals are about putting the last puzzle pieces together...

I can't wait!!

-DeAnna Gonzales
Actress, 26 Miles

On The Journey - 26 Miles; BREAK TIME

This blog is written at the beginning of an entire week off from rehearsals. While not completely unheard of (particularly as we approach the busy holiday season), I am not used to having such a large block of time of in the middle of the rehearsal process. It would be far too easy to relax, enjoy the extra free time in the evenings, and lose focus on the show. And that would be tragic.

Fortunately, the break is well-timed. We have already done the initial character work, the rough blocking, and a stumble through- the bones of the show are in place. We are not yet in the crunch time of tech week, where the acting has to be locked in to accommodate lighting, sound, and other production elements.

It is nice to let the show percolate in my head for awhile. Sometimes in rehearsal, when i am on stage and in the moment, it is hard to take a step back and look at the larger picture. Rather than trying to remember which line was supposed to cue a cross or deciding what inflection should be placed on a phrase, I can look at the grander themes of the show and its imagery- how individual scenes and/or characters support the overall goals of the production.

It is a great cast and I am enjoying working with everyone. Each actor brings a unique perspective, great talent, great motivation, and a willingness to provide input to develop the show. I find it hard to lock in a charcter or a scene early in the rehearsal process, because so much depends on the other actors around you. At this point, however, I am comfortable with each of them and so I am confident in the direction that the show is going and in how I need to go in order to best support the show.

And the good news is that there is still time to further develop each character and each scene. There is little worse than realizing late in the rehearsal process that something on stage doesn't work or could be done better, only to conclude that nothing can be done about it because there isn't enough rehearsal time left to address it and fix it.

Rather than look at this week as a vacation from the show, then, I am looking forward to being able organize and refocus all of the thoughts from the work of the last couple of weeks. As I am confident that the rest of the cast is doing the same, I am excited to see how the show has progressed and matured even in the absence of a formal rehearsal. I think that it will be amazing!

-David Johnson
Actor

26 Miles - On the Journey; A Family of Friends

As I ready myself for the eleventh rehearsal for 26 Miles, I have to take the time to smile at how different my character and I are. But also the similarities we share. But now I'm starting to see the similarities in how I connect with my fellow cast mates, and how my character Olivia is connects to the casts characters.

In rehearsals, I have take into account that I am the baby of the cast. In my character Olivia’s life, she is babied by her father, Aaron. The gentleman playing my father is David Johnson, who I’ve done shows with since I was quite young. So I almost do see David Johnson as a father figure. Playing his daughter isn’t so tough, and we had a parent-child connection faster than I thought we would. Oddly enough, in other shows we’ve performed in, we never played family members. So, now I’m glad to share the stage with such a talented actor like David, while playing his daughter.

I had only worked with DeAnna Gonzales once, and it was earlier in the year. I had never performed or even auditioned with her before. I stage managed The V-Monologues at Artes De La Rosa, and she performed the monologue “I was in the room." So the only connection I had with her, was mostly when I was telling her she had 5 minutes before she went on stage. Short, and small connections. I had only heard of how wonderful it was to work with her, on stage. In a way, this represents her character, Beatriz’s relationship with my character, Olivia. Beatriz is Olivia’s mom, but lost custody of her when Olivia was very young. They only had short, and small meetings after the custody battle. Suddenly, DeAnna auditions the same night I do for 26 Miles. We connect quickly, read well together, and chat the night away. Suddenly, Beatriz suddenly shows up at Olivia’s house at 4am, and takes her on a spontaneous trip across the nation. The two characters connect, and quickly want to know what they’ve missed out on. Now that I’m in this show with DeAnna, I find myself close to her, as if she is one of my long lost family members.

The newest connection in my life, and Olivia’s life, is Carlos Iruegas. Carlos plays the part of Manuel Torres, the boyfriend of Beatriz. Olivia has only seen him a few times, and has known him the shortest amount of time. I’ve only known Carlos for a couple of months, after seeing him play the role of the lawyer in A View From The Bridge. (another ADLR show, produced back in September). In 26 Miles, Olivia and Manuel share an unexpected friendship, and both have something to relate to; Beatriz. Both Carlos and I are going to the same college (Tarrant County College) and sometimes find ourselves running lines in between classes. I feel at times that Carlos and I have developed a brother and sister relationship.

So here we are. A family. I see rehearsals almost as family dinners sometimes. Having only three other cast mates with me in the show, we can get a little intimate. We all share personal stories, a lot of laughs, and a lot of support for each other. I feel like I’m with my second family. I have love for each family member, including our director Adam Adolfo. Even if we do sometimes drive each other crazy.

-Georgia Marshelle Phillips
The Baby Gringa

26 Miles - On the Journey; The Power of an Intimate Family

I've done dramas, comedies and musicals; I've been in casts ranging in size from small, medium, and very large. But with only four actors, this is the smallest cast that I have ever been part of! While there is something majestic and awesome about seeing a cast of dozens executing choreography in perfect synchronization, there is something intimate yet powerful about a small, tight knit cast. And this is what excites me about the upcoming production of 26 Miles by Quiara Alegria Hudes having its Fort Worth Premiere at Artes de la Rosa Cultural Center for the Arts.

It has been noted by others before me that 26 Miles is a story about journeys, families, identity, and belonging. Ironically, the same can be said of theater productions themselves. The actors each have a role to play - it must be authentic on an individual level but still fit within the overall fabric of the play; And through the journey of the rehearsal process, the actors become a family, even if only within the limited context of the show.

The nice thing about such an intimate cast is that time can be spent developing relationships between actors first, which then flows naturally into relationships between the actors' characters. This is a luxury not afforded to larger casts, where more time must go to crowd management - the shear effort required to keep so many elements in motion.

Even after only a few rehearsals, I think that this cast is becoming increasingly comfortable with each other. I am excited to see this projected onto the stage in the coming weeks. The audience will experience the onstage journey (and I think they will be rewarded for coming with us on that journey), but the cast and crew get the additional satisfaction of the joy of journey that is the production itself.

And this is shaping up to be a good one!