So, why did you focus particularly on Latine theatre?
José Luis: Really my function was a necessity to vary. I’m from Mexico City, Mexico. I had no thought concerning the stereotypes of Mexicans that existed within the United States.
Nidia: Yeah. Mexico City is a big, attractive, very worldwide place.
José Luis: Yeah. So, that was actually my imaginative and prescient. We have to vary the notion. We have to actually speak to the group about what the problems are. Our firm solely does theatre that displays the United States Latinx expertise. We wish to elevate that dialogue and nurture the Latino expertise within the United States. I like Latino theatre. It’s our mission as an organization; it is my mission as a director.
Nidia: Yeah. I really feel like Los Angeles/Chicano tradition is so influential to Latine tradition in the remainder of the United States for certain. I believe it is at all times going to be that manner, such a power, and such an essential voice in America.
José Luis: To me, specificity is so essential within the artwork world. We should know who we’re speaking to as artists.
Nidia: Who have been your mentors?
José Luis: Well, I need to say I’ve a whole lot of mentors. I believe Jorge Huerta was a giant affect within the theatre for me. But throughout the Chicano theatre motion, lots of people from around the globe got here and have been with us and directed us, gave us workshops and educated us. People like Enrique Buenaventura, Santiago Garcia from Colombia, Mariano Leyva from Los Mascarones from Mexico, Luis Valdez, Peter Brook. We had a whole lot of affect from nice Latin American theatre.
But now, how I met my mentor, Stein Winge, who was my actual mentor for forty years, and who I nonetheless speak to no less than as soon as a month… When I used to be fifteen years outdated and I used to be dwelling in a bit of city in Mexico, the tarot playing cards have been learn to me, they usually instructed me a whole lot of issues which have come true. One of the issues that they instructed me was that I used to be going to satisfy this man and his identify was going to be Stein and mentioned that he was going to be a vital particular person in my life. So, I used to be employed on the LATC first as an accountant.
Nidia: Did you really know easy methods to do accounting, or did you simply say you have been an awesome accountant?
José Luis: I’ve an awesome thoughts for math. In El Teatro de la Esperanza, we did the accounting, the productions, the costumes, the whole lot. So we discovered issues.
I used to be working on the LATC after which doing my theatre work at evening within the rehearsal rooms. They allowed me to do a studying of La Victima they usually appreciated the play, in order that they produced it. So I used to be directing La Victima, and I went to ask the place the producer was, and somebody mentioned, “Oh, she went to select up Stein on the airport.” And I’m going, “Oh wow, that is the person who’s going to be essential to me.”
I had no thought who he was or what he was coming to do. I went to his workplace and I mentioned, “You do not know me and I do not know you however you are alleged to be a vital man in my life. So right here I’m. I’m José Luis”
Nidia: Yes, I like that!
When I take into consideration folks that I take into account to be my mentors, it goes far past simply being an individual you look as much as who’s educating you or taking you beneath their wing within the occupation.
José Luis: He was right here to direct Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters and I mentioned, “I can simply sit in your rehearsal. I can carry you espresso. I can do no matter.” And he says, “No, no, I do not want help.” Somehow we went to a celebration collectively, we drank, and he mentioned, “Yeah, why do not you come over and we will begin one thing?” That started my course of with him.
He got here again and did a play known as Barabbas, and after that he mentioned he was going to Europe and wished to know if I might go. He did not have any cash to pay me, so he requested the forged if they’d assist me purchase my aircraft ticket. They all put cash in, they usually purchased my aircraft ticket. And I instructed my spouse, “I’m going to be gone for six weeks, and let’s attempt to determine it out.”
Nine years after that, he was capable of finding the manufacturing firm to rent me. We did every kind of operas and performs in Europe for a lot of, a few years. I might direct in LA on the LATC, after which for a couple of months I might go and help him wherever on the earth that he wished me to be. He would come to my rehearsals and provides me notes. I might go to his rehearsal and provides him notes.
We had an awesome relationship, a gorgeous relationship, and we nonetheless do. He’s outdated now and fragile, however I nonetheless name him as soon as a month no less than to see how he is doing and discuss theatre and our desires or what we needs to be doing.
Nidia: The manner you discuss your relationship together with your mentor resonates with me. When I take into consideration folks that I take into account to be my mentors, it goes far past simply being an individual you look as much as who’s educating you or taking you beneath their wing within the occupation. You develop into mates and collaborators as nicely. It grows into way more of an change of concepts and ideas and steering. I believe that is what a mentor is supposed to be.
José Luis: Yeah, and it is a lifetime mentorship. What occurs with a mentor is that they develop as a lot as you do. They continue to grow. You must sustain.
Nidia: That’s superb.
José Luis: Something actually essential is that I do not need folks to suppose that it is me who did all of this. It’s not. It’s the Latino Theater Company that has actually helped me to be right here. We’ve been collectively for thirty-seven years, the identical group of individuals. All this development that I’m speaking about, it’s not myself doing it. It is Latino Theater Company transferring ahead as an organization. I occur to be the face of it.
Ensembles will be the way forward for the American theatre. The Chicano theatre motion was actually a motion of ensemble theatre corporations starting with El Teatro Campesino, El Teatro de la Esperanza, El Teatro de la Gente, Su Teatro, and on.
I like the Latinx Theatre Commons as a result of it’s an enormous ensemble of artists who’re making an attempt to work for the way forward for Latino theatre. This is what the Commons means. It’s a collective group of individuals in profit of an entire group of artists and an entire group who wants theatre. This thought is what creates a motion; it is what creates historical past. In an ensemble, it is not about you. It’s about the good thing about the opposite. It’s about the good thing about the entire. That’s what I really feel the Commons is about: all people’s profit.
Movements are difficult and tough. That’s why they’re actions, as a result of they maintain evolving. You have to grasp the Chicano theatre motion is a response to the American theatre that doesn’t acknowledge us or keep in mind who we’re traditionally. We should make our alternatives, our personal work. Theatre is a dialogue together with your group. That’s the explanation we do it: to have a dialogue with our group, with our folks, and with the viewers, whoever they’re.
People say, “Well, we’re not going to present cash to the humanities. We’re going to present cash to social justice.” I say, “That’s what we do.”
The objective is to not mould our work to suit into what’s historically acknowledged because the American theatrical canon, however for our work to be acknowledged as equally essential and important to the ecology of our subject.
Nidia: Yeah. Theatre is significant to social change.
José Luis: That’s proper.
Nidia: It’s all about humanity and group.
José Luis: It’s precisely about it. We are observers of human conduct.
Nidia: I completely agree. We’re speaking about how a lot power goes into working in Latine theatre. The objective is to not mould our work to suit into what’s historically acknowledged because the American theatrical canon, however for our work to be acknowledged as equally essential and important to the ecology of our subject.
This work in advocacy has been occurring for many years, however that takes power. How do you steadiness working for change whereas preserving your power?
José Luis: Our objective has by no means been to be acknowledged by the American theatre. That’s an excessive amount of power. We haven’t got time for that.
Nidia: Yeah, I hear that. Let’s simply make our work.
José Luis: Yeah. We do our work and other people say, “Well, that is a really LA play.” It’s okay, that is our group. I believe we communicate to many different communities, however it’s not essentially our objective. And it’s not our objective to please or to pander to folks to provide our work.