Showing posts with label Latina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Latina. Show all posts

Sunday, February 18, 2018

2/17/18

I spent today with the lovely Jess Mies. I love her a lot. Anytime I see her it's always so refreshing. That's the great thing about best friends. I'm so blessed to have her. We exchanged gifts and ate some delicious sushi and I bought a concert ticket. And she made it home safe in the snow. Twas a successful day.

Oh yeah I BOUGHT A TICKET I'M GOING TO SEE TODRICK HALL AT THE FILLMORE IN DTSS IN APRIL I'M SO EXCITED

I went to see La Foto at GALA theatre. It was a brilliant show. Seeing shows about Latinos written by Latinos makes so much of a difference. 'Cause they just GET IT. And then having them perform it and seeing what is essentially your family on stage, ugh, it feels so great. Like you've never met these people but they're just like the people you know. And they play it so well because they have people they know who are just like that. It was great. And easily accessible. And a wonderful time. And I got to go with Jake - sort of an unintentional birthday present. I like seeing theatre with him because we get to actually talk about it and expand on it. I like seeing him in general honestly, he's always so great to talk to and he gets so passionate about whatever it is that comes up. I've always really enjoyed his energy and just getting to spend time with him. Merp. I'm a mess. Tonight was great.

Sunday, January 28, 2018

On Your Feet

I am in love with this musical.

I think as an actor, I always liked stories. And I liked that I got to be a part of stories. I actually really enjoy character research. Plays are a motivation for me to learn about different people in different places at different times. I may have absolutely nothing in common with these characters, but that doesn't mean I can't portray them. For the little bit that I'm onstage, I can be them. I get to know all about them. I can play pretend (professionally! hehe). It's why I love theatre so much. Someone else has a story to tell. And they think it's so important that it isn't just something they talk about, but they dedicate years to writing and refining it and sharing it with everyone. And if I'm lucky, I get to help them tell their stories. Stories that a girl like me would never know about otherwise.

Tonight, I saw a room full of people watch a story about people like me. And that's why representation matters. Because the stories of the people who came from Cuba wanting a better life are normal for me. The fast talking, dancing, food loving, family centered life of a Latina is not new to me. It's a story I know. But so so so many people never get to hear or see that story because stories like that are rarely popular. But tonight it was. People stepped into that world and I didn't feel like I was learning something new but like I was watching something already so close to my heart.

On top of that, I LOVE Gloria Estefan. My mom adores her and we've been fans as long as I can remember. Gloria Estefan is my mom's age. Her daughter has the exact same birthday as me. I found that out in middle school when I decided to do a project on her and learn everything I could about her. So, once again, the story was just a bunch of historical facts that I already knew. But I felt so much pride knowing that other people cared enough to learn about her, too. I think she deserves for the world to know and love her. She made a difference for her community through her music, and I'm so happy that this will inspire people to see that side of her.

I knew all the songs. I wanted to dance through the whole show. My heart was overwhelmed with pride. It felt like a concert. I don't think I only want to tell stories about things that I relate to. I think, as an actor, I NEED to be challenged and play roles that are outside my demographics. But I can never express my gratitude for the people who believe that stories from my people are worth sharing.

I don't know what I'll do if I can't act. There's no feeling in the world like it. Nights like tonight remind me that this is the only thing I want to do with my life.