¡Ay, Jesús! Oh, Jesus!

WELCOME TO MY BLOG

the making of THE RED ROSE - 2002-2005

¡Ay, Jesús! Oh, Jesus!

Part 2 of 3 

Take a moment to read my previous blog so you can quickly understand how we got here! Nearly 20 years had passed since I was introduced to the lives, times and literary works of Jesús Colón. 

By 2002, Pregones Theater had settled in our new home on Walton Avenue.The main building that would become the main theater three years later was nowhere near inhabitable. But we had the house next to it. A three-story white house that, for lack of a better name, we called La Casa Blanca/The White House. It felt good to have our own White House! 

We moved quickly to transform its living room and kitchen into a performing studio with 30 seats, a small stage, a tiny bar area that doubled as tiny booth and tiny box office. The tiny console lit up all of three lighting instruments. We covered the windows with set pieces from one of our productions, painted the walls in bright colors and voilà! We had a new performing space! Time to program for our new stage at the Casa Blanca. 

Jesús Colón (1901–1974) 

Without reason to wait any longer, I set out to share with Jorge and Desmar copies of stories, poems and articles published by and about Jesús Colón. It was time to call my compadre Roberto and share the good news: the seed planted 20 years earlier was finally going to bear fruit. I reached his wife, my comadre Nelly Rivera Marrero first. I could feel her grin over the phone when she said ' please tell me you are including Little Things Are Big!'. Yes! I almost screamed. We were both elated. This was the story that moved me the most, the one I could not do without. And the one she had insisted I read first two decades earlier.  


But, the more I searched the more I found and the more I found the immensity of the  very complicated times of the 1930's-1960's began to overwhelm me. I kept reminding myself that the big goal was to create a full ensemble musical based on adaptations of Jesús Colón's works. The research had begun, not only by reading his books but by searching details about his life at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies. I still did not have the story.

Jorge B. Merced, Actor

This is when working collectively comes in handy. It soon became clear that the best way to discover the story was by structuring the creation of the musical of my dreams in production phases. We decided to focus our attention on a sample collection of Jesús Colón's stories and poems.  Slowly, elements of his style, humor, politics and enigma began to emerge. We 'met' the man through his writings. The big dream of a large musical play took a detour. Instead, it would become a two-man show...for now:  JORGE MERCED, Actor;and DESMAR GUEVARA, Composer/Musician would be on stage, charged with delivering a brand new Pregones' piece through performance and music.

Desmar Guevara, Composer

ALVAN COLON-LESPIER would direct while I worked on the adaptations of the material. I couldn't dream of a better team. REGINA GARCIA worked her magic by creating a simple runway that connected the stage with the other end of the Casa Blanca, with the audience seating on each side of the platform. 

Alvan Colón Lespier, Director

I retreated to create the script--in Puerto Rico. In addition to the stories, I had obtained recordings of the actual 1959 HUAC hearing in which JC was called to testify.  There was something about that period that I sensed was important, although how much would not be truly discovered until two years later.

One very dry day - creatively speaking - I sighed and blurted: "¡Ay, Jesús!" Bingo! I had landed on the title for this first round:  ¡Ay, Jesús! Oh, Jesus!

Regina Garcia, Designer

Jorge and Desmar worked fiercely to perform the collection: Stowaway, I Heard a Man Crying, Little Things Are Big and many others. Alvan led with his usual steady hand. I relished in that first banquet that would lead us all to The Red Rose. Our tribute to one of the most influential Puerto Rican immigrants in NYC in the first part of the 20th Century, was now a reality.

Next week: World Premiere (2005)

    THE RED ROSE     
                                          Part 3 of 3                                      

Photos: Erika Rojas, Marisol Diaz

The making of THE RED ROSE

WELCOME TO MY BLOG

THE RED ROSE - the early years
Segment 1 of 3

It all began around 1982, with a challenge by a friend who would become my compadre two years later. 

One evening, at a gathering with his family, he propped a book on the dinner table and said: "here is a play you have to make".  Frankly, if I was to be paid a dollar for each time someone tells me that, my retirement fund would look much better. Alvan- my then-boy friend-now-husband and colleague- and I looked at each other. 

I think I said something like: "really?" He pressed on. "Have you ever read Jesús Colón's stories? " I couldn't say I had, as it would have been obvious I was bluffing. I didn't even know who Jesús Colón was. And the book didn't look like a play. The title of the book was "The Way We Were and Other Writings". It was a small book (whew!). And then the elevator speech: "this is a collection of stories written by a Puerto Rican immigrant during the 1920s" It is the first account of the Puerto Rican migration written in English by one of us". Blink blink. That worked. He gave me the book to take home. And as I rode the #1 uptown train, I began to read. 


It is hard at times when friends approach me with an idea for a play. If I don't plan to do anything with it, I try to let them know as soon as possible. I also warn  them that if I like the idea, it might take years before they will see it realized, if at all. But that is now. This was 1983, and my ideas were young, and in many ways, new - at least for me. My fascination with turning non dramatic texts into plays and deconstructing existing plays was there. But my own process was not quite there yet. Pregones Theater was about five years old, and we were everywhere. 

I told my future compadre that I had loved the stories, which was true. And then...I put the book aside. It isn't that I didn't think the book had dramatic potential. But other projects were lined up, lots of traveling, the building of our first theater at St. Ann's Church, and on and on.

Before I knew it, it was almost Year 2000. A new century before us. Over the years, and without any deadline in mind, I had become familiar with Jesús Colón. I had bought a second book of his: "A Puerto Rican In New York and Other Sketches". To my surprise, the photos on the front and back covers of the edition were of a street event in front of what was then Teatro 4 on 104th Street in East Harlem. We had partnered with Teatro 4 quite a bit in the early 80s, and had performed at that street event. Blink blink. I wondered... maybe it would make sense to...I quietly began to read both books again with fresh eyes. Alvan did the same. 

2000 - New century, new space, new everything!

In 2000 Pregones Theater moved to what would be our permanent home, even if that home would take 5 years to become a reality. A set of buildings on Walton Avenue in The Bronx provided the perfect setting for us. The largest building would be transformed into a theater and since we were far from ready for it, we turned a white house adjacent to it into a performance studio that sat all of 30 people in it! The house was white, so we baptized it La Casa Blanca. And we began to program, to create chamber theater pieces that would play well in its tiny stage.

Alvan Colón Lespier

I can't remember the moment when I decided to work with Jesús Colón's stories. But I do remember the first story I was committed to: "Little Things Are Big". Alvan and I both loved the idea. He wanted to be involved. Next thing I knew, I was photocopying the story and sharing it with creative partners Jorge Merced and Desmar Guevara. I was ready. It was time to make that phone call to the Center for Puerto Rican Studies. Because there was a lot I did not know yet. Gracias compadre Roberto Marrero. Ay, Jesús!

Little Things Are Big by Jesús Colón; an excerpt:

What would I do if she let out a scream as I offered my help?It was a long minute. I passed on by her as if I saw nothing. As if I was insensitive to her need. Like a rude animal, I just moved on, half running by the long subway platform, leaving the children and the valise and her with the baby in her arm. I took the steps of the long concrete stairs in twos until I reached the street above and the cold air slapped my warm face. This is what racism...and prejudice...can do to people...and to a nation!

2003-2005 - Next Monday! Next Blog!

Jorge Merced in "Ay Jesús! Oh Jesus!"