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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.
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.
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.
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.
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| Jesús Colón (1901–1974) |
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.
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| 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.
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| Alvan Colón Lespier, Director |
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!
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| Regina Garcia, Designer |
Next week: World Premiere (2005)
THE RED ROSE
Part 3 of 3
Part 3 of 3
