The Birth of an Art Form in Costa Rica

The truth is, it’s hard to be an artist in my country, Costa Rica. It deeply saddens me that people do not appreciate the beauty and complexity of what it means for us artists to share our work. The arts are looked down upon, especially “modern” performing arts like Musical Theatre. The lack of interest for the arts in Costa Rica has made my development as a Musical Theatre artist particularly challenging. As a result of this, I have found myself feeling deeply frustrated, seeking performing opportunities without being able to find any. I’ve always known I wanted to change this about my country’s culture, but I wasn’t thinking about that when I decided, with a friend, to direct and produce the first production of “Les Misérables” at a national level. My mindset while taking on this massive project was: It will be hard, but, if you cannot find opportunities, you have to create them yourself.

After our school helped us obtain the rights to perform the show, we received over 200 auditions from all over the country. After callbacks, we narrowed down to 35 actors from 20 public and private institutions from all socioeconomic sectors. Besides being the Artistic Director and funding my own production company “Crescendo Producciones,” I assumed numerous roles that ranged from lighting design to performing the role of Éponine. Rehearsals were exhausting. Since people came from all over the country, we could only have a single 9hour rehearsal every Saturday for 8 months.

The show was a massive success. Even though we started getting unprecedented attention from the newspapers and media, the biggest outcome from my perspective, was how a culture of love and acceptance for young Musical Theatre artists emerged out of people who felt misunderstood, including myself, by finding a common passion. These young artists, who I now proudly call my family, will not have to go through the same frustration as I did, and that fills me with joy. I’m not only beyond satisfied with the final outcome, but extremely thankful for how much I grew as a person. Despite the intensity of the process, this experience allowed to me understand that regardless of any situation, if there is enough passion and dedication for what you love, anything is possible.

I feel honored to have served as a medium in the development journey of Musical Theatre in Costa Rica. In an attempt to strive for what I love, an opportunity was created for many. My previously acquired knowledge through education allowed me to communicate this art form I fell in love with a long time ago.

http://www.nacion.com/ocio/teatro/adolescentes-cumplen-estrenar-musical-miserables_0_1623037764.html 

https://www.ameliarueda.com/nota/colegialas-abrirse-camino-teatro-musical-les-miserables

https://www.larepublica.net/noticia/jovenes-dan-vida-a-obra-les-miserables

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Les-Miserables-cobra-vida-en-producci-n-intercolegial.html?soid=1109546419319&aid=NlcumGkk0cc