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Ritz Theatre Company's Production of 'La Gringa' Broaches Life On the Periphery of a Culture
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Today’s episode hits extra close to home for host Gina Marie Rodriguez. As a member of the Puerto Rican diaspora who often feels neither here nor there, she says she is honored to get the chance to speak with the director and cast of the Ritz Theatre’s production of “La Gringa.”
La Gringa, written by Carmen Rivera, is the story of a young woman’s search for her identity. Maria Elena Garcia goes to visit her family in Puerto Rico during the Christmas holidays and arrives with plans to connect with her homeland. Although this is her first trip to Puerto Rico, she has had an intense love for the island, and even majored in Puerto Rican Studies in college. Once Maria is in Puerto Rico, she realizes that Puerto Rico does not welcome her with open arms.
Recording this episode while in Puerto Rico herself, on location for a short film with a very similar theme, this interview is special to Rodriguez. Culture should not be gatekept. This is a story of reclamation.
Stay tuned to hear from the cast and creative behind “La Gringa.”
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Why This Story Hits Home
Gina Marie RodriguezThis is Gina Marie Rodriguez, and you're listening to the Jersey Arts podcast. Today's episode hits extra close to home for me. As a member of the Puerto Rican diaspora who often feels neither here nor there, I'm honored to get the chance to speak with the director and the cast of the Ritz Theater Company's production of La Gringa. La Gringa, written by Carmen Rivera, is the story of a young woman's search for her identity. Maria Elena Garcia goes to visit her family in Puerto Rico during the Christmas holidays and arrives with plans to connect with her homeland. Although this is her first trip to Puerto Rico, she's had an intense love for the island and even majored in Puerto Rican studies in college. But once Maria is in Puerto Rico, she realizes that Puerto Rico does not welcome her with open arms. Now I happen to be recording this episode while in Puerto Rico myself. I'm on location for a short film with a very similar theme. So this interview is very special to me. Culture should not be gatekeeped. This is the story of reclamation. So stay tuned to hear from the cast and creative behind La Gringa.
Meet The Director And Cast
Sylvia DarpinoMy name is Sylvia Darpino. I am Norma Burgos in La Gringa. Thanks for having us.
Emily ColónI'm Emily Colón. I'm Maria Elena Garcia in La Gringa. Hi.
Rico SantiagoHey everybody, I'm Rico Santiago. I am the director of La Gringa, and I'm excited to be here.
Gina Marie RodriguezI'm so excited to meet all of you, and I am really, really happy to talk about this show because I find it personally relatable. I am half Puerto Rican and half Italian and always feeling kind of othered. So I really relate to La Gringa's story. And I'm excited if one of you could help me, I don't know, just break down the story, if you could provide a synopsis or just a generalized idea of what audiences can expect from this piece.
The Plot And Family Tensions
Gina Marie RodriguezMaybe, maybe I'll ask Rico since you're the director.
Rico SantiagoOkay. Well, the story of La Gringa is about a uh young Puerto Rican woman uh named Maria who comes to Puerto Rico uh over the holidays, is going to be there for Christmas into uh Three Kings for two weeks. She's coming to Puerto Rico to discover her life as a Puerto Rican, to discover her roots and to really be uh engulfed in her heritage and in her culture. And when she gets there, she's not greeted as she thought she would be as a Puerto Rican. They look to her as an American. So there's a bit of resentment from each side. There's uh a little internal struggle here and there, and there's an uncle who thinks everyone's being ridiculous and everyone needs to come together. So that's pretty much how it is in a nutshell. Also, Maria's mother and Norma, the aunt, uh, haven't spoken to each other in many, many, many, many years. So there's a resentment between the aunt and Maria where she sees her sister in her. There's a little love thing going on here. So there's a little, there's a little bit of something for everybody. I think um just the journey itself and anyone of Puerto Rican descent, like myself and uh like the cast members who were born on the mainland, you know, we totally, totally get this show on such a personal level. But uh it's been a great time.
Gina Marie RodriguezI did want to ask you that. So each of you is of Puerto Rican descent, but all were born on the mainland.
Rico SantiagoCorrect. Uh we are one cast member is uh Mexican, and but he was born here, and uh he's a phenomenal actor as well. So, but we have uh I've never been surrounded with so many Puerto Ricans in a show in my life. So to me, this has just been an absolute dream come true.
Gina Marie RodriguezAbsolutely. I'm excited about that and maybe a little bit jealous, but that's fine. We won't talk about that.
Finding The Play And Choosing English
Gina Marie RodriguezI wanna say I'm curious because we had mentioned early before before I started recording, we mentioned that the show actually premiered in Spanish. So I want to talk to you about the English translation that you'll be performing. And uh, you know what? I don't know if it's fair to call it a translation. I don't know if the author wrote it um in both languages initially, but I'm curious if you had ever come across this play before or in this performance, in this production, is this your first association with the show?
Rico SantiagoUh yes, I've never seen the show. I during COVID, I wanted to, I during COVID, I took a look, a really long look inner in my inner self about where I wanted to be in in the arts and what purpose was I serving for the community. And I found myself saying to myself, I'm being selfish. I knew that I'm a white passing Puerto Rican. And I knew that I was always going to get parts in shows and things that other dark-skinned, uh uh darker skinned Latinos, like Latinx people weren't going to get. And I used that privilege to do things for myself. And during COVID, I really became became very introspective about where we are because all we had to do was sit with our thoughts. And I really wanted to make a point of bringing not just uh Latinx shows to people, but having actors in our community come and know that it can do any show. It doesn't matter, it doesn't have to be a Latinx show, it can be any show, and that was like my main focus coming out of it. So that's where I was introduced to La Gringa. I just typed in the Google search, Latinx uh playwrights, Puerto Rican, specifically Puerto Rican, and and then I went into like Puerto Rican female playwrights, and then this came up, and I started reading through it. I ordered it on Amazon, I read the script, I read it like three times in a row, I laughed, I teared up, and it felt so personal that I knew I had to do it. So when Matt and Bruce from the Rets asked what play would I be uh would like to do, because I'm always doing musicals, so take a break, do a play, and I said this immediately. It was the first one. And Matt was very, very adamant, like saying to me, just because you're Puerto Rican, don't think you have to do a play like that, you know, for and I said, No, no, no. This is what I want to do. We need to do this. And uh really it has been it's it's been wonderful the the process so far. Amazing actors, everyone's so because we all live this experience, I I think it adds that extra closeness to everyone in the cast because we all relate to each other so well. Um and I'm happy that I could just be a small part of it. But the the playwright Carmen Rivera is phenomenal. But I've never seen the show, I was just going in blind, and I knew the show was in Spanish, you know, so I got the Spanish script first, because that's what I did. Uh um, so I wanted to be ambitious at first and do the show in Spanish, but finding six actors in the area that were very fluent in Spanish would would be proven to be a little bit difficult. Uh not that we couldn't do it, it was just gonna be a little bit difficult, and uh so we opted for the English version. Um I was talked out of that, thankfully. Uh we opted for the English version, but everyone we had a rehearsal last night where we just went over songs in Spanish and words in Spanish, and we just sat in a circle, and that's how this cast is. Everyone's got everyone's back here, and it's just it's when I say family, it's not a cliche. Like everyone is like this. This is what this show is all about at the heart of it. So it's a little something for everybody.
Gina Marie RodriguezRemember how I said I was jealous like two seconds ago? Yeah, it's gotten worse now. See the show every night, you'll be with us. Exactly. I so Emily, can I ask you, is this also your first introduction to the show? Were you familiar with it before?
Emily ColónNo, I was not familiar with it before. So about a year ago, maybe was when the Ritz season was announced. So that was my first time hearing of the show. So I immediately bought it and I was like, what is this about? Finally, a play about me. Um, so it was just yeah, I read it like five times over and was just I related so much to the character I'm playing, but also just I saw my family and I saw the culture I grew up with. I grew up going to my Abuela's house in Puerto Rico, and that's still reflected in the setting of the story as well. So yeah, this was my first time experiencing the play, but it won't be the last. I can't wait to see it in every rendition ever.
Gina Marie RodriguezI'm so looking forward to this. Sylvia, how about you? Had you had any familiarity before?
Sylvia DarpinoSo yeah, it was my first time too. I had never heard of it. Actually, I heard about the audition probably a couple weeks before that. And uh, I was a little bit hesitant. I said, What? Lagrinka? And then I said, let me see. And um, I read Norma, some of her lines, and I said, Oh my gosh, that's my aunt. That's my mom. And I said, Oh yeah, I gotta go for this. And uh, I'm just so excited
Learning Spanish With Care
Sylvia Darpinoabout it.
Gina Marie RodriguezSo um, Rico, I apologize because I know you were explaining this before and maybe I misunderstood. Is the whole cast bilingual? Are can everyone speak Spanish, or were you saying that you were learning together at your rehearsal last night?
Rico SantiagoUm, some of us are by some of us uh speak Spanish better than others, and some of us aren't bilingual at all. And and then and that's why they're relatable with Maria coming in with her broken Spanish and being cur over corrected. Um so when I tell you the care that the I I explained yesterday's rehearsal, English is our primary language. It it just is. No way we can slice it. So if we have to learn, we have to learn and we learn together. And the care that they're so meticulous about making sure the pronunciations are correct and making sure that they represent our culture, you know, uh correctly and respectfully is a site because you can just go in and sound like uh Tony Montana in Scarface and just be over the top offensive of everything. But uh the actors are so dedicated to this piece, it's uh it it's great. So we had a rehearsal yesterday. I called an entire rehearsal of just going over songs that are sung in the show. Uh I won't spoil it, but a little bit here and there in Spanish, and over the pronunciations of certain words, because there are certain words thrown in there, even though the script is in English. Um so we want to make sure that we're rolling our R's and we're doing the enyas and we're doing everything correctly because it's important. You know, if it's important. My mother always said to me, Why do you always pronounce your last name like you're Spanish instead of like everyone else? And she says, Because your name is important, the language is important, it's just showing respect. And this cast has the utmost respect for each other, for the peace, for their culture. It's it's a sight to see.
Gina Marie RodriguezThat's good to hear, and I think that's how every script should be treated with the utmost respect. But I so love that you just brought up Tony Montana because that has always been a pet peeve of mine. Like, why? That accent was just not accurate in the slightest. And this is coming from someone who loves Pacino, okay? I love Pacino.
Rico SantiagoSame, same. It's my least favorite Pacino movie, no lie.
Gina Marie RodriguezExactly, exactly. And I remember I was a child when I watched, not that I should have been watching this as a child who watches Scarface as a kid, but I did. I was watching it with my father, and I remember asking him, why is the Cuban guy playing the supporting character? Like the actual Cuban is in the supporting role. But anyway, I digress. As somebody who is also trying to learn this language desperately, I do relate to what this character is going through. I wasn't sure when I was reading the synopsis if she was fluent or not, because it says that she studies, I think she's in college for uh
Playing Maria With Real Memories
Gina Marie RodriguezPuerto Rican studies or so. I I guess my, and this is my internal bias, right? I assumed that she spoke Spanish. So it makes it makes a lot more sense now. But I, Emily, I want to ask what your connection to that character, to Maria Elena is, and and how do you prep if you if you need to do extra work, or are you like, I am this girl?
Emily ColónI do feel like I heavily resonate with my character. Um I mean, she experiences like this cultural dissonance that I feel like I have been trying to navigate since I first, you know, learned what social like societal norm norms were. Um I grew up in a predominantly white area. Um, so coming in with sideburns and a nice thick uh peach fuzz. Um, like you can imagine me versus the Barbie dolls in the classroom and just kind of trying to navigate what who I am, how to fit in here. So yeah, I mean, I like, and I have parents who are first generation immigrants. So um there's a lot of assimilation that I think got passed down from them to me. My name's Emily, you know, try to make it easy. Um, I didn't learn Spanish. Um, growing up with both my parents are fluent. They used to speak in Spanish in the room next to me and just they knew I didn't understand and they were using that um to their benefit, stuff like that. So I really um resonate with a lot of the lived experience that Maria has. And I I don't feel like I need a prep more, but I do feel myself reflecting on you know my experiences growing up and and now I'm 25 and like those experiences now and how to yeah, kind of be more comfortable with my culture and all that.
Gina Marie RodriguezDo you find that working with the script is making you feel more comfortable?
Emily ColónYes and no. I get yelled at a lot in this show, um, with love by Sylvia's character. Um, so it does it brings up, you know, those little moments when I was growing up and like in uh how my family used to talk to me. I'm like, oh wait, maybe I've always been, yeah, I've just um it's both kind of, yeah.
Gina Marie RodriguezIt's funny that you say that because I have a similar experience, and I always tell people I brace for people to either laugh at or yell at me when I'm trying to speak Spanish because those are the only two experiences I really have. So, Sylvia, as the person who has to be on the opposite end of that, how are you relating to these characters? How does it feel to be the antagonist?
Sylvia DarpinoSo I identify with Maria, of course, because I was born in New York, but I um I hear the voices of my aunts and my moms, and and um I go, I just have to channel them, you know. But I did have the privilege of living in the I on the island for 11 years and went to my undergrad school there and had laughed at when I would write in in Spanish and uh would have to read aloud, and I had to, you know, go through that journey, which made me stronger. Um, so I feel for Maria, but I do, I do recall times I had, you know, like an uncle saying, Why are you speaking in English? You know Spanish. And I'm like, not really. So yeah, it's it's been I've been reflecting a lot and channeling a lot, these women that I love that are in my life that kind of represent Norma in some sort of way.
Gina Marie RodriguezYou brought up something important there. These are women that you love, and I'm sure that, well, I shouldn't say I'm sure, but I would assume that Maria's character loves her family members as well. And there's this difficulty when you know that someone means well and they are your family and they love you, but they're hurting you constantly because that judgment it just exists, whether they even realize that it's a judgment or not. And I don't know what your approach is if you're perhaps uh Sylvia, your character, doesn't realize that she's being condescending. I don't know what your approach is, and I'm curious as to what angle you're coming at it from, if you're allowed to reveal that. I don't know, maybe you don't want the audience to know your your process.
Sylvia DarpinoUm well, there's more, there's more to this, and also that the main thing is is explaining, educating people that are not having the same experience as we had, how it feels to have parents from one place and you're born in one one up in another place. So that's part of it, but also there's a lot of family dynamic, and that's where I really um I get fed a lot. Uh a lot of relationship things, um, being a caregiver in the play and other things. So I'm I'm pulling from that. So it's more, it's, you know, people will relate to it even if they're not Puerto Rican or from Puerto Rican descent. They will relate because it's relationships, and everyone goes through these relationships and and your families fight and then they make up, and it's complicated. And we we do bring bring that into play. And so that part is where I'm also taking a lot from.
Three Kings Day And Holiday Culture
Gina Marie RodriguezAnd we mentioned before that this is taking place during the Christmas holidays and through Three Kings Day, and I'd love to hear about the significance of that setting in the show, but also for those who don't understand or aren't familiar with Latin culture, what is Three Kings Day and what is the importance of Three Kings Day in the show?
Rico SantiagoThree Kings is what they call the Epiphany, it's always on January 6th. Uh Puerto Ricans start their Christmas holiday like in November, and it just goes all the way until January 6th, for anyone who knows. There's always the Arocun Gandule, the Perni, there's the Parandas, there's like you know, everything. Everyone's just partying, partying. I always said it was just another excuse to get gifts. So that was what it is. And uh what they do is uh on three kings, uh you you take a shoebox or something with either hay or grass and maybe like a carrot or something to feed the camels of the three kings who brought gifts to the baby Jesus. So this is the celebration of the Epiphany, and it's uh that's I would dare I say that's bigger than Christmas uh to us uh in in on the island. Um here on the mainland, my grandmother celebrated it with us, but on a very small kind of scale, it was never hugely celebrated in my house. But my grandparents always kept the tradition tradition going. So I still do it here as well. And it's always just something little, but it's just something that you keep the culture alive that my kids know, uh, if they ever have their own children, just to keep these kind of like little things to don't get lost. You know, so that's the holiday. The holiday you're gonna go two weeks, and it's it's Christmas, it's La Navidad every single day, every single night, and it's always a different thing at a different person's house or something else. And uh I had the privilege of going down one year and I came home on the 2nd of January because I had to go to school, but that Christmas was probably the greatest Christmas time of my entire life. It was just all just partying all night, but in a very uh familial type of way, and it's something that I'll never forget. Everyone should try to experience at least one time. Go to Puerto Rico, go to Puerto Rico during Christmas, during the uh Christmas holiday. I'm telling you, you will not regret it. And the weather is still awesome.
Gina Marie RodriguezOh, it is, yeah. I was actually just there for the Christmas holiday. I spent a month in Puerto Rico. Nice, yeah, it was amazing, and that was my first time doing that because I didn't really grow up going to and from the island. I'd only gone once, I think, when I was five, you know, so I didn't have that experience either. But I'm so curious, and I'm digressing again, but I'm curious one day. I'm gonna talk to someone on the island and see if they still celebrated the same way because I was there for Three Kings Day this past Christmas, and there was not much going on, and I was shocked because I thought it was gonna be the bigger holiday. But anyway, see, I'm going off because we're No, no, no, you're right. You're absolutely right.
Sylvia DarpinoIt is in the countryside because my parents live. Yeah, my parents still live there and they live in the countryside. And when I've when I go there during the holidays, I've been there a couple of times in the recent years, they still do the parandas, they do have the roasted pig out, and everyone is flaunting their own coquito version. And so it does happen in the countryside, but like everywhere else, you know, in the cities, they they kind of lose that flavor. Um, still have it, but in a very smaller scale.
Gina Marie RodriguezThat's a good point. That's a very good point.
Tourist Dreams Versus Real Life
Gina Marie RodriguezI I guess I am gonna bring us back to the show for a second. Is there uh a significance to that time period for the show, or is it just when she chose to to visit the island?
Rico SantiagoOr I think it's just when she chose to go to the island for vacation or just to get away for a few weeks, you know, to visit family. So that's pretty much to see where her mother grew up, you know, where her ancestors were like where her family grew up, and she comes in hot as a tourist. So as she comes in, she wants to see El Mohro, she wants to go to San Juan, she wants to do all these like different things. And this is like her first time, you know, her first time as an adult coming through. She wants to do all these things like a tourist, not realizing that because she's on vacation, this is where people live, they're not on vacation, you know. So that's a that's a little bit a piece of the uh back and forth as well.
Gina Marie RodriguezYeah, I will definitely be at this show, possibly every night, like Emily says. We welcome you. Yes, yeah. I that was literally my experience when I went to Puerto Rico recently. It was my I was calling it a cultural reclamation trip. I actually just wrote a short film script about that. Oh, which is another reason. Thank you. It's another reason I wanted to talk to you guys about this show because I it really, really resonates. And Emily, I'm gonna come back to you and ask your experience. Hold on. I'm I do speak English because I don't speak Spanish and I'm struggling to find my words. Um it's set in San Juan, right? The the play is set in San Juan. Yes, okay.
Rico SantiagoIt's it's in yeah, you could say in the surrounding areas or whatever, but it's like it's never really fully mentioned. We're here or we're out here, or they say it a little bit here and there. Um, but it doesn't, even though it says that setting, it doesn't necessarily have to be mentally that setting for you to understand the show if that makes any sense.
Gina Marie RodriguezIt does, it does. I was gonna ask Emily because you said that you had an Awela who still lives there or who who you used to visit. And I'm wondering like, are you recalling any of that when you're performing this? How are you using your experiences having visited the island?
Emily ColónYeah, I mean, I'm not necessarily recalling them just because I mean I haven't visited the island in well, close to 10 years at this point. So my memories are Little bit foggy, but I mean not just on the island. I'm kind of just picturing my family in any setting. Um, whether it be at my Awela's house in Puerto Rico in the countryside or it be in Newark, like when we're all crammed into one little apartment and still making the same food and the same culture still there, regardless of you know where exactly we are.
Why Everyone Can Relate
Gina Marie RodriguezIs there anything in particular that you're excited to share with audiences, especially those who are perhaps outside of the Latin diaspora who might be curious about this culture?
Emily ColónI mean, I could start. I mean, like we've been saying, La Gringa is rich in Puerto Rican culture, but it doesn't matter where you are or like where you're from, anybody can connect to these same messages of the universal feeling of belonging, of a feeling like the black sheep in your family or your friend group. Like there's so many ways to still connect with the show and also experience something new. I mean, we come to theater to be entertained and to escape. So if we resonate with it, we do, but we can still be entertained and kind of see how other cultures live and other lived experiences. And again, I think it's just so relatable, regardless of who you are. Like you can still find not just in Maria, but like there's six characters in the show and they all have their own journey with their culture and just with life in general that is relatable.
Gina Marie RodriguezI agree with you. Not even having seen the show, I know that it's relatable. I can already tell.
Sylvia DarpinoI agree. Like I said before, you're gonna go and you are going to relate to one of the characters because we all are part of a family and we're all part of a community. And you know, it could be the relationship between the daughter and the mom, which is a little bit uh complicated. And, you know, as a mom, no matter what culture, you go through these things. So it's it's it's funny. Also, there's some parts that are really, really funny. So that's what I think I like about the play. You will, like Rico said when he read it, that was the same emotion. You cry, you laugh, it it gets you thinking. Um, there's a lot going on uh in the show. So I'm really excited.
Rico SantiagoI think I would like uh for someone who isn't of Puerto Rican descent or has no connection to like uh the Latinx community uh as their heritage to see why, especially in this day and age, that why Puerto Ricans are so passionate about their culture. We really are. I mean, I it it's we ride or die. The flags are everywhere, the coquis are everywhere, I've got tattoos on my body. Like it's it's it's it's a thing. It's a thing with us. And I I often I I grew up in Camden, so I grew up around Puerto Ricans and and African Americans. Like that was my neighborhood my entire life. I really wasn't around a many white people until high school. And my mom sent me to a Catholic high school and said, You're going over there. And uh, so that's when I was like, Oh, there's more than this, my little bubble out here. And again, this it was like uh it was like I was a spy for the, you know, I was I was the you know, spy for the ops, you know, just going back and forth. Um, but it's it was so proud. Like it was ingrained in us since birth. And when you grow up Puerto Rican, and I'm speaking for me, just I don't want to generalize for everyone, but it's like you long for a country that's not really yours, you know, because you weren't born there, but you feel such a connection to there, like you're supposed to be there, like you belong there, even though the mainland, the United States, is your is your country, and it really is. You rarely ever hear a Puerto Rican say, I'm I'm American, or I'm Puerto Rican American. They say I'm Puerto Rican, you know, so that's uh you know, a lot of a lot of times that's what happens. And I think someone who isn't part of the culture will see this within this play. Like they are really proud. Hey, guess what? I'm Italian, I'm Irish, I'm German, I'm Polish. They still have mom, dad problems, aunt, uncle problems, cousin problems, job problems, school problems. The whole gamut is in this play. Anything that a family can deal with is in this play, just so happens to be focused on a Puerto Rican family with an emphasis on uh cultural upbringing.
Rehearsals Goals And What To Feel
Gina Marie RodriguezI'm so excited for this show, guys. I really am. And you're running September 4th through September 20th. Uh, how long have you been in rehearsal?
Rico SantiagoWe have been in rehearsal for a month, about a month a month already. Yeah. So we have fun, we go through things, and uh it it's it's uh it's a lot of hard work. They do a lot of homework. Uh, I'm one of those people I you know, I I'll stop and start 15 million times. Um, but I want to make sure that especially with this piece, that the actors, because we all feel with this on a personal level, I want them to bring their own personal experiences into their characters. And this I really start, we really start to focus on why a character is this way. What would as Emily, if Emily was Maria, let's let's take Maria's name out. Emily, how would Emily, what would you react to this, and how would you feel to this? Because this is you, you know, this is you, and uh every character with every cast member reminds them of somebody in their family. You know, I wanted the set design to look like my grandmother's kitchen with her colors in there as a you know, as a uh tribute to my grandparents, uh, everyone of the cast members, everyone in this show, this character reminds me of somebody. I specifically thought of someone, of each person in my family reading the play over and over and in their voices. So that's how it came to life for me. And I and I hope the audiences feel that as well and come out of it uh with a better understanding of our culture and come out of it with something just to escape. That's something that gets a little heavy, a little lighthearted, a little funny, a little sad, and just an experience. We designed the set to be just an experience, living in a home. We're gonna live in a home, so we're all gonna be comfortable with each other for the next three weeks.
Gina Marie RodriguezI love hearing you speak about process. Uh, whenever I hear a director or an actor speak about process, I find it fascinating. Uh, you had mentioned what you hope audiences will take away from it, but can I also ask Emily and Sylvia to share what you're hoping audiences will take away or or maybe just something to say to them before we close out?
Emily ColónI mean, I firstly speaking to any fellow gringas or no sabo kids, I I really hope that, you know, when they leave the show, they're reminded that they they are Latina enough, they are Latino enough. And then again, like I said, regardless of where you are, where you come from, what your blood is, you'll still leave feeling some sort of hope, some sort of escape, some some good feeling, some bubbly feeling inside. That's the goal.
Sylvia DarpinoFor me, I just it just I just thought about it. Uh, when I um when I was in college and was Maria, going back and forth, back and forth with the dilemma. I did read a poem from a Puerto Rican poet. His name is Juan Antonio Corretere, and it's called Borincano or Borin uh Puerto Rican on the moon. And there's a line that he specifically says, I would be Puerto Rican even if I were born on the moon. Sería borincano que nacera en la luna. And that was my turning point. And I think that those uh people that are going to be present that are kind of like Maria will will get that from the play. We'll say, you know, it's yeah, I was born in in the Bronx or I was born in Newark, but this is who I am, no matter where I was born. So that's that's my take.
Gina Marie RodriguezI love this. I love all of this. And I think as you've all said at one point or another, this transcends culture. It doesn't, you'll relate whether you're Puerto Rican, Latino, or other. I think that that this will reach a wide variety and a wide variety of audience members. Remember how I said I speak English? Maybe I lied. Um anyway, I thank you guys for taking the time, and I'm really looking forward to this. I will see you at some point in September. So thank you so much.
Rico SantiagoThank you so much for having me. Thank you so much. Thank you so much.
Dates Tickets And Final Thanks
Gina Marie RodriguezAnd there you have it, a play about fitting in. Relatable no matter your cultural background. La Gringa runs from September 4th through the 20th at the Ritz Theater Company in Haddon Township. For tickets and more information about La Gringa, be sure to visit Ritz Theaterco.org. If you like this episode, be sure to review, subscribe, and tell your friends. A transcript of this podcast, links relevant to the story, and more about the arts in New Jersey can be found at jerseyarts.com. The Jersey Arts Podcast is presented by Art Pride New Jersey, advancing a state of creativity since 1986. The show was co-founded by and currently supported by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. This episode was hosted, edited, and produced by me, Gina Marie Rodriguez. Executive producers are Jim Atkinson and Isaac Serna-Diez. And my thanks, of course, to Rico Santiago, Emily Colon, and Sylvia Darpino for speaking with me today. I'm Gina Marie Rodriguez for the Jersey Arts Podcast. Thanks for listening.
