The day has arrived! The blog post I’m most excited for! Happy Saturday, happy spring, and happy halfway mark through our run of Ashes of Light! Everyone is doing amazing, and I am truly proud to be part of this team! Here’s a closer look at our characters and the people behind them.
Meet Nydia!
Nydia plays Luz, a sancocho making, tamales throwing, loud mouth mother just trying to connect with her son and stay afloat in a gentrifying Chicago. The play takes place in her small apartment.
Meet Sipriano (Sip)!
Sipriano plays Julio Cesar, Luz’s son come home for his father’s funeral. A self-employed actor living in Texas, Julio Cesar dreads returning home, desperate for his mother to accept him and his sexuality.
Met Karla!
Karla plays Lydia, Luz’s neighbor and the only other Latina left in the building. Equally as loud (if not more) that Luz, she eaves dropping maybe a little too much, adding comic relief to a tense mother-son reunion, and sharing her own story of a lost son.
Meet Maritza!
Maritza plays Divina, Julio Cesar’s beloved aunt and Luz’s sister. Having taken care of Julio Cesar as a child, Divina has a special bond with him and wears many hats, including big sister, accepting aunt, mediator, and drunk (but very skilled) dancer.
What is one of your favorite lines in the show?
Nydia: Maybe…when Luz sings…because I WISH I could sing in real life.
Sipriano: “What I want is to not feel split in the middle!”
Karla: “I call the police!”
Maritza: “You likey or no likey?”
Do you identify with any of the characters? How so?
Nydia: As Luz…sometimes I find myself “locked up” in my own ways of thinking and how “life” should be.
Sipriano: I identify very much with my character of Julio Cesar for various reasons. Mostly, because I can draw so many comparisons from his childhood & early life to my own. From his overall attitude to small things like quirks and interests.
Karla: Luz, because I see a lot of myself in her. Lord knows I love my kids and I would bend over backwards for them, yet I guess I don’t give enough affection.
Maritza: I identify with Julio Cesar. Growing up I had a lot of issues with my mom and it was so difficult for me to be open and honest with her.
Describe the show in three words.
Nydia: Sharp, deep, hilarious.
Sipriano: Family. Identity. Acceptance.
Karla: A rollercoaster ride.
Maritza: Is a rollercoaster.
**They have no idea they answered the same thing!
Describe your experience at UTC in three words.
Nydia: FUN, challenging and professionally enriching.
Sipriano: Insightful. Challenging. Exciting.
Karla: Love, passion, sincerity.
Maritza: Honored and excited.
What are you most excited for people to see in Ashes of Light?
Nydia: How the audience will be able to identify layers of truths within each character and how Marco Antonio Rodriguez, the playwright, is able to beautifully disclose these emotional difficulties through so much humor.
Sipriano: The set is pretty awesome…But so is the rest of the show!
Karla: The relationship between a mother and her child. A bloodline which can’t ever torn apart.
Maritza: Love is not a black & white emotion. There are many shades of grey in the love we feel for others.
If you’ve seen Ashes of Light, how would you describe the show or Urban Theater Company in three words? Do you think our actors have described Ashes of Light correctly? If you haven’t seen the show yet, we hope this gets you excited to come! It runs Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, and Sundays at 3:00pm. You’ve got until May 13th, 2 weeks left! We look forward to meeting you!