Director Obed Medina on Grandeza

(A Featured Play in Debut de Piezas Teatrales: Festival de Lectura)

A Festival of New Play Readings

Grandeza is a rapid-paced comedy. These 2 families [featured in the play] have a lot to say and they don’t hold back from saying it! It can get savage, as familial love sometimes gets. But deep down, there is love.

My favorite moment in the play comes in 2 places: Act 1 is hilariously funny and honest, and I love how these characters are not afraid to speak their mind – even to their own loved ones. And my second favorite moment in the play is towards the end, with the metaphor of the giant tree.

I think audiences should come to see the play to support new works from local writers. The play speaks to everyone, and I’m sure we will relate to more than one character in the play.

It is exciting to be working on an all-Spanish play because I’ve never had the opportunity to do that: to hear a play spoken in your native language.

I was attracted to this play, especially as a reading, because it’s such a kinetic play and I love a challenge, to create movement even as the actors stand with scripts in hand. My hope is that audiences will be absorbed by the story; that it will seem as if they were watching a fully staged production.

A staged reading is a rehearsed reading of a play with script in hand. The actors have only really read through a play a couple of times to familiarize themselves with the words and the character. There aren’t any costumes or sets… it’s really a time to really hear the words without any distractions.

Workshops are very important for a new play in development because it’s the first time that the writer and everyone else working on the project can look at the play through fresh eyes. The feedback is especially important for developing the play further.

It is so important for Latine audiences to support Latine artists. The stories we are writing are a direct reflection of our lived experiences and it is a great way to see ourselves on stage… something we don’t’ always get to see regularly. But we want to change that.

I want audiences to leave with the understanding that one’s own sexuality is just one small aspect of what makes us human. We are not defined by it, though we are forced to hide it.

Grandeza means grandeur… especially in our appearance and the way we carry ourselves. We all strive to be seen and respected. Ultimately, that is the message of Grandeza.