To start this off, I’d like to paint you a picture (no puns intended, you’ll understand in a bit). Let’s imagine if plays, films, concerts, TV series, literature, and streaming services didn’t exist, what would the entertainment industry look like? It’s not only hard to imagine, but would also be impossible for it to exist. Theater and performance arts have always been present throughout our human history; wherever culture was formed, art was always intertwined with it. It can move us deeply and become a great source of comfort during tough times. I know for a fact that we all have at least one comfort movie or series that we binge each time we’re in a rut (which by the way, mine is New Girl and I highly recommend it).
In Puerto Rico, theater and most forms of art are wildly marginalized unless a mainstream singer can fill a whole Coliseo. There are also many artists from the island who work in the shadows of Hollywood. An artist prepares, as mentioned by Stanivslaki, and works many long hours to present something worthwhile. A piece of art that creates a sense of overwhelming emotion, displays a deeper meaning, and causes an audience to question anything and everything around them. It may be political, personal, or just simply an aesthetically pleasing or appalling experience. The performance arts can be very artistically pleasing to our senses, just like a beautiful painting or a perfectly sublime musical note, as well as it can be bewildering. All of it is connected. An artist can heal with their art; it can even be perceived as a thoughtful gift to the person watching.
In live theater, this experience is heightened because multiple senses are being stimulated at once. There is a shared experience in the space between the audience and the artist(s) they have before them, a quid pro quo we could say. Now, since we’re on the topic of acting and theater, there are some myths I’d like to address. Can all actors cry on demand? If that were possible, the job would be way more mechanical and wouldn’t be considered as much of a natural portrayal of a character as it is. The action of ‘crying’ can be impulsed by different techniques, which for each artist is different, but it will never really be an unconscious or equally conscious effort. What about memorizing? Do actors get tense? Again, both answers very much depend on the person. Memorization takes more discipline and concentration than anything else, plus it becomes a routine to constantly challenge the mind with new information. Feeling nervous or anxious is typical and one wouldn’t be human if they didn’t feel a bit of uneasiness in their stomach before a big presentation.
Picture of artist Antonio Martorell
On the island, we have a great repertoire of theater and arts collectives, such as: Y No Había Luz, Agua, Sol y Sereno, Teatro Breve, Jóvenes del 98, La Bicicleta, Teatro Público, Andanza; as well as new emerging companies, like for example: Nueva Escena PR and Puerto Rico Theatre Lab. There are also some up-and-coming artists such as Rainao with their new album Capicú. She is a great performer and has developed a great artistic/performative staple for herself. And, like I’ve mentioned before, films like La Pecera and Picando Alante are pertinent examples of great productions in local cinema. In the realm of visual arts, you have some of the most recognized artists in Latin America, like Antonio Martorell and Jaime Suarez, whose careers have included many collaborations with productions in theater and multimedia exhibitions. Additionally, all the emerging artists in the University of Puerto Rico play fundamental roles in our Puerto Rican culture and how it’s evolving since every artist adapts to their social surroundings and their space and time.
Picture from Agua Sol y Sereno
Artists are like mind-benders; they’re dreamers or completely pragmatic people with an idea that might have the potential to be presented to a bigger audience. If we were to imagine a Puerto Rico without artists, without an art industry, the least we could say is that would be a tragedy. Art harnesses and strengthens our culture and imagination, and it’s what makes us unique in this marginalized Caribbean.