Welcome to East Los Angeles College’s production of Colossal!

What you’re about to see is a work of art that is influenced by my Chicano upbringing, Opera and my constant affinity towards nonwestern forms of theatre, especially European theatre.

“The reason I work is to say, “What is it? And not to say what something is”, a quote by one of my favorite directors of all time, Robert Wilson. It’s essentially a core element in all my productions. How can I direct as if it were a series of paintings? I call these images art installations.

In our short time, I will present questions to you with a fusion of spoken word poetry and lyrical movement, including sound, architecture, and light. There is a constant rivalry between all forces on stage, some violent, others tender, and at times, lovingly, especially between two men. One who is of the ‘gifted’ community while the other is steadfast to cover his identity for a career.

Knowing that this play was written to be ‘unproduceable’, I decided to take on the challenge and dream as big as I wanted the production to be, and thus emerged my poetic visions.

I remember wanting to play football in high school like my father, but instead choose theatre. Here, we have the opposite, where Mike chooses to play football rather than dance with his father. I’ve always dreamt of playing football, but now that dream has materialized into this play, and I am honored to be sharing this with my dad.

Tonight, enjoy being lost in the moment. Absorb and share the energy in the room. Cheer them on. Engage with us. Close your eyes and hear the music. We will dive into America’s favorite sport.

With societal messages about personal identity, heroism and what it really means to be a man, I present my debut production of Colossal. A special shout-out to all the cast who sincerely took on a most demanding production and trusting the work. Well, done. 

This is Chicano Power. A hybridity of multiple forms of theatre and identities. WE ARE LATINX POWER.

Special thanks to mi mama y papa and to my Angel who guides me every day.