Interview with the Director of “Maricela De La Luz Lights The World,” Nadya Mercado

After the opening of Maricela De La Luz Lights The World we checked in with Director Nadya Mercado to ask about the show.

Question 1: Why did you want to direct this show?
One of my biggest passions as a director and what I strive to put my artistry in are shows by or for Latinos. I grew up in theatre not seeing or hearing people like me on stage and I have made it a goal of mine to highlight voices of color, especially female voices of color. Jose Rivera is such a legend in Latino theatre already, and I was familiar with his works such as Cloud Tectonics and Marisol, but had never read this script of his before. I was so very intrigued at the idea of this being a kids show but still having mentions of things children would not understand such as “sub standardized housing” or “double tax free mutual funds.” This show gives something for both the adults and children and allows you to take these messages no matter which age you are.

Question 2: How would you describe your vision for this production?
One thing that intimidated me about approaching this production was the idea of having to take place in many different locations in a space like our theatre. Eventually I decided the best way for this to happen and to be able to suspend disbelief just enough was to make it a giant sleepover. This show was already about kids so why not make them all kids playing around? Maricela and Ricardo are both dealing with divorced parents, the struggles of growing up and now monsters. How best to cope than to play with your friends in a sleepover? This allowed us freedom to include toys, make it more simplistic for the actors to switch sets and costumes, and just easier for kids themselves to be involved in.

Question 3: How was the rehearsal process for this show? What was exciting? What was challenging?
This rehearsal process has been so much fun! Because this show is so silly and goofy and full of adults playing children, we got to just have fun. I had everyone playing freeze tag, switching characters, and pushing them to be even sillier. The biggest challenge we faced would definitely be the fact that we did not have a full cast until about three weeks in! We struggled to fill our female ensemble that makes up a large portion of our show. Because of this however, we were allowed time to dig into Maricela and Ricardo scenes as well as those including the male ensemble.

Question 4: What has been your favorite moment?
My favorite moments would absolutely have to be the moment everything came together. Seeing the set, costumes, lighting and staging finally all put together was such a huge breath of relief. We finally had a show that could make an impact on the lives of the kids who come to watch it. I told my cast this on opening, but one of my old directors used to say “Someone in the audience needs this show.” I do believe Maricela is one of those shows that some kids might just giggle at and have a good time at while others will hear Maricela speaking about her struggles with race or her divorced parents and feel not as alone.

Question 5: What were you most excited about seeing at the show yourself? What about for your audience?
I am most excited to see how this show evolves from opening to closing. Hearing an audience can have such an impact on how actors deliver lines or commit to certain bits. I’m excited to see what our audience most connects to.