By Barrett White
Out playwright Emilio Rodriguez is from everywhere and nowhere. His youth was spent all over the United States, as his father’s position in the military uprooted the family every few years. He shares experiences with so many—but his roots are nowhere to be found.
As he grew into his work as a writer and actor, the roadblocks came quickly. Casting directors were quick to point out that he didn’t have the “right look” for the roles he was auditioning for. His olive skin, brown eyes, and boyish face barred him from roles written with some WASP-y Hollywood Chris in mind.
The media’s love of telling white stories before anyone else’s is nothing new—a status quo Rodriguez wasn’t going to let continue. He took his stories—stories of his own, stories of those he once knew—and turned them into scripts that would empower not only the actors of color who would bring them to life, but the people whose stories he would tell. These are not solely the accounts of those who inspired them, but the stories of people who could, in some respects, earnestly relate to a piece of theatre for the first time.
One of Rodriguez’s more recent works, the full-length play Swimming While Drowning, will make a return to Houston this October as part of Stages Repertory Theatre’s 2018-19 season. Another, Angel of the People Mover, will arrive here for the first time as a staged reading for one night only during Swimming’s run.
Swimming While Drowning enjoyed a successful run at the University of Houston this past April, where it was produced as a staged reading, directed by Trevor Boffone, at the UH Student Center Theater. It was during this run, Rodriguez says, that he got an urgent text to check his email. “I was in my office and I checked my email to find that Stages wanted to do a full production,” he says. For Rodriguez, it was big news that Houston, a city with a high-caliber theatre scene, would produce his show twice in one season.
Swimming While Drowning is more than a play to the bold playwright. Its storyline follows homeless queer youths Angelo and Mila, both fifteen, adjusting to life at a Los Angeles LGBTQ shelter. They form the kind of unrelenting bond that only teenagers can, entrusting one another to allow themselves to grow, tantamount to family when your own has left you behind. Rodriguez’s inspiration for the show came from real scenes among youths he met while volunteering at a LA shelter. The weight of the show and the lives behind it inspired him to reach out to local LGBT charities in every city where a production of Swimming has been staged, from Portland to Houston, for volunteer opportunities that he might attend.
Angel of the People Mover, set in Rodriguez’s current home of Detroit, is the story of Maya, an eccentric black transgender woman, as told by her daughter. The show is thought of as a love letter to Detroit through the lens of queer people of color. Angel will enjoy a one-night-only staged reading on October 7, also at Stages Repertory.
For Rodriguez, the playwright from everywhere but nowhere, finding his place as a queer writer of color has brought him a unique reward. “With Hollywood presenting one monolithic portrayal, it’s empowering to see different portrayals that depict people who look like you,” he says. “When people see these plays and they can relate to these characters no matter where they’re from—that’s the biggest compliment a writer can receive.”
What: Swimming While Drowning by Emilio Rodriguez
Where: Stages Repertory Theatre
When: October 3-21, 2018; The Spectrum South Night at Stages performance of Swimming will be held on Wednesday, October 17. A reception of lite bites and drinks will be held at 6:30 p.m., performance begins at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: Tickets are available at stagestheatre.com. Receive a 20 percent off discount by using the promo code Spectrum2018 at checkout. Offer valid for any Swimming While Drowning performance October 3-21 (including Spectrum South Night on October 17).
What: Staged reading of Angel of the People Mover by Emilio Rodriguez (Presented by The 50 Playwrights Project with support from Stages Repertory Theatre)
Where: Stages Repertory Theatre
When: October 7, 2018 at 6 p.m.
Details: This reading is free and open to the public.
Emilio Rodriguez can be found on Twitter at @EmilioWrites.
