Disconnecting to Connect
Posted by Edward F. Torres on 12/01/2006So here we are going into our final weeks of Elliot. If you haven’t seen this co-production with Rivendell Theater Ensemble please check us out! I would love to read your comments, having served in the military myself and coming from a military family. My father served in the Army during the Korean Conflict and my brother retired from the Air Force about eight years ago. I can draw from my own personal experience, and from those whom I have come to know who have served their country honorably.
As an actor this play was very challenging but also very moving to be a part of. It’s about connection and the lack thereof. What I mean by this is that in order for the play to reveal the story of the Ortiz family, the characters reveal their own personal experiences through a series of letters and monologues that are indirectly related to each other and the audience. The inability of the Ortiz family to share their experiences with each other is tragic. The only time that there is a connection between actors in a scene is between “Pops” and his wife “Ginny”. I find myself backstage every night listening and focusing on certain monologues and scenes in order to feel connected to the play. But it is a refreshing experience to do so because you must focus on the story in order to be in the moment. Sounds easy but I guarantee it is not.
It amazing how the story of the Ortiz family unfolds quickly and simply. Just as a Fugue does. But it is a human story being told in a time of never ending conflict. A story that needs to be heard.
Eddie Torres aka Pops
Teatro Vista