BWW Q&A: JohnRivera-Resto on TROPICO MACBETH, PART ONE: THE RISE TO POWER at LatinUs Black Box Theater

John's fifty-year plus artistic career began in 1972, writing, acting, designing, and directing religious and traditional Spanish plays. In 1974, painting murals became his primary focus and his work as a muralist has brought him international recognition.

Can you tell us about the process you went through to write and produce Tropico Macbeth?

I always felt that William Shakespeare would have loved Latin American politics in the first half of the 20th century. An era so rich with armed conflicts and military dictatorships –as in Mexico and Venezuela, and civilian oligarchies –as in Chile, Brazil, or Argentina, that he would have had a field day as a playwright. Add to the mix the enormous U.S. leverage in Latin American affairs and the stage would have been set for an orgy of tragedies and literary masterpieces to come. At the core of my thinking were two key questions: Firstly, what made Latin American dictators so attractive to the masses, and secondly, how and why the United States backed, supported, tolerated and even helped create some of them? The result of my reflection was Trópico Macbeth, a story about dictators and the first world-wide American business conglomerates that allowed nothing to stop the flow of wealth in the form of raw resources and foodstuff into the United States, even if it had to trample over democratic principles and ideals in Latin America. The more I studied and researched this historical era of interventions and invasions to promote American business interests –known as the “Banana Wars”, I kept thinking that in this world of greed and ruthless ambition, a character like Macbeth would have been right at home. So after five years of toying with the thought I finally sat down and wrote a Spanish and an English version of the play in six weeks -becuase I didn´t have a seventh free week. And then, having just turned 64 and not wanting to waste my remaining years doing other people’s work, I decided to produce my own work in collaboration with the LatinUs Theater Company in Cleveland, Ohio.

How do you feel the socio-economic and political climate of 1934 is reflected within your play?

Trópico Macbeth does an excellent job of presenting the socioeconomic and political climate of 1934 by telling a story right out of the headlines of the time. The characters, while fictional and based only in part to some of the character’s in Shakespeare’s play, interact with new characters that represent the military and political elite of Latin American countries in the region, living in the non-fictional times of the 1930s. Interwoven in the story is the real drama of people who are affected by the changing political winds in the United States, namely, the election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1933, the rise of fascism in Europe, and the aftermath of a mostly worldwide financial crisis.

What led you to focus on the relationship between the United States and Latin American countries in your work?

People in the tropics breath politics and it seem the most natural thing for me to follow up my interest by researching and studying US-Latin American relationship in the region. What’s more, considering that I grew up in the United States' first Latin American colony (and one that continues to be so), I had firsthand knowledge of how it felt. Then having lived most of my life in the United States was the other side of the proverbial coin. I could see thing from both sides a by spinning things to see a clearer image. These insights gain expression in my art. I’m an artist that belongs to both the United States by birth and to a Latin American country by upbringing: Puerto Rico (I couldn't speak English until I turned twenty). I became a master muralist with an art concentration on propaganda art because I like to know how we got to where we are today. To get answers you have to look back –sometimes way back. But you don’t have to look hard to find facts, they are written in black on white for all to see. I even ponder the issues from both perspectives in some of my writings. In fact, my master’s essay: ‘American Propaganda –controlling public opinion in Puerto Rico’, has been one of the most read pages on my website –www.muralmaster.org.

Can you discuss the impact of the rise of fascism in Europe on Latin American dictators, as depicted in your play?

Latin America had raw materials and foodstuff and Europe and the United States had need of both. When fascism rose in Europe, the "strong man" was something that had strong appeal to Latin American leaders who themselves display these leadership qualities. The nationalism preached by European dictators also correlated with Latin American nationalism to a certain degree. So when political tensions rose and it seem the world was again heading to war, European countries offer attractive deals that for exchange of resources and material that were appealing to Latin American governments -especially considering the poor record of US-Latin American foreign policies at the time. But the United States then did an u-turn on its imperialistic and predatory foreign policy no sooner FDR became president. He instituted the "good neighbor" doctrine to replace one intervention and occupation -at least for the time being. In fact, Disney Studio´s animated film, "the three amigos" was one of it's most effective tool of U.S. propaganda to Latin America. This issue is confronted head-on in Trópico Macbeth by the character of US Ambassador to Santa Marina: Brandon Noble. Other "americanos" in the play personify U.S. commercial and financial interest. Also, a newsreel of the times was created for the play to show "in real time" to audiences with no historical context the political backdrop and times of the story.

What inspired you to weave elements of Caribbean folklore into your work?

The many people in Spanish speaking countries, Shakespeare stories lack a certain level of emotional "passion". Think Spanish soap operas and you get the picture. They also lack the colorful splendor of the hot tropical sun. And the Caribbean has a living mix of the European, the African, and the Native American all blend into one but without loosing any of its distinct cultural flavors. This is even more so with religion. I would have been impossible to set a story in the Spanish Caribbean without reflecting the costumes and mores of the people who live there. Shakespeare's Macbeth touches on the supernatural through the three sisters (witches). Trópical Macbeth is written for our times: everything that seems supernatural has a natural explanation but in the minds of the people of Santa Marina the supernatural is very real. The music, the color, the sensuality -the heat of the Caribbean, are what make Trópical Macbeth such an unique and original retelling of the story of The Tragedy of Macbeth.

How does your extensive background in visual arts influence your work as a playwright, director, and production designer?

I never wanted to be an artist nor do I follow the conceptions of what an artist should be. But growing up very curious, a voracious reader and someone with a streak for adventure, I needed an outlet to express my views, imaginings and emotions. I simply use several modes of expressions, depending on what fits the purpose or mood, to communicate and resolve mental quandaries. A mural is a great bulletin board to say something that thousands of people will see in a day, but sometimes a play can say things best because as a writer, a producer, a director -or even as an actor, I can focus exactly on how I want that message to be heard. My advantage is that I am a multi-media artist that can have a meeting in my head and solve in minutes what could take a team of department heads weeks to solve. I call this quality "having the advantage to think in 3D". Also, since I work with many first-timers and individuals with no artistic background, I can really do a picture worth a thousand words and everyone gets it -regardless of the language they speak.

Why must audiences come and see the show?

Because Trópico Macbeth was created with them in mind -from a Latin American perspective. For the YouTube generation visuals is everything. For the generation before movies reign supreme. But theater audiences, the reading class, are getting greyer. Theater attendance is down in our city and many other cities across the nation. So my intention has always been to produce a show that integrates all those generational tastes into a cohesive form, namely "cinematic live theater". But more importantly, the story is a captivating drama set on non-pc 1930´s, the visuals are fantastic, the characters recognizable and yet more true to life than the one-dimensional "cartoons" seen in similar period presentations, and the music is the icing on the cake. And while being entertained, audiences will get some understanding of "the other", which I believe brings us closer. And the ticket cost is less than the cost of going to see a Cleveland Guardians baseball game. That´s one hell of a deal!

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