Interview: Ivan Ortega And Gabriella Ramirez of BRIGHT IDEAS at Miscast Theatre Company

I had the unique opportunity of learning about something relatively new to San Antonio, the Miscast Theatre Company. The Artistic Director, Ivan Ortega and Gabriella Ramirez, the director of their current production, Bright Ideas by Eric Coble, gave me the scoop on the heart behind their company, along with some insight into their show. Here’s what they had to say.

Ivan, tell me about Miscast Theatre Company.

Of course. Miscast Theatre Company was started by my husband Alejandro Ortega, Myself and Rebekah Williams. It was an idea that was started back in 2016 when we would audition at different theatres, and just not get opportunities beyond ensemble roles. We wanted to create opportunities for ourselves and others like us. Once we got started with the company and got a space at The Cellar Theatre with San Pedro Playhouse, it started to become an idea of wanting to provide a safe space not just for people of color, but people of different types as well. The name “Miscast” is not really saying we’re going to miscast people in these roles, but we want to challenge the casting stereotypes and change them up, and that’s what “Miscast” is all about. 

Gabriella, tell me about Bright Ideas.

The show is a satirical take on Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It really follows the theme that our human folly, ambition, and greed can often be the fall of greatness. The roles in this show are really reversed. The wife, in this take, is heading the whole operation. Her husband is more of the Lady Macbeth character, and she is the one doing the killing, plotting, and scheming, and eventually the one who goes insane at the end of the show. I love the modern take and the gender flopping. I’ve always thought Lady Macbeth is the real star of the show, so to see it in a modern take is awesome. 

Ivan, what is significant about this show that made you want to produce it?

First, the reason we picked this comedy is that I looked at what all the other theatres around town, including the universities, were producing, and a lot of them were doing dramas. I think in the current climate with all the violence and hate, a comedy is needed. Hopefully we can provide relief and an escape for at least two hours. I remember reading this one during college, and I completely fell in love with it. I thought it was really genius. So fascinating and crazy overall. We knew this was going to be kind of an ambitious show, but I presented this to Gabriella because I believe as a director you need to be passionate about the project. She really loved it, and that’s how we landed with Bright Ideas.

Gabriella, what would you say is the vision for Bright Ideas?

Similar to Ivan, it’s an opportunity to give people something new and fast-paced. I feel it’s one of the greatest stories of all time. It’s at least one of the most popular. This idea that our own humanness gets in our way, and I think for me--I’m a graduate student right now. My undergraduate degree is in theatre, but my graduate degree is in pastoral ministry. So, using things like the witches to show us that the negative, evil things inside us can influence the way things happen in the real world if we let them. Showing people that this story is still relevant--that’s what makes Shakespeare Shakespeare. Everything that he wrote is about our humanness, and those themes last generations.

Ivan, how is the process with you acting where you are normally the artistic director?

Right from the beginning, I thought it was going to be a bit complicated because I knew I would need to step in and help out with the production aspect of things. I decided to step back. It would be very easy to start giving notes to the actors or tell Gabriella to change blocking, but I am stepping into the acting and letting my team lead. This is the first time I worked with Gabriella and Lily Raesan (the Assistant Director), and they have truly been doing a fantastic job of leading this project. I have full faith in them, which makes my job much easier to not worry about the whole picture of things. I am also doing costumes and props. I have such a strong team that is very supportive, and they are very good leaders; I can really trust them. 

Ivan, what do you want audiences to know about the show before they come?

People should know that it’s not really a kids’ show, even though it centers around a kindergarten, there is some profanity and crude humor. It’s a PG-13-type show. A fun thing about this show is that we have a lot of UIW alumni involved in this project. Our lead actress is still currently there. It’s like a UIW spin-off, so it’s very nice.

What do you hope audiences take away from the show?

Gabriella: I would say just a better understanding of what it means to be human. I think that’s really any director’s hope with any show they direct. There is this quote from one of my UIW professors, Christopher McCullen, gave us on the first day of any of his classes. It’s a quote from Oscar G. Brockett, and it talks about how the reason theatre has lasted as long as it has is because it is the only artform where humans are both the medium and the subject. It’s something that has always stuck with me, and I think that is what makes theatre so amazing. So, I hope my audience remembers that we are all human and that we have not only evil attached to us, but goodness too. We all get to sit in the space and enjoy something together, and I think there’s a lot of goodness to come from that. 

Ivan: I think audience members will identify with this show for two reasons. First, the question of how much would you do for your child? We are constantly trying to fight for what is best for us or for our family. Second, the show centers around the theme of social circles. We see in the show that the couple who are the epitome of perfect parents are being told why they need to enroll their child into Bright Ideas. They are being pressured into fitting into the social circles because they know that if they fit in they are going to start being more successful. It’s just the pressures of life that people go through to try to fit in. I think everyone, regardless of their stage in life, will relate to this show.

Are there aspects to the Miscast Theatre Company that make it unique?

We are still continuing our tradition of ASL shadow interpreters. It’s not just a show where the interpreters are on the side signing the show, they are on the stage signing the show. Each interpreter is assigned a character, and they follow that character around on stage and sign the show. We have three of those shows. Based on feedback from last year, these shows are a really big hit! 

We also give two designated dates as opportunities for our understudies to perform.  Our goal is for our understudies to fully prepare with us, making them secure when they get on stage.

The link to buy tickets to this show which runs August 8-18 is below. Check it out!

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