THE ULTIMATE LATINA THEATRE FESTIVAL: EXPLORING THE COMPLEXITIES OF LATINA LIFE

As young child I was raised in a single parent home by three latina women.  My aunt Nidia was the money making business woman constantly trying to advance her career.  Aunt Esther was the sister with the beautiful figure always driving men crazy!  And my mother was the older responsible sister; kind of like the moral authority of the family constantly struggling with the challenges of raising two children, problems with money and failed relationships. 

When I first head about The Ultmate Latina Theatre Festival I was immediately drawn to the festival's concept and source of inspiration.    Sexual passions, intelligence, humor and frustrations with dead end jobs are a few of the issues discussed in a array of theatrical plays that explore the complexities of Latina life.  

Last thursday The Ultimate Latina Theatre Festival opened with the rousing and funny "Please Hold" by Jenny Saldana.  The trailer can be viewed on YouTube.com:  "Please Hold."  Saldana's play is the first of 8 nights at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York where Latina actors, playwrights and producers showcase their work.  LatinVibe recently had the pleasure to interview one of the Stars of "Please Hold", the beautiful and wonderful, Rachel Strauss!  We're honored to have this opportunity to bring you the inside scoop:

What do you feel is the significance of The Ultimate Latina Theatre Film Festival and how did you land this role?

The Latina Theater Festival is the brainchild of the amazing Linda Nieves-Powell and it’s so very significant to me because it celebrates Latinas both on stage and behind the scenes. It is a true blessing to be a part of the culture and have a platform that commemorates us Latinas in the arts. 

I landed the gig after Jenny Saldana saw my feature in HBO Latino’s Habla Ya special. She was also one of the featured subjects of the documentary, and we actually met in the makeup prep room the day of the shoot last year! She hand-picked me for the role of Suzy in her play, “Please Hold”, and it was an incredible honor to be selected.

Tell us more about your character Suzy AKA Cinnamon. What are her goals and ambitions?
Cinnamon is my “900 Horny Chick” name! LOL (The three of us, Elaine, Maria and Suzy work at a customer call center and take all different kinds of calls for different businesses) So my character’s real name is Suzy, and she recently moved to New York City from Greenville, IL to become an actress. She uses A LOT of acronyms in her speech (i.e. LOL, OMG, ASAP, etc...) She is bubbly, ambitious, and very excited to take on the big apple and score a huge acting gig. The only problem is she just keeps landing roles as “extra girl # 3” on episodes of Law and Order. She’s still waiting, and waiting, and waiting for her big break! 

Are there any personal experiences that you feel allowed you to relate to your character? 
Absolutely! So I guess I’m a thriving actress in real life too! Right? Rachel is also pretty bubbly (and loves to talk in 3rd person LOL). 

In the play Suzy juggles playing different roles as an operator... first as a bank operator, then hair product company rep and lastly as a 1-900 sex operator (I'm loving it!) What role did you enjoy playing the most and why?
The sex phone operator! LOL One of my favorite scenes is where Cinnamon is chatting with a shy woman who is trying to save her marriage by learning how to be “sexy”. Cinnamon teaches her a few things, including how to do a split, and turns the woman on so much that she leads the {at first shy} woman to a big “O”! It’s very caliente!

Humor aside... what do you feel is the overall message that the play is trying to send to young Latinas?
The overall message is that no matter what’s handed to you on a silver platter or what you strive for, success and happiness are attainable; you just have to want it. Sometimes you just have to put certain viewpoints on hold. 

The frustrations of working 9 to 5 dead end jobs can be very overwhelming at times. For young latinas that are in this position... what would you like them to know?
Sometimes you must take a step backwards in order to take a leap forward.

The play was written by Jenny Saldana... were you able to work with her directly? What was it like to work with Saldana?
Jenny is an incredible playwright, director and actress. She’s a true inspiration to work with. I learned so much from her; from how to develop my character, to how to genuinely have fun on stage. She’s tough, and it was a lot of work, but our performance was as close to perfection as I dreamed. 

Tell us about the dynamics between you and your castmates. How fun was it to work with such a cool group of Latinas?
OMG! (Jeez, I can’t seem to get out of character!) Inma Heredia, Jenny Saldana and I were all featured on HBO Latino’s Habla Ya documentary (we were coined the Habla Ya girls!), so to transition from working together on camera to the stage was amazing. The dynamic was fierce. It was so important to jive together, because there are no do-over’s in theater! It was vital to listen to each other, feel each other’s emotions, and react appropriately. I love these women, and hope to work with them again very soon!

What did you enjoy most about this experience?
Tough question! If I had to choose one thing, it would be the bows we took after opening night at in front of a packed house at the Ultimate Latina Theater Festival. I’ve been in the audience of the legendary Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe many-a-time, but to grace the stage, receive a standing ovation and take that bow of accomplishment was an out-of-body experience. I could have bowed all night...it felt so good! 

You seem to be involved in so many exciting projects including a Hispanic radio show. Please tell us about your radio show! 
Yes! I am a renaissance Latina! I am Loca La Boca on Urban Latino Radio. I am the host of a weekly show entitled “Bochinche Bueno” where my fellow crew members (Mizz Melodie, Mike Diaz and K-Von) and I dish out on the gossip of the celebs we love to hate, with a twist of our signature sarcasm of course! We play fun games, pranks, have special guests and just bug out. You can listen to us every Thursday from 7-9PM on www.UrbanLatinoRadio.FM!
I also just landed and shot a great gig with the NY International Latino Film Festival. I am so proud to have been selected to star in their 2009 advertising campaign. I haven’t seen the final product yet, but you should be able to see me on their web site pretty soon www.NYLatinoFilm.com, as well as on Time Warner Cable, HBO, and anywhere else they advertise!

When you wake up in the morning, what inspires you to keep pursuing your dreams?
You know, I recently pin-pointed what my destiny is in life...it’s to entertain and make people smile. Sound so simple, but it’s a tough job... SOMEBODY has to do it! But really, I wake up every day and I always try to one-up myself. What can I do that will top what I’ve already accomplished? How can I climb higher? These are the questions that keep me going...

Whats next for Rachel Strauss and where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?
Ten years huh? Well, I kind of wanna pop out some kids by then! In the interim, I am going to stick to entertaining...I plan on eventually developing a one-woman show and broadcasting it to the world. So stay tuned!!!

Many thanks to Rachel for the wonderful interview!  Its great to see young hispanic talent doing innovative things in the industry that celebrate our latino culture and heritage.  You can visit Rachel Strauss's blog at LocaLaBoca.com or follow her on MySpace and Twitter!

The Ultimate Latina Theatre Festival ends on 6/11 so there's still an opportunity to catch one last show!  Click here for more information.