ABSTRACT
As more theatre is being produced by the ever-growing Latino population in the U nited States, and as more Latino actors are trained to perform Shakespeare, I think it is crucial to add our perspective to the discourse on colorblind casting. I am an actor, director, and teacher originally from Bogota, Colombia. I have been playing with Shakespeare in the training studio, the rehearsal studio, and on the stage since my teens. From the beginning, I have played with Shakespeare in both English and Spanish. Until recently, I believed I had mastered Shakespeare — the language, the stories, the characters — and made him my own. But after engaging in some fascinating conversations about the cultural politics of Shakespeare, I have been wondering: Have I been deluding myself? After much pondering and intellectual toil, I would like to offer my complex and occasionally contradictory observations, thoughts, and revelations to the vital conversation contained in this collection.
