Can you briefly describe Casta? 

 Casta is a play that was inspired by the casta portraiture of 1700s Nueva España/ modern day Mexico. The paintings were a racist hierarchy created by the noble elite in Spain. The play is a collection of scenes and songs woven together by our narrator, the Painter, and told by an ensemble of performers. The paintings depict a racist hierarchy created and enforced by Spainards in Mexico/Nueva España. The play itself is a hybrid performance of text, song, movement, and puppetry. It shares a very rare item of Latin American art history that echoes so many of the modern day conversations we have about race and identity.

Why did you decide to premiere Casta in a museum rather than a traditional theater or other venue?  

The casta paintings inspired the performance and from the very beginning of the process we imagined performing the piece near the actual historical paintings. Years ago, Jenny emailed the Blanton Museum of Art and pitched the idea. We were connected to the curator Rosario Granados, she read the script, saw a workshop, and fell in love with the project. She didn’t originally have casta paintings in the Painted Cloth exhibit, but added them upon our collaboration. Performing this show with the actual paintings that inspired it is literally a dream come true. 

Casta’s first production is in a museum but the play can be performed in a traditional theater as well. The production design is intentionally flexible to accommodate different performance spaces and modes.

How did you learn about Casta paintings? 

[jkjk] We learned about them from Adrienne! Jenny and Adrienne were roomies back in the day and Adrienne brought home the book Casta Painting: Images of Race in 18th Century Mexico by Ilona Katzew… I’ll let her jump in to share more details. But we’ve read and watched and devoured a ton since then… 

I [Adrienne]  first became aware of casta paintings from Natasha Tretheway’s poetry book Thrall. Before I read a single poem or did any research, I saw the cover of her book and knew what the paintings were (depictions of mixed-race families) before I actually knew what they were. As a person that is mixed-race (Black and Latina), I was fascinated by the paintings' history and how many different categories were invented to try to classify race in the New World. I then turned to Katzew’s book on castas and research by Dr. Susan Deans-Smith (local professor at UT). Then a generous grant from NALAC allowed me to travel to Spain and Mexico to continue my creative research.

How has using works of art as a framework changed or influenced your theatrical development process? 

[jkjk] From a directors perspective- we have been, since our first workshop in 2016, using the paintings to inspire our staging. In the first few iterations we played with staging the piece flat against a wall and using a more literal “framing,” but this time we are staging in the round. We are excited to move into a sculptural interpretation of the paintings. We are also inspired by the site of The Blanton itself. Through the design elements we are exploring a reinterpretation of a museum exhibit.

[Adrienne] My initial impulse was “Let’s put casta paintings onstage” even though I knew nothing about adaptation or art history when I began.  I knew there would be 16 short plays or vignettes (one for every painting in a casta series) and I hoped each would reflect a different image of colonial life and identity that would in some way point to current conversations about race, family, and identity. As we continued to explore, we found we needed a guide through the series, a sort of emotional “constant” for the audience to connect with so I wrote the role of Painter to serve in that role. Eventually I got out a lot of my own personal questions about the paintings, their audience, and who some of the real subjects might’ve been.

The play takes place in the atrium of the Blanton, a rather stark, open area in the museum; will you transform the space with a set, lighting, or any other traditional theatrical technology? 

Yes! There will be a set, sound cues, costumes, puppets, and props. There is also an original score by Graham Reynolds. The set is a reinterpretation of a museum exhibit. All the props are felt and textile sculptures, made by local textile artist April Garcia. The Painted Cloth exhibit is an exploration of textiles, and that influenced our decision to turn the props into textile works of art. The puppets (by Julia Smith) are also made out of felt wool. AND we have a weaving scene in the play and will demonstrate backstrap weaving during the performance. 

The process image from the press release shows paintings with the figures removed as the backdrop for rehearsals and work-in-progress showings. Does the play tie historical colonial systems to current issues, or does it stay within the eighteenth century? 

 Yes! The piece is 100% a commentary on contemporary racism and classism in the United States. The derogatory slurs and racist hierarchies that these paintings demonstrate still exist today. It is also a celebration of a beautiful and diverse tapestry of Latinx identity. One of the Casta painters that resonated the most with Adrienne and the team was Miguel Cabrera, because he defied the typical racist stereotypes portrayed in the paintings and would paint the lower Castas in fine clothes and in loving embraces. We are not actually using those backdrops anymore (painted by Rachel Long), but did enjoy exploring that approach. 

[Adrienne] My research did include several contemporary “casta” artists (Claudia Coca) and at one point we tried collaborating with visual artist Beth Consetta Rubel with the intention of creating an accompanying art show of portraits

Is the connection between historical events and contemporary experiences part of the play? 

The events in the play are fictional. The racism is real. Some characters in the play are inspired by accounts of real people (La Macho might be identified as trans or nonbinary in a modern context; they identified as male in court documents; I also drew a lot from Miguel Cabrera’s life to inspire the Painter figure) but the story is fictional. As JK mention - the racism & colorism persists and is real.

Is there one work in the exhibition that influenced your development of the play the most? If so, why that work of art? 

[Adrienne]. The works that inspired this play are not exhibited in this show - I drew largely from Miguel Cabrera’s series and Luis de Mena (his casta includes a religious figure - La Virgen - within a secular image). I know that the creative team has tried to incorporate some of the Blanton’s exhibit into the production design (set, costumes, props).

When can folks see Casta? Do they need advance tickets? 

Performances of Casta, are included with museum admission as capacity allows and will take place in the Blanton’s Rapoport Atrium at 2 p.m. on October 20, 22*, 23, 27, 29 (ASL)& 30*

*post show discussions with Zachariah Ezer)

For those who do not wish to stand while viewing a performance, limited seating will be available on a first- come, first-served basis.

No advance reservations needed. Museum admission=Casta ticket. We selected Thursday performances to ensure an affordable option for folks. Please note free Thursday admission on 10/20 & 10/27. 

$12 – Adult

$10 – Seniors (65+)

$ 5 – Youth and College ID holders

FREE – UT ID holders, Children 12 & under, and K-12 Teachers with valid ID 

——————————————————————-

Salvage Vanguard Theater based in Austin TX, is a nonprofit organization that provides accessible, affordable, artistic exchange between a diverse, inclusive community of artists and audiences through high quality experiences that foster experimentation and generate conversation. 

SVT will always trust the pace that is needed and prioritize process and care over the pressure to push.  This can yield quieter, softer stretches but we know how to get loud when the time is right. May we all stay listening and curious in our capacity to stretch beyond that which is familiar.

All images by Kate Taylor, Salvage Vanguard Theater’s Artistic Director.

Interview conducted by Christine Gwilllim.