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[0:00] Martín Acuña: Hi everyone, I am Martín Acuña and you are listening to Backstage Talk.

[0:16] Martín Acuña: Jonathan Larson asked how can you make someone take off and fly in one of his songs from Tick Tick Boom. And I, for the past two years, have learned one way to do it, through the power of community. Welcome to the Latinx in Musical Theatre special for Season 3 of Backstage Talk, where we will be featuring artists from across all positions in musical theatre, from several Latin American countries and different Latin heritages. I am proud to showcase my Latinx family. I hope you enjoy.

[0:51] Martín Acuña: Hello everyone, welcome back to another episode of Backstage Talk. Today's guest is Luis Eduardo Mora. He is a Colombian immigrant. In the States, he is also an actor. Luis is the producer of Bilingual Broadway, a production company that aims to create digital and live content for Spanish-speaking audiences in the United States and Latin America. Through translations, original content, and educational programs, it will streamline the engagement of Spanish-speaking audiences with the Broadway community. Luis, I am honored and super happy you are a Colombian brother in New York, and I am super, super excited to have you over here in Backstage Talk. Welcome to the show.

[1:45] Luis E. Mora: Thank you, thank you so much for having me. And I love speaking to fellow Colombians. I mean, there are many of us out here, but to speak to another one is just always a treat.

[2:01] Martín Acuña: Yes, I agree. It is a very special treat, and truly, I am very happy and honored to feature your story on this podcast. So, tell me what made you choose the thespian path in life?

[2:18] Luis E. Mora: Well, I honestly feel like I didn't choose the thespian path in life. A lot of people know this about me. I wanted to be a pop reggaeton star when I was growing up. Like when I was 15, 16, I was like hitting the pavement, like recording demos, like trying to get managers and producers and stuff to listen to my stuff. And that was really like what I thought my life was going to be. But then, I just literally fell into a theater class in my high school, out of nowhere. Like this happened out of nowhere. It's not something that I chose at all. But in that class, I found community, I found acceptance. It was the first time that I hung out with other queer people, and that it was cool. And it was just like such an accepting experience.

And it was just such an accepting space that it just made me feel really comfortable. And that's when I was like, okay, well, maybe I'll give this theater thing a chance. And I was like, at first, I was like, this is corny. This is like, not cool. This is cheesy, like what is happening. But yeah, then I fell in love with it. Then I guess the theater bug like hit. And a big thing for me with music in live performances and live singing, like I honestly like all my favorite even like albums and stuff that I listen to are like all the live ones. My favorite one is Shakira live and off the record. So when I found theater, and I found that, you know, in musicals, it's a live performance every night, I was like, Okay, well, this is my gig, I have to stay here. And so that's how I stayed. That was the beginning of my path.

[4:11] Martín Acuña: Amazing. Amazing. And of course, Shakira had to pop out in a Colombian conversation and I mean, my queen between you and me, like, I have a full pitch to give Shakira if I ever have like five minutes with her, because I'm dying for the Broadway musical written by her.

[4:27] Luis E. Mora: A jukebox with Shakira, that would be, as you said, I would die. It would be my dream. I have a pitch. I have a presentation.

[4:41] Martín Acuña: Well, we have to get her somehow. Please do and please call me.

[4:49] Martín Acuña: Okay, so tell me more about your journey in musical theater. So you fell into a class in high school. And how did that transform into Bilingual Broadway?

[5:04] Luis E. Mora: Oh my god, well, that is that's like 10 years between point A and point B. So I'll try to keep it like quick and concise. I guess it started like going to college I, I started going to a conservatory program for musical theater in Miami, which I did not enjoy at all. I think it was, you know, and we'll talk about this a lot more in the interview, because it's what I'm all about. But I, I really don't like the idea of like using people's traumas to like get something out of them. Which is what like, musical theater and like colonized teaching is all about. In you know, sort of like training for musical theater, or even for acting in general, like, I feel like there's a way to do it, and which is like careful and responsible.

But that was not what was happening. You know, back in the day, I'm also a little bit older than I look. But you know, this, this was not what was happening at the time. And so I did not enjoy that. And then I was like, Okay, well, what do I do? Because I left that program after the first semester, I ended up like going to a community college just to like, be in college, because at the time, also, it was like, if you're not in college, you're a failure. Very Latin, very, like, yes, very Latino American, like, yes. And then I ended up going to school at Florida State University, where I ended up like settling and going to their theater program there. I enjoyed it. There were also, of course, issues with racism and discrimination, which are, again, like, it's another, like, big reason why I'm so passionate about educational programs, is to, to avoid that sort of thing happening to somebody else.

But then after, after college, I went back to Miami for a little bit. And I was like, let me do theater here. Let me see if I can find a way to like, really bring theater to South Florida. And at the time, like, I felt like things were kind of happening in theater, but I quickly realized that it wasn't the time at the time, it wasn't the time for South Florida to really have like, at least what I what I wanted to produce. I just felt like and I could be wrong. And like, people could read me for this. But I felt like South Florida was very much about like, partying. And like, I just felt like it wasn't the place to create the kind of art that I wanted to create. And for people to consume that kind of art.

I just think that culturally, it just like, wasn't there. And so then I was like, well, I guess I will try my luck in New York. And it had been a dream of mine to come to New York. And I, I used to come here a lot. You know, but whenever I had like a college break or whatever. So I came here and I started auditioning and I started to like, hit the pavement and I found moderate success like, you know, did a did a national tour, got my equity card, like did off Broadway, did readings and worked with like, people that I admire. Like that was a huge thing for me was like, literally people that that I looked up to, I ended up like, being friends with and, and calling and FaceTiming. So that was crazy.

But what I did find was that there's this like, idea of, you know, especially with with Latina people, it's like, we'll, you know, we'll make the space for you, specifically if you're light skinned, specifically, if you like don't have an accent at all. Specifically, if you're kind of like an assimilated, an assimilated Latina person was when I felt like doors really, like opened for people. And when I like, I guess like played that part is when doors opened. But I felt like when I was like, authentically myself and spoke the way that I speak. And like, whenever I like use the references that I wanted to use and stuff, like, then the invitation just wasn't there. Like it just wasn't as warm and welcoming.

So that's when I was like, well, I need to do something. And then the pandemic hit. So I guess I had a lot of time to think. And I was like, why don't I create something that celebrates Spanish speaking Latina performers, which I it's very specific, right? It's like different from like Latina performers in general, but like us who, like you said, are people who grew up in Latin America or like grew up in Spanish speaking households. And then I started to do research. And I found all this information that was just really enlightening. One of the things that I found was that Spanish speaking theater in the U.S. is called non-jurisdictional theater for actors' equity. So that means that me as a member of the union, I can go like work in Spanish speaking theaters, but it won't count towards like my health or pension.

So I'm like, well, that's blatant discrimination. So that's one of the things that I found. And then I found like, you know, just culturally in New York, 25% of households speak Spanish exclusively. So I thought, well, that's really interesting because that means that there's 25% of the population that can't speak Spanish.

[10:42] Luis E. Mora: Or that would maybe rather see theater in Spanish and there's nothing for them, right? And that's like very specific to where I live. So yeah, and then I was like, let me just start translating. And I spoke with my friend Belen Moyano, who is an angel in my life. She's currently in the National Tour of Hadestown. And she kind of taught me the ropes. She's like, this is how you translate. Like, this is how you like break down the rhymes and this is how you do it. And she consulted me on my first translation, which was For Forever from Dear Evan Hansen. And that was it. And I was like, okay, well, I guess I'm starting a thing. And it wasn't even until like way later that I was like, okay, well, this thing that I started months ago, it's called Bilingual Broadway.

I guess I'm branding it and doing something with it. And now here we are. I think I have 25 videos that are out on YouTube currently. They include honestly, most of it is me because COVID and isolation and all that stuff. But the plan for the future is to take me out of it a little bit more. But I do include a lot of collaborations, duets, and also some group stuff. And I'm just like, really happy with the work. I also did three episodes of a show live on YouTube and Facebook and Twitch and everything. And yeah, the dream is to just keep expanding on that. And I want to do live shows next. I want to do it in a post-COVID world, though. I don't want to do it now. So that's how that is. That was a very long answer.

[12:27] Martín Acuña: No, that was amazing. I mean, that's why we're here for. So now that you mentioned your work and your initiative with Bilingual Broadway, what is your approach to characters and performing in musical theater when you're translating it from English to Spanish?

[12:47] Luis E. Mora: Okay, that's a great question. So the approach is to, again, so thinking about my point of view, like who I'm making this for. On a personal level, I'm making it for my parents because I want my parents to be included in what I do. But I'm also on a larger level, I'm making it for that person who maybe has no way into the world of musical theater. There's a whole population that maybe doesn't know Sondheim and the genius that that is. There's a whole population that understands that Hamilton is this crazy thing, but has no way of really enjoying it. So that's my point of view. So with that, when I'm translating, while I do want to stay as close and I'm very, very adamant about staying very, very close, if not perfectly in line with the intention of the composer or the lyricist, I also want to keep in mind who is listening to this.

And a great example of this is I did When I Climb to the Top of Mount Rock from School of Rock. I don't know if you know that song, but it's great. It's sort of like the I Want song from School of Rock, right? The musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber. And there's a part that mentions like all these rock stars in the song. And it's like, I forget exactly what it is. I can look it up, but it mentions like three rock stars in a row. And for my translation, the last one, I wanted to include Camilo Sesto. And so I made an icon. Yeah, you know what? I just wanted to make sure that like somebody that maybe was listening to this would be able to like relate to exactly what the intention was, which was, you know, for Andrew Lloyd Webber, the intention was to name these like iconic stars.

But I wanted to make sure that like somebody that was listening in Spanish could also like relate to the iconic stars. And like, I'm very proud of that lyric change, because as we know, Camilo Sesto was also Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar in Spanish. So being that that's a Lloyd Webber thing too, I was like, this is actually like, this makes me very proud that I'm making this. And it's one of those where I was like, yeah, pat myself on the back, because I did. I thought that was a necessary change, right? Yeah. So that's how I approach it.

[15:21] Martín Acuña: That is great. And I just love it. What advice will you tell a younger version of yourself, now that you've gotten into a place in your career in which you are happy with it?

[15:34] Luis E. Mora: I would say to myself, get off your ass and create now. I, and I, listen, a lot of us do this, like this is not singular to me. This is not even singular to like, I would, I would say this is not even singular to actors, I feel like, especially when you go through, you know, like higher education and whatever you go into the world with this like mentality that, that you are going to put up, put yourself out there, and then wait for people to give you permission to do what it is that you want to do. And that can look like a lot of things that can look like for actors, it can look like auditioning and auditioning and auditioning and waiting for somebody to finally say like, yes, you can be an actor here in this, in this role, you know, for two weeks, for three weeks, for a month, for a year, whatever it might be.

But it could also look like, you know, a job or whatever that might be. And it took me a long time to realize that I am a creative person at heart. Like I've always been creative, even like, growing up in Colombia, I was always like, you know, taking things out of the trash and like making something with it, making like art or drawing or like, I was always very innovative and like always thought outside of the box. And I kind of lost that after going through training here because so much of the training is great, like be yourself, show us your trauma, use it, but now fit into this mold. Yeah. Right. But now like, make sure that you're really sticking to this type. Now make sure that you're really singing in this one particular way, because that's the one particular way that's going to get you jobs.

Make sure that like, I mean, even like my hair, like right now for people that are listening, like my hair is bust. This is how I like my hair. I don't like having long hair because I'm extremely lazy about hair care. I don't like it. So I would much rather have like bust hair. And all, I mean, every time I spoke to an agent or a manager or casting, it was like, no, you have to keep your long hair, because that's the way that's going to make you most castable. And so I say to young me, like, do what you want, create what you want, because at the end of the day, they're going to put you in a wig anyway. It doesn't even matter. It legit doesn't even matter. Like we just get so caught up on these like tiny little things.

Whether it's again, like, oh, I don't have the vibrato that this person has. I don't have the high note that this person has. I don't have the low range that they have. I can't dance. Like, just do you, create a space for yourself and create work that you're passionate about. So that's what I say.

[18:35] Martín Acuña: I, yeah, I agree with you. And it's, it's crazy. It's crazy. So now that you started mentioning how a casting director or how a manager tells you to not change or change how you physically look, what is visibility and representation for you?

[18:57] Luis E. Mora: Oh, baby. Oh, I mean, listen, like, there's, there's the answer that's like, we want to see more of our stories on the stage. Like, there's that answer, which I think is absolutely true. But for me in particular, and again, because I do have a background in education, to me, it's about decolonizing everything that we know about theater. And I think it starts like, literally when we're children. I think every single relationship and power dynamic in this industry has to change. And that can look a million different ways. But to me, I'm like, first of all, everybody needs to get paid because not having people get paid for work is crazy. Like, that is just literally like, what other career do you work for free?

That just like makes absolutely no sense. So there's that. There's also, there's a conversation that we need to be having around like, even colorism when it comes to and just straight up racism when it comes to our community. You know, recently In the Heights was under fire for that. But I, I think that it's like absolutely the conversation that we need to be having. We need to be having a conversation about around ableism as well, because as an actor, something that's very common here is that, you know, I might get a script on my inbox or whatever, like at 6pm on a Wednesday. And they say, you need to have this in by 12pm on a Thursday, like less than 24 hours turnaround. Right? And like, that is incredibly ableist because it's not, it's not allowing someone who might, you know, be who might have ADHD or who might be neurodivergent, like we're excluding people because of the systems that are in place.

Right? In the same way, auditions are super gendered in a super binary way right now, even still to this day. And so there's got to be a way to change that around too. And so to me, it's all about like, systems have to change, power dynamics have to change.

[21:22] Luis E. Mora: I think that the most important thing is to create a bridge, right? A bridge between the Latin audience and the Broadway industry. And I think that by translating these shows into Spanish, we can really open up that door for more people to experience the magic of Broadway.

[21:52] Luis E. Mora: It's not just about translating the words; it's about capturing the essence of the show, the emotions, and the cultural nuances that come with it. I want to make sure that when we translate these shows, we do it in a way that resonates with the Latin audience.

[22:22] Luis E. Mora: I believe that representation matters. When people see themselves reflected in the stories being told on stage, it creates a deeper connection. That's why I’m passionate about this initiative. I want to see more Latin stories being told and more Latin performers on stage.

[22:52] Luis E. Mora: The response has been incredible so far. People are excited about the idea of seeing their favorite shows in Spanish. It’s a way to celebrate our culture while also embracing the beauty of musical theatre.

[23:22] Luis E. Mora: I’ve been working on this project for a while now, and it’s been a labor of love. I’ve gathered a team of talented translators and artists who share the same vision. Together, we’re committed to making this happen.

[23:52] Luis E. Mora: We’re starting with a few select shows, but the goal is to expand and eventually have a whole repertoire of translated works. I want to create a sustainable model that can continue to grow and evolve.

[24:22] Luis E. Mora: I think it’s important to engage with the community as well. We’re planning workshops and events to get feedback and involve the audience in the process. Their input is invaluable.

[24:52] Luis E. Mora: I envision a future where bilingual performances are the norm, where audiences can enjoy the richness of musical theatre in both English and Spanish. It’s an exciting time to be part of this movement.

[25:08] Luis E. Mora: I also want to highlight the incredible talent we have in the Latin community. There are so many amazing performers, writers, and creatives who deserve a platform to showcase their work.

[25:16] Luis E. Mora: It’s about building a community and supporting each other. I believe that together, we can create something truly special that resonates with audiences around the world.

[25:30] Luis E. Mora: I’m really looking forward to what the future holds. This is just the beginning, and I’m excited to see how far we can take this initiative.

[25:44] Luis E. Mora: I encourage everyone to follow along on this journey. We’ll be sharing updates, behind-the-scenes content, and more on our social media platforms.

[25:58] Luis E. Mora: I want to thank everyone who has supported this project so far. Your encouragement means the world to me, and I can’t wait to share more with you.

[26:12] Luis E. Mora: If you’re interested in getting involved or learning more, please reach out. I’m always open to collaboration and new ideas.

[26:26] Luis E. Mora: Together, we can make a difference and bring more Latin voices to the forefront of musical theatre.

[26:40] Luis E. Mora: It’s about time we celebrate our culture and our stories on the Broadway stage. I’m committed to making that happen.

[26:54] Luis E. Mora: Thank you for having me on the show today. I appreciate the opportunity to share my vision and passion for this project.

[27:08] Luis E. Mora: Let’s keep the conversation going and continue to support each other in this journey.

[27:22] Luis E. Mora: I’m excited to see where this takes us and how we can inspire others along the way.

[27:36] Luis E. Mora: Remember, the magic of Broadway should be accessible to everyone, and I’m here to help make that a reality.

[27:48] Luis E. Mora: Let’s break down those barriers and create a more inclusive and diverse theatre community.

[28:04] Luis E. Mora: Thank you again for this platform. I look forward to connecting with all of you.

[28:18] Luis E. Mora: Stay tuned for more updates, and let’s make some magic together!

[28:32] Luis E. Mora: I can’t wait to see the impact this initiative will have on the industry and the audiences we serve.

[28:44] Luis E. Mora: Let’s keep pushing boundaries and creating opportunities for everyone.

[29:04] Luis E. Mora: I believe in the power of storytelling, and I’m excited to share these stories with a wider audience.

[29:32] Luis E. Mora: Thank you for your support, and let’s continue to uplift each other in this beautiful world of musical theatre.

[30:00] Luis E. Mora: I’m looking forward to what’s next and can’t wait to share more with you all.

[30:28] Luis E. Mora: Let’s make history together and show the world the richness of our culture through the arts.

[30:56] Luis E. Mora: Thank you for listening, and I hope to see you at the theatre soon!

[31:24] Luis E. Mora: Together, we can create a brighter future for musical theatre, one translation at a time.

[31:52] Luis E. Mora: Let’s keep dreaming big and making those dreams a reality!