Interview: Vanessa Severo On Bringing FRIDA... A SELF PORTRAIT to Shakespeare Theatre Company

Shakespeare Theatre Company presents FRIDA... A SELF PORTRAIT, written and performed by Vanessa Severo and directed by Joanie Schultz. On the eve of Frida Kahlo’s death, the pain and passion of an extraordinary life are laid bare as Severo cracks open a powerful portal between herself and the celebrated Mexican painter, bringing breathtaking physicality and raw honesty to what the Chicago Sun-Times called a “visually lush, emotionally rich” portrait of one of the world’s most iconic artists.

Severo, a Brazilian-born writer, performer, and movement director, makes her STC debut with the piece, which has been performed across the country at theatres including Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Writers Theatre, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Geva Theatre Center, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Portland Center Stage, and Kansas City Repertory Theatre, as well as internationally for World Theatre Day 2025 in Rio de Janeiro. The play earned a Joseph Jefferson Award nomination for Best Solo Play and was named to the Kilroys’ List in 2020. Severo’s other credits include writing and directing DRACULA at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park and Kansas City Repertory Theatre, and writing RUBIK, for which she received an NEA New Work Grant.

BroadwayWorld spoke with Severo about the friend who first saw Frida in her, finding the real Frida beyond Casa Azul, and why movement speaks when words fail.

What first drew you to Frida Kahlo’s life and work, and when did you know her story needed to become this particular piece of theatre?

I was first drawn to Frida Kahlo after a friend mentioned that he saw something of Frida in me. I began researching her life and discovered an extraordinary woman who was decades ahead of her time. In a time when female artists of the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s were expected to paint within traditional boundaries, Frida was doing something else... she was painting her pain and tragedies, unfiltered and without apology. She was a fierce feminist whose ultimate ammunition was her own autonomy, and I found that really compelling. I wanted to bring her back to life.

Initially, I wrote a version of the play centered on six major tragedies Frida faced between the ages of 6 and 47, exploring how she transcended them. But in 2021, I realized that to honor Frida’s legacy, I had to be as honest as she was. So... I rewrote the play to intertwine my own story and truth alongside hers, and that dual narrative is the version on stage today.

What was it like visiting Casa Azul, and how did that experience shape or change the show?

Visiting Casa Azul was a profound experience, because it challenged my naivety. I went in expecting to see her home, filled with her furniture, personal knick-knacks, and... well... her spirit. Instead, I found a space stripped away by curation, functioning more like a museum. A local in Coyoacán (an Uber driver) told me, “Frida isn’t at Casa Azul. She’s in Dolores Olmedo’s house.” I visited the Dolores Olmedo Museum, and found Frida there. The grounds were alive with peacocks and generations of Xoloitzcuintli (hairless dogs) descended from Frida’s own pets. Inside, there were private photographs I had never seen on the internet or in books. Experiencing that allowed me to move past the “Fridamania” we know today and really find the complex human she was.

How did you approach writing a solo show versus performing in an ensemble, especially given your movement background?

Writing a solo show is like breaking open your ribcage and letting everyone view your beating heart... and then being strong enough to let people critique its operation. With an ensemble, you have the masses to join you, and help you all leap in hopes a net will appear. With solo work, you jump, and...

How has the piece evolved since its earliest productions to this Shakespeare Theatre Company debut?

The piece has evolved tremendously over the last decade. When I wrote the very first, very rough draft in 2014, it was a short piece that moved through six chapters of Frida’s life. Since then, I traveled to Mexico City, walked through Casa Azul, immersed myself in the streets of Coyoacán, and uncovered a version of Frida that exists beyond art books, academic research, or the internet. I also decided to share my story alongside hers.

What role does dance-based movement play in telling Frida’s story, as opposed to relying on dialogue alone?

Movement is a universal language. When words fail us, we move. There are things in life that impact us so deeply that words cannot capture. To share some of Frida’s hardest trials, I chose to speak through movement so that no matter what language you speak, you can understand her story.

In what ways has playing Frida over so many years and productions changed you as an artist?

I listen more. I listen very closely to the audience. They are taking an enormous leap of courage to carve out time to sit in a room with me, and share a moment of humanity. I am deeply grateful to each and every one of them.