Interview: Marissa Chibás, Clayton Cardenas, and Bobby Soto of CLOUD TECTONICS at Inner City Arts

Director Marissa Chibás encountered Jose Rivera’s Cloud Tectonics when it “first came
into the world” 28 years ago, but she feels the story about an apocalyptic storm is
startlingly prescient for contemporary LA audiences. “The play is about mystery and
magic,” she surmises, “and how we miss the little moments in life that are actually the
big moments.” She praises the quality of the text, sharing, “It surprised me how much I
feel like the play is carrying us. When we are in rehearsals asking, ‘What’s next?’
‘What’s missing?’ the play answers. The cast opens new doors and I hear new things in
the play, but it is a very generous play that offers more and more to dig into.”

With Chibás at the helm, the production promises to soar beyond a trial of a new art
form by veteran film and TV actors. After all, Cloud Tectonics is a passion-project driven by
a response to an immediate need. Producer and actor Bobby Soto explains, “there’s a
strike. What are we gonna do when we (actors in LA) are not being called for meetings
and auditions? We conjure the spirit and we let it play.” Clayton Cardenas, another actor
in the production, expounds, “I’ve mostly been working in TV and film, so there has
been lots of learning in this process. Theatre work is very consuming. It’s more external.
It’s been a welcome challenge.”

In our time chatting, it became evident that Chibás feels strongly about LA’s theatre
scene. When an actor remarked, “theatre in LA is not a thing, it’s not Broadway,” Chibás
(who proudly intoned that she has been working in the theatre in LA since the 90s) was
quick to weigh in with her thoughts. “Broadway looks to Europe and its primary form
takes after Anglo-American art. Our major cultural influences in LA are Latin American
and Asian. We don’t have the same support for live theatre as other cities, and our
leaders haven’t made the same levels of investments, but we need to recognize the
strengths of theatre in LA. We need to celebrate what we already have.”

Producer Alejandro Fumero Gil says the production has taken to heart its duty to embrace and celebrate the varied cultures represented by the LA community. He has garnered support from Homeboy Industries, Brown N Proud, Brown and Soul Brewing Co, Cal Arts Center for New Performance, Empanadas Boricuas, Firme Mezcal, and Aguas Locas to make the play possible. The piece also features artistic costuming by Israel Valencia of Valencia Collective and commissioned Chicano painter, Eric Mancha for program art.

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