Woman on Fire at Creative Cauldron: A Haunting Exploration of Identity and Empathy
Lenny Mendez as Paola, Woman on Fire. Photo credit: William T. Gallagher Photography.
These days, questions of race, politics, and identity put many of us immediately on edge. But in Woman on Fire, currently performing at the Creative Cauldron in Falls Church, Virginia, by playwright Marisela Treviño Orta tells a haunting story that explores these questions directly. She blends elements of Greek tragedy with a contemporary setting to delve into themes of border politics, cultural identity, and the enduring power of empathy in a small Arizona border town in the aftermath of 9/11.
Treviño Orta is a third-generation Mexican-American writer who has written multiple award-winning plays, including Braided Sorrow and Heart Shaped Nebula. Before she worked in the theater, Treviño Orta was a poet. This shines through in her writing style, with monologues almost like spoken-word performances. Yet Treviño Orta manages to avoid melodramatics. She is direct, but not overly simplified or polemic.
At its core, Woman on Fire explores identity, something we all grapple with and can all relate to. What does it mean to be me? Who gets to decide? And how am I, whoever I am, different from you?
Helen Hayes Recommended and directed by local artist Elena Velasco, this production is sponsored by Creative Cauldron’s Bold New Voices initiative, started in 2015 to support “the development of new plays or musicals written by women, especially women of color, who are underrepresented in our industry.”
Creative Cauldron’s small black box theater is a fitting venue for this particular piece. Its darkness and intimacy set the scene, along with the soft Latin American music that plays as the audience enters. As the house lights dim, a low, steady heartbeat rises. Then, heavy breathing. Enter Juanita (Odette Gutiérrez del Arroyo), the Mexican-American woman at the center of our story. Next, in a flash of light, we meet… the ghost, just what every good play needs.
Other cast members include Junaita’s husband, Jared (Evan Crump), and her sister, Araceli (Nadia Palacios). Each character offers a different perspective and experience of life. The relationships between these characters and the tensions within them propel the narrative.
Odette Gutiérrez del Arroyo as Juanita, and Nadia Palacios as Araceli, Woman on Fire. Photo credit: William T. Gallagher Photography
Juanita and Araceli clash over their different experiences and feelings about being Mexican-American. Does it define you? Should it? Does it change how you look at the world? Should it? The ghost, Paola (Lenny Mendez), is a Mexican immigrant who died attempting to cross the border. Juanita initially wants nothing to do with the ghost and tries to shut her out, but Paola persists. She insists on a proper burial, asking Juanita a pointed question: How different are we? Are a few miles of separation the only thing that kept you from being in my place?
Jared, the play’s only white male character, raises different questions. Questions that conflict with the women’s experiences but which his loyal wife refuses to dismiss.
Araceli, who does not get along with Jared, accuses Juanita of adopting her husband’s opinions as her own more than once. On the contrary, Juanita holds their conflicting views in tension throughout the play, refusing to let any of them define her.
It’s admirable that, rather than just having the white man serve as a one-dimensional villain, Treviño Orta makes Jared a real character. She doesn’t make excuses for him, but she gives him his own pain, his perspective, and his love. This gives him dignity and believability.
Woman on Fire is a production worth seeing that asks questions worth considering. The cast's passionate delivery is tempered. The set, designed by Creative Caludron’s resident designer, Margie Jervis, is efficient and straightforward. The actors are surrounded by rough cloth that lines three theater walls, creating a setting that suggests the Arizona desert and a blood-red sunset. It also serves as the backdrop for visual projections that work together with seamless sound design to give the story pace.
This compelling interplay may be partly due to Velasco’s approach as a director, which emphasizes co-creation in a shared space. Velasco also cares deeply about representation, so she brought a cast and crew that reflects this story and the broader community.
(Assistant Director Camilo Linares; Lighting Design by Lorenzo Miguel; Set Design by Margie Jervis; Costume Design by Nyasha Klusmann; Projection Design by Julian Kelley)
Woman on Fire will perform through May 11th at the Creative Cauldron, 127 E Broad Street, Falls Church, VA. To purchase tickets, call the box office at 703-436-9948 or purchase them online.
Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission.
Laurie Sara Oliver is a writer based in the Washington, D.C. area. An arts enthusiast, she studied arts, language, and culture at Eastern University. Laurie Sara advises corporations, non-profits, and individuals on effective communication. She believes in the power of art to explore ideas, ask big questions, and bring people together. Twitter: @lso757