"In Arabia We'd All be Kings." by Stephen Adley Guirgis,
& directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman
Reading to celebrate 20 years since our original production.
David Zayas, Ana Ortiz, and I performing together again.
"GERNIKA LIVES"
"Gernika Lives" is about the bombing of Guernica. The first place on earth to be bombed. The Nazi planes dropped their aerial ammunition over this innocent civilian population with the aid of Fascists Franco and Mussolini, as precursor to World War II, and the Spanish Civil War. Since the XVI Century it was under Gernika's symbolic oak tree that in their Euskera language, leaders gathered to debate, resolve political issues, swear oaths for Basque civil rights and liberties, and come to agreements amongst neighboring kingdoms. Since founded in 1366, Gernika has historically symbolized the freedom and independence of that bountiful territory called Euskadi.
For me, it was simply my personal ancestral history, remembering my father telling me as a child, stories of the atrocities he, his family, and his people endured. I sat on his lap absorbing his pain, and registering the tears running down his cheeks while he shared his childhood traumas of fear, loss, and misery.
At 26, after visiting my family for Christmas, the nagging idea of returning for the 50th Anniversary to make a documentary, took hold of me. With the money earned as a film actor in Hollywood, I was able to return, raise funds, secure a Basque producer, and bring my father to the April 26, 1987 commemorations. As an autodidact, and with the support of talented colleagues I learned filmmaking through doing, making mistakes, and following my passion. The film captures many beautiful Basques explaining in vivid detail their tragic experiences, exposing the lies, and imploring world leaders to abstain from inhumane and unfruitful violence. Most of them were friends of my fathers who are no longer alive, so this film is a treasure for me, and I hope for you too. When I tried to get distribution in the States, I was told that nobody would be interested in that subject though Picasso's Guernica was a renowned masterpiece. I was devastated, but now I feel like a pioneer, rewarded to see how the contrary is true, and Gernika is relevant to all who advocate peace (BAKEA in Euskera.)
"Invisible Catalyst" a visual poem.
SINGING at First Unitarian Church for a fund raiser hosted by Ed Asner
Songs: Lost in the Stars and Listen to my Song by Kurt Weill, & Gracias a la Vida by Violeta Parra.
ACTING DEMO
"In her mouth lingers the taste of another man"
One-Woman theatre piece of writings by Bertolt Brecht, and music by Kurt Weill.
Bertolt Brecht's erotic songs and poems, performed at NYU's Deutsches Haus and the Gas Station, an iconic avant-garde art space (also called 2B) in New York City's, East Village. Conceived for Vienna's theater company, Sparverein Die Unzertrennlichen, directed by Kurt Palm, musical director, Josef Reiter, Production design: Ursula Huebner, production manager, Martin Fritz. Many papers refused to print the title, in 1990. Because of its raciness, the video on youtube is restricted to mature audiences.
Other recorded Performances:
Invisible Catalyst (Poem to Covid-19 NY)
A scene from "In Arabia We'd all be Kings" by Stephen Adley Guirgis
Benefit performance at First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles, hosted by Ed Asner
"Silver Tongued Devil" Begonya Plaza for Rimes of The Ancient Mariner February 24, 2016
Cat and I in Port Lligat researching Salvador Dalí
Childhood friends: Mauri, Felipe and Jesus breaking bread in Euskadi
On the US1 with Zelda Kaplan * Jeffrey Gurian