[music: “Paloma Negra”]
ON OCTOBER 20TH MARKS THE START OF THE RUN OF FRIDA LIBRE, AN IMAGINE U PRODUCTION, AT THE JOSEPHINE LOUIS THEATER. THE PLAY IS A STORY OF FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN A BOY NAMED ALEX, AND A YOUNG FRIDA KAHLO. THROUGH WORKING TOGETHER ON A SCIENCE PROJECT, ALEX AND FRIDA LEARN MORE ABOUT FRIENDSHIP AND HOW TO OVERCOME ONE’S FEARS.
SO, WHAT DO NORTHWESTERN STUDENTS THINK OF FRIDA KAHLO? I ASKED STUDENTS AROUND CAMPUS FOR THEIR ANSWERS.
[Yujin Tatar] She’s so amazing and iconic and I love her, and she’s an amazing artist and I would like to learn more about her and I think very highly of her and have a lot of respect for her.
[Danielle Valdespino] Ugh I wish I was more informed on Frida Kahlo. I only know a little. I think her artistry is very impressive and I would love to learn more about her.
[Selena Kin] Oh I love Frida Kahlo, her paintings are amazing. I have a Frida Kahlo shirt from the Art Institute. Yeah, there’s not much to say but she’s amazing, I love her.
[Louis Chavey] I’ve like, vaguely heard of her work, I think I’ve seen a couple paintings, um, from what I’ve heard. Great artist.
FRIDA KAHLO HAS REMAINED ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR ARTISTS OF THE MODERN ART WORLD. BUT, NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW WHAT SHE WAS LIKE. I SPOKE WITH SOMEONE WHO KNOWS ABOUT FRIDA A LITTLE MORE THAN THE AVERAGE PERSON, ISMAEL LARA JR.. LARA JR. IS A NORTHWESTERN ALUMNI OF THE SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION’S MFA IN DIRECTING PROGRAM, AND THE DIRECTOR OF FRIDA LIBRE. HIS CREDITS INCLUDE PAST IMAGINE U PRODUCTION TOMÁS AND THE LIBRARY LADY, ANOTHER STORY SHOWCASING LATINE IDENTITIES
[Ismael Lara Jr.] So what we know about Frida Kahlo is that she’s an incredibly fearless woman. And that even though she experienced some hardships, she utilized those hardships in a way that propelled her forward.
[ILJ] And so what we’re seeing in this play, is this fearless woman inspiring another person who is shy and maybe unwilling to share their dreams and imagination. And she inspires him to share it with the world that that is what makes him powerful, that dreams and imagination are what propel you forward, and other ways that we used her artwork.
[ILJ] She has a theme of sky in a lot of her artwork. And so when you see the show, you’ll see that there’s a ginormous sky in the background. Additionally, she created a sketch after she experienced the accident in her life. And in this play, we do see a moment where that accident is manifested on stage and she created a sketch called the accident. And when the accident happens in this play, you will see that entire sketch encompass the stage.
FRIDA KAHLO OFTEN EXPLORED THE INTERSECTIONALITY OF HER IDENTITY IN HER ARTWORKS. LARA JR. OFFERED HIS TAKE ON HOW THAT MANIFESTS ITSELF IN FRIDA LIBRE.
[ILJ] She is the epitome of intersectionality. She is Mexican. She’s, yeah Latine. She is disabled. She was queer. She is an artist. Right? So all of these things that make her up, I think we’re celebrating them in this play.
ALONG WITH TAPPING INTO KAHLO’S DIVERSE IDENTITIES, FRIDA LIBRE ALSO STANDS AS A SYMBOL OF UNITY.
[ILJ] The story is really one of friendship, and seeing the differences in one another, and celebrating those differences and saying how magical the world can be. If we as people who are different can come together, celebrate each other and allow our differences to intertwine in a colorful, magical way.
AS AN IMAGINE U PRODUCTION, FRIDA LIBRE IS GEARED TOWARDS CHILDREN. LARA JR. SHARED HOW APPROACHING THEATER FOR YOUNGER AUDIENCES AS A DIRECTOR COMPARES TO THAT FOR OLDER AUDIENCES.
[ILJ] When working on plays that are geared towards young audiences, we really have to see the story from the lens of our younger self. And so what we want to do is we want to incorporate more elements of surprise. We want to incorporate more joy, more playfulness. And I think when I’m approaching theater for young audiences, that is what is at the forefront of my mind. How can I make this so exciting, so compelling, so engaging? And how does it still have heart? Like a play for an adult?
ON OCTOBER 7TH, EVANSTON RESIDENTS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE A PREVIEW OF FRIDA LIBRE AT A KICKOFF EVENT HOSTED BY THE EVANSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY. A SCENE OF THE PLAY WAS SHOWN.
[ILJ] The students who are in the production said that the children who were there received it really well and they were screaming and cheering and they were filled with so much joy. So I think that the students of the Evanston community are really excited about the story.
[music: “Paloma Negra”]
FOR WNUR NEWS, I’M ELLA SMITH.
Chavela Vargas – “Paloma Negra” Music from Frida (2002) Soundtrack
