INTERVIEW: Meet one of the busiest theatremakers in NYC right now
Photo: Deadclass, Ohio continues at The Tank through March 23. Photo courtesy of The Tank / Provided by official website.
There’s busy, and then there’s what Kathleen Capdesuñer has been doing these past few weeks. It’s rare to have a directing assignment in the theatrical space of New York City. It’s also rare to produce a show at a well-respected off-Broadway company. It’s almost unheard of to accomplish both creative ventures at the same time, but that’s all in a day’s work for Capdesuñer, who is currently represented at INTAR Theatre and The Tank.
At INTAR, Capdesuñer is directing The Irrepressible Magic of the Tropics, a magical realism piece written by Julián Mesri. At The Tank, she’s producing Deadclass, Ohio, which was created by The Goat Exchange. Both experiences are giving Capdesuñer a thrilling experience in theatrical storytelling from multiple lenses.
“This play is such an incredible challenge, and it is to me such a representation of making theater in the highest form because it’s such a highly theatrical play,” Capdesuñer said about her directing effort at INTAR. “And so the missing piece that we needed in this process was the audience because it’s a farce, and it’s highly comedic. And so it was just really delightful to be able to finally share it with audiences and get that last missing piece of the puzzle.”
The final day for The Irrepressible Magic of the Tropics is Sunday, March 16. The show is set in Buenos Cruces, amidst a magical forest somewhere in Latin America where the Cantilever corporation has taken root with its production of everything from sandals to cigarettes, according to press notes. The show offers commentary on weighty themes, such as capitalism, colonialism and U.S.-led economic imperialism.
“A theatrical sendup of magical realism that is viewed through the lens of satire and farce” is how Capdesuñer described the play. “Now for a regular somebody who is not in theater, I would say a wildly smart comedy about Latin America and capitalism.”
Capdesuñer, a Cuban American who grew up in Florida, has been working on the INTAR show since April 2024. She said there has been nuanced and complex conversations with the playwright, Mesri, about the themes of the play.
“It has an element of Shakespeare almost where it really needs to be activated for you to learn about it, and so, yeah, the conversations have been always very nuanced, very thoughtful and meaningful,” she said. “We [are] doing it at a historical theater like INTAR, where they really understand what we’re trying to do and taking that risk with us. … It’s a very complex show, and so we’ve been very deep in conversation since day one. But it also has given us so much opportunity to laugh at ourselves, at the absurdity of life, at the absurdity of the deep horrors that have happened in Latin America and continue to happen.”
The Irrepressible Magic of the Tropics, as Capdesuñer described it, is both tragic and hilarious. Even though the elements of the show seem otherworldly and metaphoric, many of the situations are actually rooted in history.
“It’s about the injustice that exists with the abuse of power,” the director said. “All of these very magical and otherworldly elements that exist in this play are really grounded in real things that the playwright has experienced that we all know culturally, and so it’s just really powerful to know that. Everybody has a different experience with the play. You can walk away being like, ‘Oh, that was really funny,’ and not think too much about it, or you can really sit with the play. … There’s so much depth and nuance to this piece, and it’s just so alive in that way.”
At The Tank, Capdesuñer sits in the producing seat for a loose adaptation of Tadeusz Kantor’s The Dead Class, which comes along with old photos, a live violin score, and fragments from memoirs and voicemails, according to press notes. Capdesuñer said she loves juggling multiple projects and sitting in both a director’s chair and a producer’s chair.
“It’s honestly what I love doing,” she said. “I feel like both of the disciplines inform each other and make me such an incredible and well-rounded artist. I just really love supporting the story in whatever way I can, so it was very cool. I opened my show at INTAR, and then I went right into tech for my show at The Tank. It’s really cool to have both running at the same time. It’s so great to be able to support two very different processes and be able to share two very different stories.”
Capdesuñer added: “It was a lot of negotiation of time. I did get a headstart on the show at INTAR. We were in pre-production last year, and so by the time we started rehearsals, that’s really when I started pre-production for the show at The Tank. And so there was a little bit of wiggle room with that. Yeah, there were some days where in the morning I was having a meeting for the show at The Tank, and then I was rehearsing. It was a very busy time, but … this is what I chose to do. It is a gift to be busy and able to be involved in two different pieces of work in that way, and so I was just really excited and energized by that opportunity to do both. And, yeah, the timing worked out really well.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Tank’s Deadclass, Ohio continues through Sunday, March 23, and INTARs’ The Irrepressible Magic of the Tropics continues through Sunday, March 16. Click here for The Tank show. Click here for the INTAR show.
