Oldest City’s founding brought to life on stage

 Timucuan artifacts, Pedro Menendez outline city’s story

By PETER GUINTA

 A reflective yet self-justifying “Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles” took the stage Monday at Flagler College Auditorium and recounted details of his founding of St. Augustine in September 1565, his successful attack against Fort Caroline and his massacre of 150 shipwrecked French sailors.

Television actor Chaz Mena portrayed Menendez as passionate, noble, ambitious, callous and devout.

“I am not a conquistador,” he told the packed 800-seat  auditorium. “I want to be your founding father.”

The presentation was the second of seven in the Discover First America: Legacies of Florida series.

Just before “Menendez” spoke, Kathleen Deagan, the University of Florida’s distinguished research curator of Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, described the search for archaeological evidence found in scores of digs at the Fountain of Youth and the Mission of Nombre de Dios.

She said he arrived here in five ships of 11 he started with in Spain.

However, the location of his first fort has not been determined, she said.Two accounts contradict one another. The first says the Spanish soldiers dug a trench quickly to act as protection against the Timucuan. The second says Menendez was offered a large house in the Timucuan village of Seloy.

He arrived with 800 people — 300 soldiers, 200 sailors and several hundred “useless” people, he reported. But by November of that year, the colony was down to 200 people

“It was a hard beginning,” Deagan said. “There was hunger and the Indians were becoming hostile.”

In 1566, Menendez moved the city to Anastasia Island for seven years, she said.“No trace of that settlement has ever been found,” she said, adding that high tides, storms, seasonal floods and soil erosion may be the reason both sites have not been located.

She did show photographs of the very few Timucuan artifacts uncovered by her digs.

In 1572, Menendez moved the city back to the mainland, to where it is today.When he first arrived, Menendez held the first Thanksgiving in the New World.

“There wasn’t turkey, but garbanzo beans, ham, olives and fish and small game,” she said. “There were very few deer.”

“We are fairly certain that the first fort was somewhere near the area of Hospital Creek,” she said.

The energetic Mena acts in movies, such as “Miami Rhapsody” with Sarah Jessica Parker, plays a judge on Law & Order and performs in off-Broadway plays.

His research and performance were so thorough that one might think Menendez had been channeled.

“There is an old Asturian saying, ‘Once you have a reputation, especially a bad one, go to sleep, you cannot change it.’” he said.

He had been a merchant with his own ships when Phillip II, king of Spain, asked him to go to the New World to counter the French, who were already there, he said. He had been with his wife for only four of his 20 years of marriage, he said.He called the Gulf Stream “a river given to the Spanish people by God.”

Trying to explain his sometime cruelty, he said, “I was reared in violence and governments depend on people like me.”Discover First AmericaThe Discover First America series celebrates the city’s 450th commemoration, 2013-2015. All programs are free and are held in the Flagler College Auditorium beginning at 7 p.m. The series continues with the following programs:

* Dec. 9 — “Pirates! Fact and Fiction,” with Pat Croce, Pirate Soul museum curator, author and entrepreneur; and Brendan Burke, Lighthouse Archeological Maritime Program.

* Jan. 7 — “The British are Coming!,” presenting Bill Barker as Thomas Jefferson (through the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation), John Stavely as Jesse Fish and the British Night Watch.

* Feb. 5 — “The Great Southern Cracker Roadshow,” with Janis Owens, author and storyteller; Dana Ste. Claire, author and Cracker historian; and bluegrass musicians.

* Tuesday, April 13 — “Palaces in Paradise: Flagler’s Age of Opulence,” with Tom Graham, professor emeritus of history, Flagler College; John Blades, executive director of Flagler Museum; and a special “Conversation with Henry Flagler,” with Flagler played by Tom Rahner and Mayor Joe Boles as himself.

* Tuesday, May 18 — “Road to Freedom: African-Americans in Florida,” by Derek Hankerson and James Bullock, both actors and creative directors.

Arts Council, Hillsborough County

Chaz Mena as Jose Marti - Mark your calendars!
The Visual and Performing Arts Series presented by HCC Student Activities is pleased to present in performance Chaz Mena in Charla – A Chat with Jose Marti’ Thursday and Friday, October 8th and 9th at 7:30 pm at the Mainstage Theatre of the Ybor City Campus Performing Arts Building deep in the heart of historic Ybor City where Jose Marti’ gave some of his most important speeches.

Noted film and Television Actor Chaz Mena performs Charla,- A Chat with Jose Marti’. Presented in the Chautauquan style Mena engages his audience frankly and openly, encouraging them to speak to José Marti’ the 19th century Cuban Humanist, Poet and Revolutionary. The audience becomes a partner in his performances, encouraged to pose questions, and to participate throughout.

Mr. Mena has toured Charla – A Chat with Jose Marti’ extensively and he has a recurring role on NBC’s Law & Order and was nominated Best Supporting Actor '97 & '02 - ACE Award (Cable) He was most recently seen in the Tampa Bay area in American Stage Company’s Tuesday’s with Morrie.

"Charla…offers a powerful and evocative presentation of a decisive moment in the formation of the Cuban nation. Mena's portrayal of José Martí is at once realistic and riveting. He persuasively transports the audience into conversational mode with the historic Marti, and in the process brings to life the Cuban past."
Dr. Louis A. Pérez Jr., Director, Institute for the Study of the Americas University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

"Chaz Mena’s portrayal of José Martí taught my students more about Cuban history, North American politics, and virtuoso acting in forty minutes than any of them had learned in an entire semester. Chaz Mena gives a master class in historical research, in dramatic expression, and how to relate directly to an audience with respect, humor, and intelligence. His way of including the audience in a dialogue, and to do so subtly, is indeed amazing. Before you realize it, you become so engulfed in a fictive world that, because of Mena’s flawless work as a historian, has all the proper trappings of the complex life of José Martí."
Ron Cooper, Ph.D., Assoc. Prof. of Philosophy,Humanities & Social Sciences Department, Central Florida Community College, Ocala, Florida

The Mainstage Theatre is located in the Performing Arts Building of the
Ybor City campus of Hillsborough Community College. It is located at the corner of Palm Ave and 14th Street (Avenida Republica de Cuba) in Historic Ybor City.

Tickets are $10 General Admission, $5 Seniors and $5 Students. HCC Faculty Staff and Students Free with ID

'Charla — A Chat With José Marti' at HCC in Ybor City, St. Petersburg Times

Talk about resonance. A one-man show about José Martí performed in Ybor City, where the Cuban national hero made some of his most important speeches to rally the cigar workers in support of Cuban independence.

Chaz Mena stars in Charla — A Chat With José Martí, which is done in interactive style, with the audience encouraged to pose questions and participate throughout the show. "Chaz Mena's portrayal of José Martí taught my students more about Cuban history, North American politics and virtuoso acting in 40 minutes than any of them had learned in an entire semester,'' said Ron Cooper, a professor at Central Florida Community College, in a news release.

Mena is familiar to Tampa Bay area theater audiences, having starred as sportswriter Mitch Albom in Tuesdays With Morrie a few months ago at American Stage, as well as an exiled Cuban novelist in By the Waters of Babylon at the St. Petersburg theater in 2008.

Charla is performed at 7:30 tonight and Friday night in the Mainstage Theater of the newly renovated Performing Arts Building on the Ybor campus of Hillsborough Community College, Palm Avenue and 14th Street, Tampa. This is near a couple of Martí sites: the Cuban Club at 14th Street and 10th Avenue and José Martí Park at the corner of Eighth Avenue and 13th Street. $5, $10. (813) 253-7695.

John Fleming, Times performing arts critic

From the Tampa Tribune, 24 April 2009

Reverence guides actor's portrayal

By JOSE PATINO GIRONA

jpatino@tampatrib.com

Since age 6, Chaz Mena has revered Jose Marti, the 19th century Cuban patriot, poet, journalist and thinker.

His Cuban-born grandfather gave him a book of Marti's writings for children and a picture book of the Cuban leader.

He has kept the Cuban writer at a reachable distance from that first encounter. When he went to study theater in Russia, he took a book of Marti's writings to have a familiar companion.

Two years ago, the Florida Humanities Council asked Mena, a New York-based actor, to perform a one-act play connecting Marti's work to Florida's history. He will perform "Charla, a Chat with Jose Marti," at 1 p.m. Saturday at the West Tampa Branch Library, 2312 W. Union St.

Mena's Chautauqua performance begins when Marti came to Ybor City for one week in November 1891. The Cuban Workers Federation had invited Marti to speak and promote Cuban independence from Spain.

After Mena completes his monologue, the performance turns into a question-and-answer session with the audience while Mena remains in character.

In Marti, Mena found someone who easily empathized with others.

"It is said that once you met Marti you were a different person from meeting him," Mena said.

People were struck by Marti's loving and comforting approach, Mena said. He easily could focus and listen to people, he said.

"He unapologetically tried to perfect his humanity," Mena said. "Those that give to others receive 10 times more."

Mena said Marti's writings have changed him. It has pushed him to be more understanding, compassionate and loving to others, he said.

It has also helped motivate him to learn about his family's homeland and to expand his intellect.

Mena, 42, is no starving artist. He has a master's in fine arts degree from Carnegie-Mellon University. He has performed in plays throughout the country and appeared in films, television shows and commercials. He plays a recurring character in the television show "Law and Order."

But Marti is a passion for him. About 10 years ago, his wife, Ileana Musa, encouraged him to write a play about Marti but other work got in the way.

He said he performs the play because he sees a value in people learning about Marti and is moved when he receives comments from people saying they picked up Marti's writings after seeing his performance.

He also wants people to see that Marti remains relevant.

"We are at a crossroad in our American democracy," Mena said. "We need to decide which way to go. Marti was dealing with those issues in his day."

What is the best way of making money?

HELIUM ONLINE MAGAZINE
by David Gittlin

Chaz Mena is a man of passion. Whether it is creating roles for the stage and screen or spending time with family and friends, there is nothing this forty-one year old, Cuban-American actor does half way.

Chaz was born and raised in Miami, Florida where his earliest memories included scenes of his parents and grandparents telling each other stories of daily life in their long lost homeland of Cuba. Today, the population of South Florida is predominantly Spanish speaking. A large segment of the Hispanic population is Cuban-American. This is the exact opposite of the situation in the early Sixties. At the time, the first waves of Cuban exiles were literally lost in America. Chaz remembers "coming alive" when listening to the colorful stories his family members acted out on the front porch of their two story home in "Little Havana." In hindsight, Mena realizes that telling these stories in a theatrical style enabled his family members to reconnect with their history and culture. These childhood experiences and an innate drive to tell a story that creates a shared experience have made Chaz Mena the man he is today.

After completing an MFA in Drama at Carnegie Mellon University, Mena arrived back in Miami with eighty thousand dollars in debts from his undergraduate and graduate studies. Even worse, he didn't have a single lead or personal contact that might lead to gainful employment. It took a full week of sleeping in bed and the encouragement of wife Ileana before Mena was able to face the situation. He had been brought up to be a man of action rather than words. This led him to bravely pursue his childhood dream of becoming an actor without worrying about the consequences. Now, the first of many gut-wrenching reality checks Chaz Mena would have to learn to deal with waited unannounced on his doorstep.

By working odd jobs, Mena scraped together a nest egg of three thousand dollars. He set sail for New York City to establish himself as a legitimate, working actor. Chaz leased an apartment and began searching for an agent and acting roles. A few months later, Mena was penniless. All he had to show for his earnest efforts was a case of walking pneumonia. Then, serendipity or something akin to Divine Intervention changed Mena's fortunes. While auditioning for a stage role, Chaz met the manager of the Spanish Repertoire Theater. The manager, whose name was Gilberto, recognized Mena's family name. It turned out Gilberto had gone to college with Chaz's father. He liked the father and enjoyed having his son, who bore a striking resemblance to Gilberto's old college mate, around. "It made him feel young again," Mena explains. So Chaz became a regular member of the theater company, which gave him the opportunity to play as many as six roles at a time in classical and contemporary Spanish speaking plays written by Spanish playwrights. The Spanish Repertoire Theater was the vehicle that launched Mena's career. He began landing roles on TV and in Independent films. Mena was now living his dream as a respected and well-reviewed New York actor. Yet something was still missing.

Mena says he felt like "a fisherman constantly casting his line for roles with no real anchor. " It isn't hard to understand this statement since most actors live from role to role in their working life. One night, as Chaz was lamenting about the situation to his best friend Juan Carlos, something amazing happened. Instead of commiserating with Mena, Juan Carlos came up with an inspired idea. He knew Chaz had been, from early boyhood, a fan and avid reader of the work of Jose Marti, a 19th century Cuban Poet, Humanist, and Revolutionary. Juan Carlos suggested that Chaz write a one man play about Marti and act the role of the man whose ideas were instrumental in helping Cuba win independence from Spanish colonization. Chaz's response to his friend's idea might have been, "Are you kidding?" if not for the fact that Juan Carlos was a member of the Board of Directors of the Florida Humanities Council. All Chaz needed was his resume, some head shots, and of course, the play, Juan Carlos explained. He chose to ignore the fact that Chaz had never written anything for the stage or screen before in his life. Nevertheless, the next morning, Mena woke up with the first sentence of the play in his head: "Jose is still with us."

Nowadays, between stage and screen roles, Mena travels to colleges and universities to enact the one man show with the sponsorship of the Florida Humanities council. As part of the presentation, audience members can ask questions and hear a carefully researched answer from the actor who has brought a great historical figure and his ideas to life. Getting into character, Mena expresses a "Martiano" idea: "That which is beautiful is moral. That which is moral is beautiful.

Cuban hero a man of passion, action--Florida Today

BY LARRY JOHNSTON • ALWAYS LEARNING • September 3, 2008

For more than 45 years, the U.S. has had no diplomatic ties with Cuba. This is sad. It's as if ignoring something will make it go away. Here is a country only 90 miles away, and our government pretends it doesn't exist.

This is the type of logic we expect from a child. Have you ever tried to think something away? It doesn't work.

There is so much we don't know about Cuba. For example, can you name any one of its historic national heroes? Fidel Castro doesn't count.

I'll give you one: Jose Marti. You might say he was the Cuban equivalent of a Thomas Jefferson and Henry David Thoreau all in one.

Though he was born in 1853, I had the privilege of meeting and listening to the man as played by Mr. Chaz Mena. This engaging performance came courtesy of the Brevard Reading Festival. The year was 1891, and it was the day before an important speech to a group of Cuban exiles living in Ybor City near Tampa.

Mr. Marti practiced his speech before those of us in the audience. He asked us which phrases and inflections might be more convincing and effective.

We learned his fight for independence started early. He was jailed at 16 and spent two years in prison for treason. Following his release, he lived in France, Mexico and the U.S., picking up ideas and gathering important friends along the way.

He must have left quite an impression on the people of New York. They erected a statue of him on horseback in Central Park. It still is there. He must have left a pretty good impression on the citizens of Ybor City, because there is a bust of him there, too.

My brief encounter with the reincarnated Marti exposed me to a multifaceted man. He was a man of passion and action, who, together with everything else, wrote poetry and children's books. He told us about a teacher who taught him that verbs are the heart of sentences, not the adjectives. He realized the same is true of humankind. Our worth is measured by the actions we take, not how colorful we are.

Marti returned to Cuba to fight for his country. He died leading a raid against the Spanish in 1895. But Cuba did gain its independence eventually, though some may say only temporarily.

It was a pleasure meeting Mr. Marti through Mr. Mena. Mr. Marti left behind some words you may know. Let me quote a few of them.

"I am a sincere man from where the palm tree grows, and before dying I want to share the verses of my soul . . . With the poor people of the earth I want to share my fate. The brook of the mountains gives me more pleasure than the sea."

Sound familiar? It should. His words became the lyrics to the once very popular song by the Sandpipers called "Guantanamera." It also is the unofficial national anthem of Cuba.

Now you have no excuse for not remembering at least something about one of Cuba's national heroes. Of course, you will be humming that song for the rest of the day.

Try thinking it away and see how well it works. Then report your success to those in Washington who want to think away Cuba.

Johnston is a retired juvenile court judge who travels the country to see what he can discover, proving you're never too old to learn something new. E-mail him at LarryJohnstonFL@aol.com

José Martí at NCU, Institute for the Studies of the Americas

Actor presents dialogue with José Martí

November 27 2007

by Sara Weist, Co-Editor
Daily Tar Heel

Chaz Mena, an actor from Florida, came to UNC on Nov. 17 to perform a short theatrical work about the life of José Martí.

Cuban intellectual José Martí (1853-1895) is most famous for his works of literature, his diplomatic endeavors and his role in the fight for Cuban independence from Spain.

"He's like an uncle, like a member of the family, he's always there," Mena said.

"You just can't get rid of him. He's always there; he's always present."

Mena's presentation was in the Chatauque style, which is a dramatic attempt to represent a historical figure outside the context of a specific scene. This Chatauqua work was in the form of a conversation between the audience and the historical figure Martí.

Kathy Ibarra, a UNC junior, said she liked the Chatauqua style.

"It made it possible to speak with a historical figure that no one from our generation will ever be able to talk to," she said.

"I am studying abroad in Cuba in the spring, so for me this was an awesome opportunity because Martí is a very important figure in Cuban culture."

In the presentation, Mena spoke about the all aspects of Martí's life, both personal and political.

"The Spanish say that in Cuba we are bitter," Mena said. "We are not bitter; we are dying."

Mena also spoke about Martí's family life.

"I was married, but my wife has since left me and returned to Cuba," he said. "But sometimes in the mornings, I feel something, and I know that what I am feeling is that my son is going to wake up."

Mena is traveling throughout the country presenting his work, and he said he was especially looking forward to coming to UNC.

"I was really excited about coming to UNC, more that anything because of what I had learned about Louis Pérez and the work that he is doing here," Mena said. Pérez is a history professor and director of the Latin American Studies program.

His research focuses mostly on the history of the Spanish-speaking Caribbean during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Pérez, who also attended the performance, said he was happy with how things had gone and he thought it is important for more people to learn about the life of José Martí.

"I want everyone to read Martí's works," he said. "He is a central figure in the history of Latin America."

Contact the editors of La Colina at lacolina@unc.edu.

Miami Dade College Forum, “Telling a Hero’s Story Through Interactive Performance”

Author: Christopher C. Gregory-Guider

Although the celebrated Cuban Icon and writer Jose Marti died more than a century ago, actor Chaz Mena talks about him with an infectious immediacy and intimacy. “Marti was a constant subject at the dinner table when growing up, “ says Mena. “He was like a member of the family.”

With a grant from the Florida Humanities council, Mena immersed himself in Marti’s voluminous writings over the past year in preparation for a one-man theater production that will bring the fallen Cuban hero to life. In a return to the city where he spent his formative years, Mena will perform “Charla, A Chat With Jose Marti in the Chapman Conference Center on MDC’s Wolfson Campus. The performance promises to shed new light on Martí’s tireless efforts to expose injustice and his role in Cuba’s long struggle for independence.

Mena anticipates that the theme of the performance will deeply resonate with his Miami audience, but he is quick to point out that the play ultimately promotes a universal message that transcends any one ethnic group. “The message of quality Marti expressed through his life and writings is one that applies to all and one that has special meaning to Floridians,” Mena explains the connection to Florida is immediately apparent in Mena’s performance, which focuses on Marti’s trip to Ybor City in 1891 as part of his efforts to rally the region’s Cuban exiles to rise up against colonial Spain.

The play is far more than a history lesson, though. Performed in the Chautauqua style –a mode of theatre originating in fin de siecle New York—audience members will be able to interact with Mena’s character and pose questions, much as would have been the case in Marti’s actual discussions with South Florida’s late 19-century Cuban community.

Marti’s championing of the cause of the downtrodden was not without cost. He was imprisoned and deported multiple times, although Cuban officially gained independence from the U. S. in 1902, Marti was not destined to see it: He fell at the Battle of Dos Rios on May 19, 1895 after charging Spanish troops.

“Charla” A Chat With Jose Marti proves that Marti’ spirit has secured an afterlife through artists like Mena, whose performance reminds us that history is not a closed chapter of the past, but a living and breathing voice that continues to call out to us in the present.

Miami New Times

Charla: A Drama About Cuban Patriot José Martí
Date/Time: October 25 2007
Price: FREE
Contact Info: Event Website


Check out events of importance to the community
BY CARLOS SUAREZ DE JESUS

For those who grew up in a Cuban home, childhood stories of José Martí described the legendary poet and revolutionary charging the Spanish lines astride a white steed, waving his sword overhead. Parents spoke in reverent tones of the “Apostle of Cuban Independence” and his heroic death, making it impossible to separate the man from the myth. Tonight at 6:00 at the Historical Museum of Southern Florida, Cuban-American actor Chaz Mena will don period dress and a push-broom mustache to channel the spirit of the island’s founding father during Charla: A Drama About Cuban Patriot José Martí. In Mena’s one-man show, it’s 1891 and Martí struggles to persuade his countrymen living in Ybor City to join him in overthrowing Spanish rule. Mena will engage the audience by peeling the layers off the legend to reveal what made Martí tick.

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Write-ups and Reactions to "Charla..."

Friday, June 22, 2007

El Nuevo Herald, June 14 Interview

June 14, 2007
Monólogo en inglés del pensamiento martiano
Author: SARAH MORENO / El Nuevo Herald
Edition: FinalSection: GaleriaPage: 5D
Estimated printed pages: 3
Article Text:
SARAH MORENO El Nuevo Herald El escenario es el Club Cherokee en el histórico hotel El Pasaje de Tampa, los sentimientos son la duda y la resolución, y el personaje es José Martí.
Esta noche en el Wertheim Performing Arts Center, de FIU, el actor cubanoamericano Chaz Mena recreará en su monólogo en inglés 'Charla', a Chat with José Martí, la madrugada del 25 de noviembre de 1891 en que Martí llegó a Tampa invitado por los tabaqueros para ofrecer un discurso en memoria de los ocho estudiantes de medicina fusilados por el gobierno colonial español.
El monólogo de Mena llena el vacío que los historiadores no alcanzan a cubrir: esas horas de Martí en solitario, en su habitación, después de una noche de emociones, en que fue recibido por decenas de simpatizantes, bajo una lluvia torrencial, en que departió hasta altas horas con "los pinos nuevos", los jóvenes de la comunidad cubana tampeña. Al día siguiente pronunciará su histórico discurso, tendrá el primer encuentro oficial con hombres y mujeres clave para su proyecto independentista.
"Van a ver a un hombre angustiado, preocupado, batallando. Tiene dudas porque se pregunta cuál es su función política, qué representa para esos tampeños. Está asombrado de la manera en que lo han tratado, del obsequio que le dieron --una pluma y un tintero de oro--. También sabe que estas personas esperan algo de él y debe responder. Siente que tiene un compromiso", dice Mena, que a los 6 años de edad conoció por primera vez una biografía de Martí ilustrada con fotos, gracias a su abuelo, un gran martiano y masón, que nació en 1902, el año de fundación de la República de Cuba.
"Mis padres dejaron todo para venir a este país, por unos ideales que se funden con la idea martiana", dice Mena, que nació en Nueva York y se crió en Miami.
En tertulias familiares en la puerta de su casa de la 27 avenida miamense, entre tazas de café y anécdotas repetidas, que se volvían a contar con la fruición del primer día, presenció Mena esa forma de teatro popular, la historia que se "actúa" de boca en boca, que definió su vocación.
En 1995, Martí fue compañía en el duro invierno ruso del actor, cuando luego de graduarse de una maestría en artes del Carnegie Mellon University, en Pittsburgh, fue a estudiar un postgrado de actuación en la prestigiosa Moscow Arts Theatre, fundada por Stanislavsky y Nemirovich-Danchenko. De una edición en español de la Poesía completa de Martí, repetía: "Verso, nos hablan de un dios/adonde van los difuntos/verso, o nos condenan juntos/, o nos salvamos los dos".
"Cuando los leía, sentía que no estaba solo, que estaba conectado con mi cultura, porque una de las flores más bellas de mi cultura son los versos de Martí, una reacción a la intolerancia, a la crueldad, a la apatía sobre todo", dice Mena, que siente que el texto martiano cambia con cada lector, y que a él, que se define como "hijo de la diáspora", lo ha llevado a un mayor entendimiento de su identidad.
El epistolario de Martí es una de las fuentes para su monólogo. "A través de las cartas se conoce al hombre", dice. También lo sedujo la obra de investigadores como Enrico Mario Santí --"que dice que debemos pensar a través de Martí, y no sobre él"-, y la de Carlos Ripoll, de este último en especial la noveleta Julián Pérez, que sitúa a Martí en la Cuba de los años 70.
El reto de Mena en esta "Charla" con Martí, que también establece un diálogo con el público, fue cumplir con uno de los requisitos de la organización patrocinadora, Florida Humanities Council, que establece en sus parámetros que se ofrezcan datos biográficos del personaje.
"Hay que hablar del personaje y encarnarlo. Desde el punto de vista artístico eso es difícil, porque, quién va a hablar de sí mismo sin tener una razón".
En la obra, salpicada con textos martianos traducidos al inglés por Mena, se cuentan los amores de Martí, su testimonio de la esclavitud, el dolor por la separación de su hijo, los encontronazos con su padre, su experiencia en el presidio político y las lecciones que recibió de su maestro Mendive.
"No puedo ser tan pretencioso de intentar alcanzar la psicología de Martí, pero sí tengo derecho a usar mi imaginación como actor, para ver cómo actuaría en su situación", explica Mena, que tiene experiencia representando personajes famosos en Picasso at the Lapin Agile, y a Lord Byron, en Bloody Poetry.
"Hay que ir más allá de las nociones preconcebidas. No actuar como un gran hombre", opina Mena.
Y este acercamiento hubiera complacido a Martí que, con humildad, pudo dedicar casi toda la víspera de un día importantísimo en su misión de libertador, a hablar con los hombres, de cualquier raza y credo, que le permitirían hacer realidad su empresa. ¤
smoreno@herald.com
'Charla', a Chat with José Martí', presentado por el Cuban Research Institute, hoy a las 7:30 p.m., en el Wertheim Performing Arts Center, en 11200 SW 8 St. Entrada gratis.

Posted by Chaz Mena at 6:38 AM 0 comments

Saturday, June 2, 2007

Diario Las Americas June 2, '07

Diario Las Americas Publicado el 06-02-2007
José Martí en escena

La obra “Charla” a chat with José Martí” escrita e interpretada por el dramaturgo Chaz Mena se presenta desde el 14 de junio en el Wertheim Performing Arts Center de FIU
Por Ena CurnowDIARIO LAS AMÉRICAS

Habla con fogosidad y encanto al auditorio, se para firme, tiene la frente amplia y el bigote espeso, la mirada brillante y profunda, viste todo de negro (con su inseparable levita) y transpira por cada poro de su cuerpo un amor infinito por Cuba, un patriotismo rayano en el delirio…

“Para Cuba que sufre, la primera palabra. De altar se ha de tomar a Cuba, para ofrendarle nuestra vida, y no de pedestal, para levantarnos sobre ella”…
Pero no es José Martí el que está en escena es el actor Chaz Mena que lo interpreta en la obra de su autoría “Charla” a chat with José Martí”, que se presenta a partir de este 14 de junio en el Wertheim Performing Arts Center de FIU (11200 SW 8th St. Miami. (Telf 305-348-1991) bajo el auspicio del Cuban Research Institute (CRI), Departamento de Teatro y Danza. La pieza hace su debut en grande en Miami luego de cortas presentaciones en Ocala, Tampa, Ibor City, Nueva York.

“He escogido ese instante porque a partir de entonces la vida y trayectoria de Martí dan un vuelco absoluto. Hacía sólo unos años, él se había alejado del movimiento por disparidades con Máximo Gómez (le había dicho al Generalísimo que un pueblo no se funda como se manda un campamento). Muchos exiliados no le creían, no lo veían como un líder. Sin embargo, pocos meses después emerge como el delegado del Partido Revolucionario Cubano, que toma las riendas de la guerra en Cuba”, explica Chaz, curiosamente encarnando fuera de las tablas al mismísimo Apóstol, con igual fuerza en la palabra y la emoción contenida en el pecho… y hasta en los gestos. Chaz sabe que Martí no separa la ética de la estética y que él como nadie conoció “que es de actor usar el cuerpo plásticamente”.

Chaz nació en Nueva York; sus padres, cubanos, emigraron a la gran ciudad en 1961, cuando el comunismo se adueñó de la Isla, pero fue su abuelo Manuel Andrés Gutiérrez quien le inculcó las ideas martianas desde el momento que le regaló su primer libro, “La Edad de Oro”, dedicándoselo con estas palabras: “Para un niño cubano en Nueva York”.

El actor y escritor estudió Literatura Inglesa en Barry University –la familia se mudó para Miami cuando él tenía unos seis años - se graduó de arte dramático en Carnegie-Mellon University y en Wynn Handeman, en New York, luego se ganó una beca para estudiar en la Escuela de Arte de Moscú. La obra que presenta, sin embargo, es el fruto de años de estudios sobre la figura cimera del pensamiento político cubano. Hoy en día quizás él sea uno de los que más conoce la sicología de José Martí. Pero reconoce: “No hago la obra como un experto sobre
Martí sino como amante de su obra”.
Aparte de Chaz, el público, quien al final de la obra interactúa, haciéndole preguntas sobre el momento que recrea, la obra cuenta con el complemento valiosísimo de la música original compuesta por Andy Guthrie, convertido en cubano desde el momento que conoció a Chaz. (www.andyguthrie.com)

“La importancia de esta obra es que el público adquiera un conocimiento primario de Martí. Que la comunidad anglo se asome a su pensamiento y se motive a estudiar su pensamiento”, comenta el dramaturgo en cuanto al objetivo de la puesta en escena. En cuanto al exilio –su leitmotiv- “que aprenda de la emigración del siglo XIX, que tuvo características semejantes a las suyas y supo unirse para salvar sus diferencias y alcanzar así la independencia de Cuba”.

Chaz Mena termina este domingo la obra “The boy from Rusia” que presenta en el Actor’s Playhouse en Coral Gables y tiene un extenso currículo en la actuación, tanto en el teatro como en la televisión. Recientemente apareció en “Morder of Isaac” e hizo la última temporada de “Anna in the Tropics”, nominada para el Tony-award. También actuó en la obra nominada dos veces al prestigioso premio ACE: “Sisters and a Piano” y su versión musical “Bright Lights Big City”. Otra de sus magníficas actuaciones estuvo en la Casa de Bernarda Alba, de Lorca, presentada con éxito rotundo Nueva York. (Ver www.chazmena.com)

Posted by Chaz Mena at 7:02 AM 0 comments

Friday, June 1, 2007

Another Write-up in Spanish, Diaro Las Americas

Diario Las Americas Publicado el 06-07-2007
Presentarán en FIU Charla con José Martí
El Instituto de Investigaciones Cubanas, el Departamento de Teatro y Danza, y el “Honors College” de la Universidad Internacional de la Florida (FIU) presentarán “Charla, A Chat with José Martí,” el jueves14 de junio a las 7:30 p.m en el Wertheim Performing Arts Center, 11200 S.W. 8 Street. El evento es gratis y abierto al público.
Un monólogo con música de fondo inspirado por las obras de José Martí, “Charla…” fue escrito y es actuado por Chaz Mena para el “Road Scholars Program” del “Florida Humanities Council.” En palabras de Damián Fernández, director del CRI, “a través de este monólogo, Mena demuestra que José Martí es una figura vigente.” Martí le habla directamente a la audiencia, ensayando con ellos un discurso que debe ofrecer a los exiliados cubanos la noche siguiente en Tampa, Florida, en 1891. Lo político se torna personal, cuando vamos aprendiendo sobre Martí, el hombre. Su infancia, sus estudios, sus escritos y sus amores se entrelazan a medida que el líder cubano reflexiona sobre el curso a tomar en su primer encuentro con el exilio cubano en la Florida. Martí debe inspirar a su pueblo, que en esos momentos disfruta de una vida pacífica y lucrativa en la Florida, para que lo arriesgue todo en un esfuerzo final por liberar su país. Deben aspirar a lo más alto, una Cuba libre.
“Es una ocasión magnífica para que los jóvenes cubanoamericanos conozcan más sobre Martí,” comentó Uva de Aragón, subdirectora del CRI.
Nacido en Miami pero actualmente residente de Nueva York, Chaz Mena actuó recientemente en el estreno mundial de la obra de Susie Westphal, “The Boy from Russia”, en el Actor´s Playhouse de Coral Gables. Otras actuaciones recientes incluyen la premier en Estados Unidos de “Murder of Isaac” del dramaturgo más sobresaliente de Israel, Motti Lerner, en Centerstage en Baltimore. En 2006 fue parte del elenco de la obra ganadora de un premio Tony, “Anna in the Tropics” de Nilo Cruz, representada en el Arena Stage de Washington, D.C.
Después de la presentación, que será en inglés, habrá una recepción, con cócteles cortesía de Bacardí, U.S.A., Inc. Puede aparcarse en el Blue Parking Garage. Para RSVP o para más información, llamar al (305) 348-1991.

Posted by Chaz Mena at 8:39 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Ocala Star-Banner, April 16 '07

Actor transforms into José Martí for one-man show
BY BARBRA HERNANDEZVOZ LATINA
OCALA - Chaz Mena cannot conceal his excitement. Even if he wanted to, the joy in his words would be enough to give him away. He speaks of Cuba and its heroes with nostalgic pride. The same one his father, an exiled Cuban, instilled in him as a child.But among all the men and women Mena grew up listening to stories about, the name of José Martí evokes special memories."Martí, to me, is like a family member," Mena said in a telephone conversation. "It's hard to be Cuban and talk about him objectively because it's like talking about an uncle or a cousin."Today, the childhood stories take on a bigger meaning as Mena prepares to embody the renowned Cuban independence leader. The seasoned actor will recreate moments in the life of Martí in the theatrical performance "Charla: A Chat with José Martí". In it, members of the audience will be able to "interact" with the famous political figure.Mena will take the stage at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Central Florida Community College's Webber Center. Admission is free and open to the public.Born in New York to Cuban parents, Mena grew deeply interested in his cultural heritage at an early age. Martí's name, he acknowledges, was as common in the Mena household as that of any other family member.The revolutionary's literature accompanied Mena almost at all times. He especially recalls how, as a drama student in Russia, Martí's poetry served him as inspiration."Every time I read his verses, I pulled out more strength. It restored my spirit," Mena said.All the years of reading and listening about his favorite Cuban leader were but a preamble to Mena's transformation into his latest role. Becoming Martí represented a challenge - one he was not willing to give up.With a research scholarship from the Florida Humanities Council, Mena plunged into Martí's extensive literature, translating and condensing ideas into a 45-minute performance. Most of the script is based on the political discourse "With All and for the Good of All."Remaining objective, Mena says, was the hardest part about a project that took him nearly six months to prepare for."My investigation of the character mostly focused on divorcing the person from the myth," Mena said. "I wanted to focus on a personal level because I had to transform into him ... not an easy thing to do."The presentation follows the Chautauqua style, a theatrical model that was pioneered in New York near the turn of the 19th century. In it, actors recreate the life of a historical figure and interact with the audience as though they were the person they embody.Although Mena in no way denies his admiration of Martí, he says he aimed for a faithful characterization of the revolutionary. Dressed up in an epoch costume and wearing a thick mustache, Mena will receive his audience with one purpose in mind."I want them to learn more about Martí and the sociohistorical context of 1891," he says. "We should not deify our heroes. Instead, we should think about them, or through them."