Today we’d like to introduce you to Jose Vargas.
Hi Jose, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born in the city of Santiago de Chile; from a very young age I began to show my interest in the performing arts. I grew up in a conservative family where nobody expected me to be an artist and despite all the difficulties, opportunities began to come my way. In 2012, I had the opportunity to audition for the famous Chilean director and show woman called Maiten Montenegro (Univision TV-Miami), with whom I worked on different shows and TV around Chile. The lights, the glitter, and the magic propelled me in 2016 to audition for the renowned Tony Award winner Baayork Lee, who was producing “A Chorus Line” in Chile.
After an extensive and hard audition process, I was finally selected to be part of the cast. At that moment my life changed, and I made the decision, with the help of Baayork, to move to New York City. This is when I decided to study musical theater at the acclaimed American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA), where I had the opportunity to train and grow as a performing artist. After my graduation, I have had the opportunity to work in different musical theater productions and Netflix.
In the year 2020, life hit me with the Covid-19 pandemic where I saw all my dreams frustrated once again and I had to return to Chile, losing the opportunity to complete my work visa in the United States. I have always said that my greatest art is to transform the bad into something positive, so I decided to enroll online at The New School to complete my Bachelor’s degree. Today I have managed to return to New York to continue completing my career as well as being part of the Galli Theater productions where I also dedicate myself to training young artists who dream of one day having the opportunity to shine.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
My path has always had many obstacles, for instance, Chile is a country that does not support artists and at first it was very difficult for me to find the resources to be able to go to New York. There are no scholarships, there are no cultural programs, and there is very little interest in the arts in general. That’s why my family finally decided to help me find something better, but obstacles continued to appear. Language and culture are just some of these obstacles I was exposed to, which I had to fend for myself in a city as large as New York City. Challenges also came with Covid-19 where my whole world collapsed and I had to return to my country and start from scratch, without all that I had built with great effort.
Many months passed in which I felt unmotivated without knowing what I was doing with my life and so it was that which motivated me to challenge myself and looked for a way to continue moving and learning at The New School. Financial resources have been a great conflict throughout my journey, my family has been divided by helping me have a career in the artistic world and be the best version of myself.
Today, I face new challenges by teaching what I have learned throughout my career to young artists. I feel that education is everything in this world and it is a huge responsibility to be able to correctly transmit the values and strength that are needed for them to be able to achieve their dreams. In simple words, I believe that I am still learning to deal with difficulties and challenges in my life. Every step of the way has taught me a lot and has made me stronger. I even feel that each difficulty I’ve faced has made me a more comprehensive artist with a broader vision of life.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
For me, it is difficult to define what my work has been, there are still many things I don’t understand about the industry, but I have loved every opportunity I have received so far. As I have told you, Chile is a country that does not have an artistic industry and it was even more difficult to take my first steps from a small town in my country. I feel grateful for the “Danzares academy” and the cultural center of Salamanca and Illapel, for giving me my first opportunities. Then my vision expanded with the creativity and bright of my beloved teacher and director Maiten Montenegro, with whom I had the opportunity to learn about TV, big shows, commercials and everything related to the artistic business. A Chorus Line was the greatest of my challenges, I was a boy who did not have the skills that a real dancer could have, that is why the challenge was double for me, I gave everything of myself and managed to find the love for dance, thanks to my dear Baayork Lee and Luis Villabon. Finally, I must highlight my time at AMDA, where I grew as a person and artist, AMDA broadened my vision and thanks to that I had the opportunity to work on shows and series in New York City. There are many shows including Cats, Cabaret, A Chorus Line, Cinderella, awards, and TV that I have in my portfolio, but if I could summarize my work, I would say that it has been the work of life itself.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
A memory that always comes to me is when I was 12 years old when I performed my first show for my family and close friends. It was a very difficult time for me, at school they bullied me for being more sensitive than my classmates and I suffered a lot in class. The system in Chile is very limited and judges anyone who is different. I spent all my extra time outside of school taking music, acting, and ballet classes. One day my Ballet teacher offered me to direct and act in my own show at the cultural center of a small town called Salamanca in Chile. I started creating choreography, transitions, and theatrical montages with the help of my ballet teacher and acting director. It was incredible for me because it is as if I had found my place in the world. The night of the show my whole family came to see me and friends that I never thought would, came to support me, it was so beautiful to be able to share my art for the first time with people that I love and know, I think it is a memory that I will never forget.
Contact Info:
- Email: josevurrutia@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josemvargasu/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/youda.bleyd
Image Credits:
Luis Zamora Caroca (Lzcfotos)
