Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Miranda.
Hi Andrea, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Like a chapter in a book, I can say that I don’t just have one story. My body is a canvas of uncountable chapters that together, form part of the book that is me. I was born in San José, Costa Rica in 1991. The daughter of evangelical pastors. I grew up in a church and a Christian school. It was like that for 18 years. At the age of 12, I faced my sexuality and from an early age, I began to question everything that I was taught at the altar.
In my adolescence, I found the theater and it was the theater that got me through the hardest years of my puberty. I was certified professionally at the School of Dramatic Arts of the University of Costa Rica and little by little I understood that theater was mine forever home. In 2017 I wrote my first play entitled Deburdeles (The War Unspoken in English) and that same year I directed it. I continued directing and writing until 2021 when I decided to come to Houston.
In Houston, I had the opportunity to audition/act for different theatrical productions and that is how in January 2023, with a group of talented US artists, I directed the play Fando y Lis by the renowned Spanish playwright Fernando Arrabal. I consider myself a lonely – eccentric soul in a small body. A small body with a giant imagination. The theater that I do is unique. A political theater that comes to criticize the status quo that governs us today.
I direct and write because it is my way of fighting against social injustices. Today… I am adapting to multiculturalism. I’m observing very well what is happening at the political level and how the planet earth is changing. Always with a pencil in hand and a telescopic look. That’s where I stand right now.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Of course not! It has been a bumpy flight. I’ve been called the “black sheep” of the family and leaving my homeland and friends has been one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever made. As for the struggles… Building my spirituality and reconstructing history has been extremely painful but somehow healing. Understanding and getting in touch with my “sensitivity” and “uniqueness” continues to be a very difficult and challenging task.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I proudly represent myself as a Latin American woman, activist, artist, and educator. I’m also the founder and Artistic Director of Manifiesto Escénico Producciones. As for my work… I believe that the theatrical experience should be a revealing ritual. Through the visceral and the political- the break from everyday life- we can create metaphysical bridges that converse with the audience on a spiritual and emotional level.
I would have to say that my work is constantly loaded with symbolism and social criticism. The answers are not given to the audience. However, my main objective is to find ways for the viewer to analyze, decipher and understand these artistic universes from their own life experience and role in society.
I’m most proud of my first play “The War Spoken” (2017) which won international recognition at the Inca Imperial Film Festival and the International Screenwriting Competition in NYC. I would also include “Mis dos x uno primaveras y un tiquete con Destino Directo al baño de la Carretera Voss” (2021), a video performance and award winner of the ARG International Film Festival Paris in the category of the Best short script.
We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking.
What about leaving your homeland to explore the world with your incredible partner? That’s one of my major risks. Also, I would have to say that acting while directing in another language is one of the most difficult challenges that I’ve ever faced. As for my perspective… Face forward, work hard, be humble, and keep walking. Nobody is going to do it for you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://andremirandagonza.wixsite.com/manifiesto-esc-nico?fbclid=IwAR3X7HnqD28rglOloD24VaLNXooAvBH0OfGUP2PkMz4vsnADlsJnQpS13z4
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manifiesto_escenico/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100051497873567
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOHkPvAayxIbpJF_4ISjDDw
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/andremirago_photography/
