The Collegian

Issue date: 11/7/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Courtesy of Sharon Cahill

Octavio Solis, author of the plays El Paso Blue, Gibraltar, and Marfa Lights, visited Saint Mary's last Wednesday to talk about his work. Through the discussion, students and faculty got to know Solis and his writing process before the west coast premiere of Marfa Lights at Saint Mary's.

The performing arts department production, directed by Professor Rebecca Engle, opens on campus on November 9.

Solis was introduced by Chris Sindt, director of the master's in fine arts program in creative writing. Sindt asked Solis the preliminary questions, after which students and faculty had the opportunity to ask their own.

"It was really interesting getting into the mind of the playwright [and seeing] how the process works," said Tasia Barrett '08, who plays the gothic Nina in Marfa Lights. "I've loved [the play] ever since I first read it two years ago."

Marfa Lights, Solis explained, is named after a phenomenon that occurs in Marfa, a small, isolated town in West Texas. The magically appearing "ghost lights," as they are called locally, have been a mystery since the time of the Native Americans.

Solis revealed that the theme of Marfa Lights is "light and darkness." He said, "It's light that appears when it's darkest."

The San Francisco-based playwright admitted that he did not always want to write. He originally wanted to be an actor, but was dissatisfied with the kind of roles he landed. He turned to writing after being inspired by playwright Eric Overmyer's use of language in Native Speech.

Solis began his career as a playwright at Dallas' 500 Café where he worked as a bartender. One of the most important things Solis said he has learned is to "make things happen on my own." He saw an opportunity, and he took it, using the bar's open nights to stage plays he wrote and starred in.

After going through his background, Solis answered questions about his writing process. He said that when he writes, he lets characters be themselves. "I learned to push everyone out of the room," said Solis.

Jorge, a character from Marfa Lights, is an example of a straddler-a character Solis revealed is always present in his plays. This character, Solis explained, is an effect of growing up in his hometown of El Paso, Texas. According to Solis, the city is where "a lot of our cultures and class questions converge." The straddler is torn between his or her parents' culture and the American culture. In every play, Solis lets this character "redefine what it means to be American."

Joey Lujan '07 remarked that Solis' characters are easy to relate to. "Some people kind of miss the mark on realism, [but Solis] totally hits it," he said. In Marfa Lights, Lujan plays Sonny, whom he described as "a college frat boy…trying to fit in."

Besides Barrett and Lujan, the cast of Marfa Lights includes performing arts students Beau Ballinger '07, Jon Bertain '07, Marielle DeNapoli '07, Vince Rodriguez '09, Andrew Russ '07 and Maggie VandenBerghe '07. The play runs in LeFevre Theatre from Thursday, November 9 to Sunday, November 12. There are a total of five performances: Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Solis will lead a discussion after Saturday's 8 p.m. show. Tickets are $8 for Saint Mary's students, faculty and staff, $12 for other students with ID, and $15 for general admission.

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