Today we’d like to introduce you to Emilio Rodriguez.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started my theatrical performance journey doing one-kid adaptations of The Wizard of Oz in my parents’ living room using a broom, a funnel and a pair of my mother’s high heels. In middle school, I taught myself to play the piano and ended up getting accepted to study jazz at UC Irvine, but after a year it was not the right fit for me and I ended up switching to theatre. I started following my new theatrical journey as a stage actor, writer, director and educator for almost a decade before Covid hit. Then, I started exploring film, digital media and content creation. Soon after that I realized I wanted to merge my love of music and go into musical theatre composition. My next goal is to merge all of these ideas together by creating musical films.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was not easy. My first challenge was in the music program at UC Irvine. It was very competitive and I was behind everyone who had been taking lessons since they were kids while I taught myself how to play using an old book from the library. The skill difference was immediately noticeable. When I switched majors, I knew I had to come in full force with a plan to not be behind again. I started taking the maximum number of classes and even audited additional classes and then at night, I took more classes at the local regional theatre. On top of that, I spent all of my weekends watching live theatre so I could study the craft of the professionals on stage. This set back really built the work ethic that I have today. It’s slightly unhealthy in some ways, but when I’m excited about something, I immerse myself in it 100 percent so I can get everything I can out of it and get as close as possible to 10,000 hours of it.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I write and direct content for theatre, film, and social media. I’m mostly known as a playwright as I have taught playwriting at a few universities but now I’m excited for people to see me as a musician as well.
Right now, I’m most passionate about exploring the lesser known stories of our ancestors. Going back and finding what has been preserved of these stories, it’s amazing to see how many of them were/are the blueprint for the stories we tell today.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I believe risk taking is imperative to being an artist. The only way to grow is to take risks. I’ve taken so many in my art…some I’d like to forget because they didn’t go over well. But so many of the risks I took led me to where I am today. I think the biggest risk I took was leaving a full time job to focus on being an artist full time. It has helped me reach a point where I am excited for every day of the week instead of working for the weekend. In my art itself, I think it’s scariest in the field of performing arts because performance requires an audience so taking a risk means you yourself as the artist is taking the risk, your creative team is going on that risk with you, your funders are also engaging in that risk and the audience who supports the work is also taking a risk. So taking a risk on a creative project requires the collaboration and investment of so many people which means it’s not just about you being a risk-taker …it’s about how you inspire, lead, and cultivate risk taking in your community.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @emiliowritesplays
