Liberation is Within Oneself
Samuel Valdez
To define liberation in the context of my work transports me back to my years of struggle trying to prove to many that I was able to do the things I set myself to do in a society that did not really understand me. I was born with a physical condition called Cerebral Palsy, in which my cerebrum was damaged because of loss of oxygen during birth. The outcome of my disability is when my brain sends a message to any part of the body it is distorted when passing through the cerebrum making my body move differently. Having said this, my entire life has been about proving myself against many social discriminatory ideas brought on by “The System”, society, educators, and even my family. Ideas such as “Are you able to walk?”, “Are you able to ride a bike?”, “Are you able to drive?”, “Are you able to go to college and get a degree in theater?”
All these questions, and others, have affected my life in many ways, with me trying to liberate myself from the unjust situation’s life has thrown at me. Every one of these situations have been a struggle I have overcome in some way or another, with great success. I give credit of these successes to my passion for the arts as a theater maker. This passion has helped me in many ways, too many to mention, but one in particular has been the freedom to express myself through the art of speaking, writing, and creating ways to welcome others to do the same. As an artist I use my past struggles to create my present and future work applying it to help others liberate themselves from situations that are blinding them from moving forwards in life.
Liberation to me is not just focused on the word freedom. No. No. No! That is too simple. Liberation is more about proving to oneself that “I can defeat any obstacle that comes my way.” These obstacles can come in different mental or physical forms, and it is up to oneself to overcome them demonstrating to others you can and have the capacity to resolve that situation. I use this method of understanding in all the work I do.
In 2015 I wrote a play, AND HE BECAME MAN, where Latino disabled man questions his manhood by looking back at his life recalling major events influencing him, asking, “What is a man?” Manuel, the main character, takes the audience on his personal journey from the time when his parents migrated into the United States through his breakdown dealing with his brother’s death. In this piece I use my own personal life to narrate this moving story that many people were able to enjoy and learn from. The importance of discovering oneself can be a very difficult journey looking into the past trying to figure out the future. At the end leaving the audience with this message,
Photo of author, Samuel Valdez, at the performance OUTSIDE THE CIRCLE, co-written with Andrea Assaf.
“I now realize that those difficult moments in my life helped me create the man who I have become. I now value those instances and have learned to accept and love who I am. I have faith that all my hopes will come true by having both feet well grounded. I now live my own life… and invite you to go back in your past and find those shadows that don’t let you move forward. Create your own story so you may share it with others. Free yourself!!! I did, and feel very happy and content… Now…what’s your story called?”
My current work takes another path in the struggle for liberation, La Carpa De La Frontera. The vision of this project is to recreate a tent-like vaudeville touring show where entertainment can be taken into the most vulnerable communities in need of healing from the current pandemic situation. Communities of color have been most impacted in these times emotionally, spiritually, and economically, and by creating this platform I hope to help them rebuild a structure of hope where they can begin to reshape a better future for themselves. This carpa concept is structured so that audience members can see themselves reflected on stage having the freedom to laugh at serious issues in their lives that otherwise would not be funny, creating an outlet for some emotional relief. By breaking the conventional fourth-wall structure, this carpa concept forms a new platform where performers and audience members can interact with each other during the performance. Today’s theater needs to focus on creating experiences where audience members can have an escape from their everyday stressful situation interacting with artists through performance, workshops, community dialogues, or just a simple reception after a show. This form of liberation deconstructs the norm that everyone should just focus on their everyday standard living structure, giving community members a space to free themselves for a while through a creative platform.
These are two examples of my work where I use my creative talent to bring some type of liberation into the communities. It is very fulfilling to see people approach me, after a show, smiling and thanking me for sharing a story, a message, or just a simple thought which made them reflect on their life. Just knowing for a single moment of someone’s life that I created some type of change that sparked a space of liberation, makes all the difference in the world for me as an artist.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Samuel Valdez graduated from San Diego State University in 1991 with a B.A. degree in theater arts. He is an actor, playwright, director, and producer who has worked with several groups around San Diego such as Sledgehammer Theater, Chronos Theater, Los Amigos del Rep., and currently his own performing arts bi-national company CARPA San Diego. He has served on the National Performance Network (NPN) board, the Alternate Roots Executive Community, and is currently on the National Disability Theatre board. In 2016 he received the Ashley Walker Social Justice award by the City of San Diego for his community theater work. You can learn more about Samuel in this artist spotlight or find him on Facebook
