Director César Jáquez Brings The Hispanic/Latino/ Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote to Life

Every modern election cycle has seen people placed in various categories by news media, pollsters, and the like, to determine how each community will impact the highly anticipated outcome. With border security, the “path to citizenship,” and workers’ rights seemingly always in the spotlight of political ads, campaign speeches, and debates, the Latinx community is one such group that is siloed off and observed as a monolithic voting group.

A brand-new comedy at Stages, The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote, written by Houston playwright Bernardo Cubría, explores the hilarious absurdities of our political machine. First-time director César Jáquez has answered the call to bring this story to life at Stages this fall, with the goal of bringing laughs and expanding our view of a complex community.

“I’ve always wanted to direct—and to have my professional directing debut at Stages,” says Jáquez, who has been cutting his teeth as the local theater’s assistant director for six years. A native of Juarez, Mexico, the out artist spent much of his life in El Paso before attending and graduating from Sam Houston State University, where he studied acting and directing.

“Stages’ former artistic director Kenn McLaughlin has been my directing mentor since I was in college. When he received this play and I was able to read it, I was obsessed,” recalls Jáquez, who works full-time as Stages’ events coordinator. “I thought, ‘This is such a funny show, but it also shows the nuances of being Latinx that I’ve never seen on stage before.’ Kenn took a shot and gave me a chance to direct. It’s been a dream come true.”

The play, which is premiering throughout the country this year, centers on university professor Paola Aguilar, who finds herself in need of money for in vitro fertilization (IVF). When a political party offers her a hefty paycheck to assist their efforts in understanding the Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine vote, she begrudgingly accepts the position.

“We’re not here to teach you anything or force any agenda down your throat. It’s a show that you can come to in a safe place, have a good time, and learn about Latinx people,” the 28-year-old says. “It’s a story about a person going through real-life issues that women go through all the time, who happens to work for one of the two main political parties. Audiences can enjoy the show and leave with their own conclusions.”

Theatergoers are never told which political party Paula is working for, which Jáquez says is part of the fun of the show. “It keeps you guessing. It also makes you think about the themes on your own. You can come up with your own conclusions,” he says. “This is a space for audiences to have those moments of clarity and come together as human beings. It’s all about making your own choices.”

The directing process has been joyful for Jáquez, who is collaborating with familiar faces to translate the work from the page to the stage. “I get to create in the theater that I work at, so I’m working with a production team who I see every day and have worked with in the past. They’re my colleagues and my friends, and we understand how each other works. It’s so nice to have these people around me,” he says. “My set designer is actually my old scenic professor from college, which has been a full-circle moment for me. It’s been really great, but also a little nerve wracking, because it’s my debut. I have that pressure of wanting to be great, but I have an incredible team with me, and I know it’s going to be great.”

Despite its comedic tenor, Jáquez takes the subject matter, and his handling of it, seriously. “I’m aware that, as a cis male, I will never personally go through the issues or experiences portrayed in this play, such as the IVF process,” he explains. “I’m making sure that I respect all of the words that the playwright has written. Politics serves as the two-dimensional aspect. What makes it three-dimensional and human is Paula’s story. You never know what someone’s going through and what they have to do in order to get what they want, and that’s what really inspired me the most about the show.”

Houston audiences are fortunate to be among the first to witness this work brought to life onstage. Jáquez invites everyone to see what he and his team have been working tirelessly on, and to broaden their understanding of the Latinx community. “I want audiences to remember that we’re not just numbers—we’re human beings and our voice matters more than just once every four years. I’ve been thinking about that in rehearsals and my everyday life, as well. The Latinx community is made up of people with real-life issues and problems that make us human, just like everybody else.”

What: The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote
When: September 13–October 6, 2024
Where: Stages, 800 Rosine St.
Info: tinyurl.com/3ztxsnea