We were lucky to catch up with Miguel Cardenas recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Miguel , so excited to have you with us today and we are really interested in hearing your thoughts about how folks can develop their empathy? In our experience, most folks want to be empathic towards others, but in a world where we are often only surrounded by people who are very similar to us, it can sometimes be a challenge to develop empathy for others who might not be as similar to us. Any thoughts or advice?
This is a complex question so I am going to tackle this from a professional perspective. Being an actor. While I am not closed off to being in a show again, I am almost fully retired from that world but I draw from those experiences when trying to cultivate a rehearsal and performance environment. Having been in the thick of the industry from an actors perspective allows me to be more understanding of the position and struggles actors go through which goes hand in hand with my personal EDIA commitment to the work I do. Obviously, I care a great amount for the end product and quality of the show but my biggest goal in the process is to make not only actors but other designers and creatives feel heard, seen, and safe. I am overwhelmingly aware of the outdated standards that continue to grade theatrical stages from the community to professional levels and intentionally made my way to the other side of the table to do any small part to help dismantle that. I have had the privilege to work with many a great director but one impacted my directing style immensely, Ron Kellum. I learned that it is possible for a director to be soft, compassionate, and kind while also still being strong, opinionated, and intentional. I try to live up to that standard daily.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am first and foremost a theatrical artist. I am a singer, an actor, a director, an award winning choreographer, a teacher, and many more hats have been worn in the past 18 years. I have had the pleasure of working alongside so many incredible artists but my biggest accomplishment will always be seeing my students flourish in their lives in or out of the industry. As a teacher I hope to foster confidence in my students to make bold and brave choices and fight for what is right not only in the industry but also in their lives. As a director and choreographer I love to work on a myriad of styles but I truly love creating something new and surprising. I was so lucky in the Summer of 2022 to work with some of the most compassionate, creative, and generous collaborators, James McHale and Gabrielle Maldonado, on Green Days: American Idiot at Chance Theatre in Anaheim, CA. Being able to sink my teeth into this show and really tell the story was a dream. This project also earned me the award for Outstanding Choreography from the Orange County Theatre Guild. I am so looking forward to being work on Sweeney Todd with Phantom Projects Theater Co. in La Habra, Ca which opening at the end of May, 2024
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The first is to never stop learning. I am constantly watching, reading, observing, growing, and trying to take in skills and information from people who are better than me. If I meet someone with more knowledge than I have I am eager to pick their mind about their process and find what really works for them.
That leads me to another important skill which is: Taking what serves you. I work with a lot of very talented artists and I try to learn from them all. Learning, in my experience, means looking at tools others use for success, trying them, and releasing the things that don’t work and keeping the things that do serve you. I have worked with some directors who have an awesome process that really works for them and when I try to apply the same tactics it doesn’t work out. So I dissect what they do and find what I can take to make my process better and better.
The third and biggest thing I have learned is knowing your worth and keeping that worth. I spent a lot of time thinking I had to earn the value to be in rooms, thinking I had to put up with a lot of not great treatment to “get ahead”, and dim my light to make sure I didn’t burn too brightly. I have learned that you shouldn’t dim your light. Your light can help ignite others flames, you are worthy of every opportunity given to you. One big thing I always acknowledge is the power dynamic between a director and an actor and I try to empower actors to know that I, the director, am just as lucky to be in the room with them as they are with me. Knowing your worth also comes into play when picking which opportunities you take. Hold your peace close. This has helped me really start to find my footing and really fall in love with the industry, that does need a lot of work, again.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
One of the biggest reasons I moved to the other side of the table was the ability to push harder with diversity in casting. One huge obstacle has been something that most or all BIPOC artists deal with which is the industry is still run by older white men which even, in my experience, the most well intentioned can use microaggressions and do still lead with their implicit biases. I actively work toward making the spaces I work in more diverse from the top down, meaning diversity on team will automatically give some comfort to BIPOC actors that they are actually being considered for roles they are called in for. We all have a lot of work to do to make the industry as a whole reflect the diversity of the beautiful population we live among, but I am consistently trying to check myself and do a small part to make theatre safe, collaborative, and engaging.
When I can I will always choose to work with people I love and who I know will aide in cultivating an ideal space and also push for excellence. I love what I do, creating theatre and helping to train new generation of artists to continue the work and be great humans.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @apollossong
- Facebook: facebook.com/miguel.cardenas.108
Image Credits
Robert Ladd Photography TashaFace Photography
