Everybody's in LA: Mariana Santiago, Streetcar Collective
Interview by Paul Oswell
Out All Day: Hi Mariana! You have a new play coming up, Human Troubles, opening at the New Marigny Theatre. How have rehearsals and general preparation been going?
Mariana Santiago: Rehearsals and general preparation have been going well – it’s been an absolutely delightful experience working with the cast and crew of Human Troubles. Collectively, this team is one of the most hard-working and talented groups of people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. Seeing people look at your script, come up with their own ideas on how to execute on it and make it even better, and then successfully put those ideas into action…it’s thrilling.
Tell us a little bit about the play itself - what are some of the themes and who are the main protagonists?
Human Troubles is a dark comedy about what happens when you realize rock bottom is only halfway down. It’s a story about the mental healthcare system in the United States – when our protagonist, Dora, gets kicked off of her very strong mental health meds because of a change in the insurance formulary, she ends up in an Orleans Parish psychiatric ward and doesn’t get any of the help she was expecting – or maybe just hoping – to receive. It’s definitely a funny play, but a lot of the themes revolve around what it’s like to try to access healthcare in the United States today if you don’t have significant resources. As a society, we’re really getting fed up with how healthcare has been commoditized, placed out of reach of the typical citizen, and transformed from a basic human right into a luxury. Look at the enormous outpouring of sympathy for Luigi Mangione (who I’m pretty convinced attended an extra-long rehearsal of Human Troubles from 6am to 6pm on December 4th that took place in our New Orleans rehearsal space, which is definitely not in New York City). We’ve reached a breaking point.
You’re also the founder of the theatre company, Streetcar Collective - how did that come into being and what has the company been involved with so far?
Streetcar Collective for the Arts came into being when I realized producing much of the experimental theater I love so much would be easier to do if we were doing it under the umbrella of a legally-recognized non-profit. So far, we’ve done a few smaller one-offs, but our 2024-2025 season (which has so far included Rel Farrar’s Out of the Boil and now Human Troubles) is our first full season.
I also see on your website that you already have a couple of projects coming up in 2025 - can you tell us about those?
We’ve got The Accountant Monty Cristo, a one-man play starring Dustin Stevens, coming up this February, and then after that a brand spanking new musical called Stanley and His Demon. Stanley and His Demon revolves around a Joel Osteen-esque preacher and his wife who perform exorcisms for fun and profit (mostly profit, if they’re being honest with themselves.) They don’t actually believe that their exorcisms are real – but the money they make from performing them certainly is! One day, they accidentally conduct a very real exorcism with a very real demon who follows them home – and suddenly, for the very first time, they realize their actions have very real consequences.
This isn’t the first time you’ve chosen to work with the New Marigny Theatre - what do you like about the venue and the team there?
It’s a beyond-gorgeous space. The sound system’s incredible; the lighting system’s incredible; and the DIY culture of the space is incredible, too. It’s a great place to create experimental theater.
What is your personal background in theatre and performance? Which part of the theatrical world - acting/producing/writing/directing - do you feel the most at home with, or is it all part of the same creative urge for you?
I’ve worked in theatre in New Orleans for nearly ten years now. My first play, Sheena: An American Tragedy, debuted as part of the first InFringe Fest. Human Troubles is my second play and Stanley and His Demon will be my third. It’s all part of the same creative urge to me, but I feel most at home as a writer and director. There’s something really magical about inventing a story and seeing other people bring it to life, rather than just performing it yourself.
Do you feel like New Orleans is a city that encourages new/experimental theatre? Is it easy to find acting/production talent?
New Orleans is an amazing city to produce new and experimental theatre in. It’s much of why I still live here after ten years – despite the crumbling infrastructure, the corruption, the hurricanes, all of that, there’s no better place or a better community to create theatre with. Talent is oozing out the cracks and the potholes of our roads. Raw theatrical ability and creativity is everywhere.
Finally, which shows or cultural events did you enjoy in 2024? Anything you’re particularly looking forward to in the new year?
Out of the Boil was a wonderful show – Rel and her team really did something amazing there. I’m also a huge fan of Folk Riot’s productions and am excited to see what they’re going to do in the next year.
Thank you for taking the time to talk to us, Mariana - we’re excited to see Human Troubles and we’re looking forward to seeing what the Streetcar Collective does next!
Human Troubles plays at New Marigny Theatre January 2nd–5th - click here for more info and ticketing
Interview by Paul Oswell
Out All Day: Hi Mariana! You have a new play coming up, Human Troubles, opening at the New Marigny Theatre. How have rehearsals and general preparation been going?
Mariana Santiago: Rehearsals and general preparation have been going well – it’s been an absolutely delightful experience working with the cast and crew of Human Troubles. Collectively, this team is one of the most hard-working and talented groups of people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. Seeing people look at your script, come up with their own ideas on how to execute on it and make it even better, and then successfully put those ideas into action…it’s thrilling.
Tell us a little bit about the play itself - what are some of the themes and who are the main protagonists?
Human Troubles is a dark comedy about what happens when you realize rock bottom is only halfway down. It’s a story about the mental healthcare system in the United States – when our protagonist, Dora, gets kicked off of her very strong mental health meds because of a change in the insurance formulary, she ends up in an Orleans Parish psychiatric ward and doesn’t get any of the help she was expecting – or maybe just hoping – to receive. It’s definitely a funny play, but a lot of the themes revolve around what it’s like to try to access healthcare in the United States today if you don’t have significant resources. As a society, we’re really getting fed up with how healthcare has been commoditized, placed out of reach of the typical citizen, and transformed from a basic human right into a luxury. Look at the enormous outpouring of sympathy for Luigi Mangione (who I’m pretty convinced attended an extra-long rehearsal of Human Troubles from 6am to 6pm on December 4th that took place in our New Orleans rehearsal space, which is definitely not in New York City). We’ve reached a breaking point.
You’re also the founder of the theatre company, Streetcar Collective - how did that come into being and what has the company been involved with so far?
Streetcar Collective for the Arts came into being when I realized producing much of the experimental theater I love so much would be easier to do if we were doing it under the umbrella of a legally-recognized non-profit. So far, we’ve done a few smaller one-offs, but our 2024-2025 season (which has so far included Rel Farrar’s Out of the Boil and now Human Troubles) is our first full season.
I also see on your website that you already have a couple of projects coming up in 2025 - can you tell us about those?
We’ve got The Accountant Monty Cristo, a one-man play starring Dustin Stevens, coming up this February, and then after that a brand spanking new musical called Stanley and His Demon. Stanley and His Demon revolves around a Joel Osteen-esque preacher and his wife who perform exorcisms for fun and profit (mostly profit, if they’re being honest with themselves.) They don’t actually believe that their exorcisms are real – but the money they make from performing them certainly is! One day, they accidentally conduct a very real exorcism with a very real demon who follows them home – and suddenly, for the very first time, they realize their actions have very real consequences.
This isn’t the first time you’ve chosen to work with the New Marigny Theatre - what do you like about the venue and the team there?
It’s a beyond-gorgeous space. The sound system’s incredible; the lighting system’s incredible; and the DIY culture of the space is incredible, too. It’s a great place to create experimental theater.
What is your personal background in theatre and performance? Which part of the theatrical world - acting/producing/writing/directing - do you feel the most at home with, or is it all part of the same creative urge for you?
I’ve worked in theatre in New Orleans for nearly ten years now. My first play, Sheena: An American Tragedy, debuted as part of the first InFringe Fest. Human Troubles is my second play and Stanley and His Demon will be my third. It’s all part of the same creative urge to me, but I feel most at home as a writer and director. There’s something really magical about inventing a story and seeing other people bring it to life, rather than just performing it yourself.
Do you feel like New Orleans is a city that encourages new/experimental theatre? Is it easy to find acting/production talent?
New Orleans is an amazing city to produce new and experimental theatre in. It’s much of why I still live here after ten years – despite the crumbling infrastructure, the corruption, the hurricanes, all of that, there’s no better place or a better community to create theatre with. Talent is oozing out the cracks and the potholes of our roads. Raw theatrical ability and creativity is everywhere.
Finally, which shows or cultural events did you enjoy in 2024? Anything you’re particularly looking forward to in the new year?
Out of the Boil was a wonderful show – Rel and her team really did something amazing there. I’m also a huge fan of Folk Riot’s productions and am excited to see what they’re going to do in the next year.
Thank you for taking the time to talk to us, Mariana - we’re excited to see Human Troubles and we’re looking forward to seeing what the Streetcar Collective does next!
Human Troubles plays at New Marigny Theatre January 2nd–5th - click here for more info and ticketing
