Photo by A.J. Magoon
Next Act Theatre's The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity
Cast of Next Act Theatre's ‘The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity’
Kristoffer Diaz’s The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity was a finalist for the Pulitzer and won several awards, including the National Latino Playwrights Award (2008) and an Obie for Best New Play (2011). Concerned with the Latino experience and pop culture, Diaz developed Chad Deity with Chicago’s Teatro Vista and Victory Gardens Theater. It’s the season opener for Milwaukee’s Next Act Theatre.
Chad Deity is the story of Macedonio “Mace” Guerra, a journeyman professional wrestler, a “jobber” paid to lose to enhance the profile of the wrestling stars he faces in the ring. He accepts his role, but “longs for the chance to tell that one perfect story doing what he loves. When he meets VP—a young, charismatic Indian man from Brooklyn who defies stereotypes—Mace sees the opportunity to do more with the art he loves. To say more. To be more. The question is, will they let him?” says Michael Cotey, director of Next Act’s production of Chad Deity.
The play is funny, physical but conveys serious ideas. Chad Deity grapples with themes of race and identity, authenticity and fraudulence—and what it means to be American. “It examines how challenging it is to be authentic and tell your own story, especially if you have black or brown skin in this country, and how people can get flattened out and reduced into something that can easily be sold and bought and consumed, like a t-shirt or an action figure,” Cotey continues. “Pro wrestling has always been a reflection of America and, in a lot of ways, is a microcosm of this country. Hell, one of our current presidential candidates is part of the WWE Hall of Fame (I'll let you guess which one.)”
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The protagonist’s problem is that the thing he loves, pro wrestling, doesn’t seem to love him back. Likewise, the country he loves. “The play is hilariously funny and hugely entertaining, told through the lens of professional wrestling. However, at its core, the play delves into the essence of the American Dream. I was searching for a play to produce just before the upcoming election—a play that isn't overtly political yet offers profound insights into our nation,” Cotey says.
The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity runs Sept. 11-Oct. 6 at Next Act Theatre, 255 S. Water St. For tickets and more information, visit nextact.org.
