We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Felipe Luz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Felipe, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

“Men are Trash and I’m a Raccoon” is a solo show I wrote, produced, and performed. I created this semiautobiographical exploration of love, sex, and self-discovery in 2023, at Ohio University, where I earned my Acting MFA. As a Queer Brazilian artist, I’ve always felt misplaced in casting processes – whether they were in an educational or professional setting. There is a lot of great work out there – but not everything fully resonates with my subjectivity. Looking for material that represented me, especially, I’ve found stories that were either too heteronormative, eurocentric, or simply didn’t speak to my artistic sensibilities. So I decided it was up to me to create something that showcased and challenged my artistry. The first version of the show was staged at OU in February 2023, with Tyler Everett Adams as a dramaturg and director, and Conrad Gothard as a stage manager and producer. I kept developing it until I got a richer and more nuanced plot, intertwining hookup narratives with memories of romantic relationships and my love for Lana Del Rey. I did two staged readings of the show last year: one at Ohio University in early May; and another in New York City, at the Northern Manhattan Artists Alliance, in December. David H. Parker directs the NYC iteration of the show. We will stage it again in April, at The Rat – a Brooklyn theater/bar. I’m super proud to have created something that pushes boundaries, challenges the current societal cynicism around love and reliance on relationships, and celebrates one’s authentic, flawed, and vulnerable self. “Men are Trash…” is raw, graphic, vulgar, and poetic to some degree. The play addresses modern dating, intimacy, and the complexities of relationships – which speaks to the audience’s experiences. I’m passionate about it and aim to take it to broader audiences, knowing it speaks to many; especially women, the LGBTQ+ community, and people of color. Marginalized groups are often deprived of romantic love – and when you’re withheld from something you always craved, you are going to be constantly terrified of losing it when you get it. Having a queer person of color talking about love and sex onstage is revolutionary; we’re often denied affection, ownership over our sexuality, and the right to tell our stories.

Felipe, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a multihyphenate currently based in Manhattan. I was born and raised in Southern Brazil, where I got my Acting BFA. During my time in Brazil, I performed in two of its most prominent theater festivals, the Palco Giratório Sesc Festival and the Porto Alegre em Cena Festival. In 2021, I got accepted into the Acting MFA program at Ohio University, so I moved to the United States (my first time traveling abroad, ever). In grad school, I further developed my artistry and found my voice as a creative. Although I’ve chosen to pursue training in Acting, I consider myself a writer too. I’ve been writing my whole life. I also have explored directing and producing; my need to express myself creatively and connect to others through art knows no bounds. Besides my solo show, I’ve acted in several different projects – from Shakespeare to immersive, original plays. I am fond of works that defy conventions of genre and I’m deeply interested in exploring queerness, my latino identity, and creating campy, kooky work. As of 2024, I am a Miranda Family Fellow, which has been a great way of connecting with amazing artists.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I’m drawn to theater because it builds community – and this can change us forever. I hate the word “networking”; feels too impersonal and transactional. But I do believe in connecting to people who share some ideals with me to create work that speaks to what is in our hearts, and that we believe should be taken to an audience. Relationships can be challenging, but they also serve as a self-expression laboratory. Whenever I’m in a creative process, I’m re-learning how to express myself, not only in contact with other creatives but also regarding the choices I make to tell a story. Making art is alchemical and I am all for that.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Making people feel, think, dream. I love consuming art that affects me somehow, and as an artist, I want to affect my audience too. Especially with my solo show, I’ve had so many moments where people from all paths of life have walked up to me at the end and said something about how it spoke to them or shared a similar personal story. It’s rewarding because if I truly allow myself to be vulnerable as an artist, I will touch someone and they’ll feel and confront something within themselves. And hopefully, all of this sheds light on things we usually ignore because they’re uncomfortable.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://felipeluz4.wixsite.com/felipe-luz
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letherebefelipeluz

Image Credits

Personal photo (headshot): Mark DiConzo
Other photos (from “Men are Trash…”): Jenna Keiffer