We were lucky to catch up with Veronica Rosas recently and have shared our conversation below.

Veronica, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on has been a stage show called 79 Ways to Die. I wrote, directed, and produced the show. I started writing it in 2019 and it didn’t come to fruition until 2023. I began writing the show because I love Renaissance Faires and had a dream to perform at them. I just wrote the show I would want to see as a guest.

It took years of failed attempts to get the show off the ground. There were various reasons for this – pandemic, poor casting choices (it was originally cast with men and now it’s women), a director who didn’t really get it – but essentially it boiled down to me not wanting to take control of the process.

With some encouragement from a friend, I finally stepped up and made the choice to direct and produce it myself. In the past, any time I hit a road bump with the show, I kind of gave up and let it sit on the shelf for another year. I told myself this time, I wasn’t going to do that.

I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. I had never produced a show before. I hadn’t directed anything since college. There were so many road blocks. There were so many opportunities to give up – finding money for the show, losing a cast member two weeks before our premiere. The difference this time was that I always found a way.

We premiered at The San Diego International Fringe Festival in 2023 and won Best Ensemble Show. We have been touring Renaissance Faires for the last year and will be doing Hollywood Fringe this year.

I am so incredibly grateful for every moment spent on this show. I’ve learned so much, grown so much as a person and an artist. I really don’t have the words to say how thankful I am for being given all the time I have been given with this show. It’s more than I could have ever dreamed of.

Most importantly, it didn’t happen just because I got lucky and things worked out. It happened because I worked hard and didn’t let anything deter me. As my friend puts it “through sheer force of will”. It has taught me that anything is possible. That whatever I want, there is a way.

Veronica, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I began writing and performing as a kid. My summers were spent as writing camps at CSULB. I was sort of tricked into acting as a desperately shy child. I was forced to audition for something at school, got cast, became obsessed with theatre and never looked back.

I am still a writer and performing artist. Over the years I added circus artist, director, choreographer, and photographer to that list. As a circus artist, I mostly coach and choreograph these days. I had a major accident at the end of 2023 that affected my ability to be a performer. As a director and performer, I love comedy. My favorite thing to photograph is dancers and drag artists.

The thing that sets me apart is my vulnerability and honesty in creative work. I approach every project as a collaborative work with respect for the artistic vision and perspective of everyone involved. I want everyone’s voice to be heard.

I’m proud of everyone I work with. I’ve met so many brilliant and beautiful humans. As a photographer I love being able to capture people as their most honest raw selves.

I love connecting with audiences as a performer. 79 Ways to Die is a highly interactive show and the connections we make with guests on stage are things I will remember forever even if I never see them again.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Ooo yes. We premiered 79 Ways to Die at The San Diego International Fringe Festival. Obviously, there’s a lot of death in the show. Originally we rehearsed the show to be done with a lot of little fake blood packets. It was bloody. It was messy. In order to get through the rehearsal process for this, I made a bunch of little red swatches of fabric that the actors would throw in rehearsal to get used to when they had to get the blood and when they had to use it. The last run of the day would be the “blood run” when we would all get really messy. This was the plan.

We showed up to Fringe to see our venue a few days before our first show. Our venue was an art gallery. I knew we could not used blood in the show. Even through we kept it fairly contained, I didn’t want to risk it. I decided to use the red “rehearsal” fabric instead. I thought “it’s a comedy, we can play it really over the top with everyone throwing this blood around”.

It was a hit. We still get people who tell us it’s their favorite part of the show. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it in the first place but I’m so happy I was willing to be flexible and innovative.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Let everyone have a voice. Share in the creative process with everyone. You are not an island. Invite people in. Listen to your people and their ideas. Give them space to create and implement their ideas.

Don’t take things too seriously.

Take responsibility. Apologize.

Show appreciation and gratitude.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://theatreofmutiny.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/labrujacreative

Image Credits

Michael Prine
Sweet Potato Portraits
Cynthia Price
Veronica Rosas