April Allen | Arts & Life Co-Editor
Go behind the scenes of the theatrical performances West Side Story and Proof to see what they really mean. Buena Vista University (BVU) senior art major and theatre minor Cindy Barahona’s art show “Center Stage” depicts both plays in the artwork currently on display at the BVU Art Gallery.
“I have great passion for the fields of both theatre and art, so when I had to decide on what to do for my senior show, I wanted something that combined both of them. I found that I really love stage craft, designing for stage which is also called scenic design,” Barahona said.
The idea has been set in Barahona’s mind for a year, but the art form she would use to show her idea has changed multiple times since then. She finally settled upon the idea of pens and watercolor along with her scenic design sketches, drawings, and a stage design model.
“I did my scene design sketches in pen, then I presented them to David Walker [Assistant Professor of Theatre]. He caught a glimpse of one of my sketches done in pen and told me that he preferred the pen sketch that I had. Later on, as I worked, I noticed how much time it was taking to create these pieces in pen and the amount of pens I was using was ridiculous.I wondered if I had made the right choice in choosing pen,” Barahona said.
In one sitting, she went through two full pens and hadn’t even finished one sketch. She said she lost count of how many pens it took to do the entire show, just noting it was many.
“Every little thing I have placed on these symbolizes something. Every little thing is there for a reason,” Barahona said.
Barahona has designed a few theatrical sets before and has experience with acting. In middle school, she saw West Side Story and never stopped loving the play, and this past summer she was cast as Anitah in a local performance of the play. She had been cast in Proof, a play about a daughter and father’s connection to mental stability in the topic of math, during her freshman year at BVU. When she decided she wanted her art show to have connections to Proof, she already had visions for drawings she could make.
Barahona feels West Side Story is similar to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Maria, the main character of West Side Story, from a Puerto Rican family, comes to America and meets a boy who is American whom she cares for deeply. There is a conflict between races that represents something much deeper. The musical is filled with symbolism, just like Barahona’s art show.
“My main focus is on Maria from West Side Story,” Barahona said.
The sketches in her show depict several of the scenes from the play. Within her pieces, she pointed out the painting, “The Dance,” which contains symbolism that is very blatant. Maria stands between two men, one her brother, the other her lover who is American and she is stuck. Maria is stuck in the very middle of the painting where the two colors in the background of the painting converge.
“[She] looks at the American boy she wants to be with, but her body walks towards tradition,” Barahona explained. “It is the modern Romeo and Juliet.”
Barahona’s show will be in the BVU Art Gallery in the Social Sciences and Art Hall until April 25.
