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Meet the Barrymore Voters: Carlos Roa

The Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre started in 1995, and celebrates the rich, diverse theatre community through a peer-adjudicated process. In the 2017-18 Season, we have 70 nominators and 12 judges that will see over 100 professional productions. Our expanded pool of voters this season represents the exciting and diverse theatre community that is thriving in Philadelphia. This entry is part of a profile series to introduce you to the voters who are an integral part of the Barrymore process.

Name: Carlos Roa

What is your current role in the Philadelphia theatre community?: Creator/Writer/Performer

What was the first theatre production you were involved in, and what did you learn from it?: Here in Philly, the first production I was involved with was a piece by Swim Pony Performing Arts called Welcome to Campus. Adrienne Mackey, the director, really opened my eyes to bigger and better ways to make my own art.

What is your education and training experience?: BS in Theatre/Playwriting at Drexel University and 2016 Alumni of the Headlong Performance Institute

How did you first get involved in the Philadelphia theatre community?: I don't think I became truly immersed in the community until the summer of 2014, when I was juggling three balls: I was in a production at the Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, I was interning at the Wilma, AND I was a mounting a Fringe show with my peers from Drexel. Since then, I've had a place in the community at large.

What made you want to be a nominator/judge for the Barrymore Awards?: Part of my responsibility as nominator is to shift the cultural tide and make the community aware of artists and productions that don't normally get visibility. I want to make sure that this city knows that artistic excellence is everywhere, and that it might not be in the places you'd usually expect.

If you weren’t working in theatre, what other job do you think you would be doing?: Definitely a therapist. I have such a deep love for people, and we're so much more complex than we realize. I love being a facilitator for other people's epiphanies.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the theatre industry?: Your talent is not enough. Learn to network, learn to produce, and learn to be a nerd about the art you want to make because nobody's going to do that for you.

What production have you seen recently in Philly as an audience member that inspired you?: The last good performance I saw was by Rachel O'Hanlon-Rodriguez, in a production directed by Cat Ramirez called I Will Not Dance. Keep your eyes open for this one - their workshop production was incredibly encouraging!

If you could have dinner with any four people, living or dead, who would they be and why?:  Federico Garcia Lorca, to ask him questions about coping with the loneliness of being an artist. James Baldwin, to talk about intersections, ideology, and how to exist. M.I.A, to talk about cultural displacement and what means to be an outsider. Nichole Canuso, to ask her how the hell she does it.



Keep up with all the shows our Barrymore Nominators and Judges are seeing this season by checking out What's On Stage in Philly this week!

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