Marisol Dramaturgy Packet

Prepared by Noah Ezell, Dramaturg

This packet was created to further the depth of understanding of Marisol for actors,
crew members, and patrons
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Contents

PLAYWRIGHT BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................ 2

LATE 1980’S NEW YORK CITY ................................................................................................................ 3
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT ................................................................................................................................. 3
HOMELESSNESS ............................................................................................................................................... 3
GUARDIAN ANGELS ............................................................................................................................................ 4
MAGICAL REALISM ............................................................................................................................... 5
GLOSSARY OF TERMS ........................................................................................................................... 9
VISUAL GLOSSARY .............................................................................................................................. 19
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Playwright Background
José Rivera is a Puerto Rican
playwright. He identifies as male and is 63
years old. When Marisol was written, Rivera
was 37 years old. Though originally born in
Puerto Rico, José Rivera and his family
moved to New York City when he was 4 years
old. His father worked as a taxi driver in the
city. Rivera’s family was religiously devout,
identifying as Catholic. Rivera has stated that
the only book his family owned was a Bible.
Though they had few books, Rivera’s family
loved to tell stories. It is through his family’s
passion for storytelling that Rivera developed his own love of telling and creating stories.
José Rivera’s early education occurred in the New
York state public school system. Rivera would later go on
to study at the Sundance Institute, a non-profit
organization committed to advancing the work of
independent storytellers in film and theatre. At the
Sundance Institute, the playwright studied with Gabriel
García Márquez, another Latin American playwright.
Márquez heavily influenced Rivera’s own writing style. It is
from his work with Márquez that José Rivera began to
write heavily within the genre of magical realism, the
genre of Marisol. Marisol itself was inspired by the
situation of Rivera’s homeless uncle. Later, Rivera began
to venture into screenwriting. He is the first Puerto Rican
screenwriter to be nominated for an Oscar.
Rivera’s first published work is The House of Ramon
Iglesia. This is a play about the themes of assimilation
and cultural suppression. It explores what these do to an individual and their psyche. Other
important works by Rivera include: References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot, Cloud Tectonics, and
Sonnets for an Old Century. Rivera states that some of his greatest influences are Timothy Williams,
Sam Sheppard, and Harold Pinter. Others are Migdalia Cruz, Eduardo Mechado, and Pedro Prieti.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Rivera_(playwright)
https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/26/theater/newsandfeatures/jose-rivera.html
https://milagro.org/meet-playwright-jose-rivera/
https://www.samuelfrench.com/p/2506/the-house-of-ramon-iglesia http://larespuestamedia.com/jose-rivera-interview/
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Late 1980’s New York City

Politics and Government

During the late 1980’s, the United States was controlled by republican president Ronald
Reagan. Reagan’s fiscal policies, denoted Reaganomics, slashed taxes and removed regulations
hoping to boost the economy. Reagan’s policies worked, and the economy came out of its
recession and moved into a period of economic boom. However, Reagan’s policies had negative
effects on minorities. Because of attacks on affirmative action and welfare programs, minorities had
less access to opportunities and programs that would have boosted their social and economic
standings.
Unlike the country as a whole, New York City was led by Mayor Ed Koch,
a democrat. Though his first two terms were met with public approval, during
Koch’s third term, beginning in 1985, he suffered a loss in popularity due to a
series of corruption scandals. During his tenure as mayor, race relations were
also poor. These poor race relations intensified in the latter part of Koch’s
mayorship as he publicly criticized Jesse Jackson, a black democratic candidate
in the 1988 presidential election.

Homelessness
The rise of contemporary homelessness developed in the 1980s. Prior to this period,
homeless populations were mainly middle-aged white men with alcohol issues. However, during the
1980s, economically driven homelessness emerged. Many of the economic policies of the time led
to a rise in income inequality and a smaller middle class. Because of these catalysts, homelessness
skyrocketed in the 1980s, disproportionately affecting people of color and other minority
communities. In response to the rise in homelessness, Mayor Koch attempted to institute policies
that removed homeless individuals from the streets at night and kept them from loitering. The
policies would have empowered the police to forcibly remove the homeless if temperatures were low
and take them to shelters.
Though well intentioned, the reality was far
from helpful. Homeless shelters were potentially
dangerous and forced removal created an ideology
that public spaces in New York City were designated
for the upper class. Once the anti-loitering laws were
struck down by the New York City supreme court,
Koch turned to propaganda as a way of attacking the
problem of homelessness. Koch, speaking on the
deviancy of the homeless, pitted them against all
other individuals in a speech in 1988 about the
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unresolved problem of homeless loitering in the Grand Central Terminal. He stated “They’re sitting
on the floor, occasionally defecating, urinating, talking to themselves…We thought it would be
reasonable for the authorities to say, ‘you can’t stay here unless you’re here for transportation.’
Reasonable, rational people would come to that conclusion, right?” Koch’s attack against the
homeless serves as one of the major themes throughout Marisol.

Guardian Angels

Sources:
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/5158315/ns/us_news-life/t/reagan-contrary-view/#.W8iodq2ZPBI
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Koch#1985_election_and_third_term
Westgate, J. Chris. “Toward a Rhetoric of Sociospatial Theatre: José Rivera's Marisol.” Theatre Journal, vol. 59, no. 1, 2007, pp. 21–37.,
doi:10.1353/tj.2007.0076.
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Magical Realism
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Assimilation
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Religion
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Glossary of Terms
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Marisol Glossary of Terms
Page # Term/Allusion Meaning/Explanation
ACT 1
10 180th Street An elevated express station on the IRT
White Plains Road Line of the New
York City Subway. It is located in the
Bronx and is served by the 2 and 5
trains at all times

10 Uzi A type of sub-machine gun designed

by Uziel Gal, an Israeli army officer

11 Van Cortlandt Park One of the major parks in New York

City. It is located in the northern
portion of the Bronx, a more middle
class area. After the economic boom of
the 1980’s, the New York economy
began to falter and the park began to
fall into disarray with clean-up staff
having been cut 30% by 1990. Since
then, the park has been renewed, but,
during the writing of the play, the park
was an area known for illegal dumping
and pollution waste

11 Salt A biblical allusion to the story of Lot

and his wife. Lot and his family lived
in the city of Sodom. God saw how evil
and wicked the people of Sodom were
and decided to destroy it. He saw that
Lot was good and told him if he and his
family left the city and did not look
back they would be spared. Lot’s wife
looked back and was turned into a
pillar of salt as punishment for her
disobedience

13 Crucifix A representation of a cross with a

figure of Jesus Christ on it. In
Christianity, it is believed that Jesus
was killed on a cross and through his
death and subsequent resurrection,
humanity is saved from Hell
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13 Horseshoe A symbol of good luck. Horseshoes
were traditionally made of iron which
was believed to ward off evil spirits.
The superstition acquired a Christian
element after a legend surrounding a
saint. The saint was a blacksmith. The
story tells that the Devil came to his
shop asking for the saint to shoe his
horse. The saint agreed but put the
horse shoe on the Devil’s foot instead.
He would not take it off until the Devil
promised not to enter a house with a
horseshoe on it ever again

13 Rabbit’s Foot An amulet believed to bring good luck.

The belief has existed in Europe since
600 BC

13 Prayer Cards Cards depicting a religious scene or

saint in an image the size of a playing
card. The backside of the card contains
a prayer

13 Milagros Religious folk charms of many

different shapes and sizes traditionally
used for healing and as offerings
symbolizing or requesting the
fulfillment of a vow in the Catholic
faith. They are traditionally used in
Mexico, other areas of Latin America,
the southern United States, and parts of
the Iberian Peninsula. The word
milagros means miracles

13 Medicine Bundles A collection of sacred items wrapped

together and held by a designated
carrier. They are used in ceremonies by
several different indigenous nations in
the Americas

13 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Four of the twelve disciples of Jesus
Christ in the Christian Bible. They
wrote the first four books of the New
Testament. These books are also
known as the gospels
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13 Ave Maria purisima, donde esta el Purest Virgin Mary, where is the heat?
heat?

13 NO TENGO HEAT, CONO! I DON’T HAVE HEAT, CUNT!

13 Me vas a matar without el fucking You’re going to kill me without the

heat!! fucking heat!!

14 Linoleum A stiff, smooth material that is used for

covering floors
15 Rosaries A form of prayer used in the Catholic
church comprised of Hail Mary’s, the
Lord’s Prayer, and Glory Be prayers.
Rosary beads are used as an aid toward
saying these prayers in the proper
sequence

15 Urn A tall, rounded vase with a base (and

usually a stem) that is most often used
to store the ashes of a cremated person
or animal

15 Arroz con Gandules A signature rice dish of Puerto Rican

cuisine made of rice, peas, and pork.
The base of the dish is sofrito (a sauce
base in Latin American cooking
consisting of aromatic ingredients that
are sautéed in cooking oil). The dish is
often served during Christmas or for
other special occasions

16 Communion Wine Wine used in the Christian ceremony

of communion. Catholicism teaches
that the wine literally becomes the
blood of Jesus Christ inside the body of
the person who ingests it.

16 Gospels The first four books of the Christian

New Testament. These books detail the
basic teachings of Christianity and the
stories of Jesus Christ and his ministry

17 Spik A racist term used in the United States

that refers to a Hispanic person
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18 Hemorrhage A rapid and uncontrollable loss or
outflow (usually of blood)
18 Seraphim, Cherubim, Archangels Hierarchies of angelic beings in
Christian mythology

18 Senile Showing a decline of physical strength

or mental function (especially short-
term memory and alertness) resulting
from old age or disease
18 “And there was war in Heaven; A verse from the book of Revelation in
Michael and his angels fought the Christian Bible. Revelation is a
against the dragon; and the dragon book that discusses the end times and
fought-“ apocalyptic events
19 New Millenium A biblical allusion to the book of
Revelation. Christian mythology
teaches in Revelation that a new
millennium of peace and harmony on
earth will occur before the final
apocalyptic battle between good and
evil takes place
19 Latin The language of ancient Rome and the
traditional language of the Catholic
church. It is considered a holy language
by Catholics

20 East Village A neighborhood in Manhattan. It has

become a center for art, music, and
counterculture. It is known for its
diverse community but has been
victimized by gentrification in recent
decades

20 Astroturf An artificial grass surface, usually used

for athletic fields

21 IRT Number Two A New York City subway service that

serves as an express line between
Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx

21 Visigoths A western branch of the nomadic tribes

of the Germanic peoples during the
300s AD. They invaded Italy and
defeated the Romans in 378.
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22 Fulgent Shining brightly

22 Pre-Millenium A Biblical allusion referencing the idea

that there will be a seven-year time of
great pain and hardship prior to the
Millennium of Jesus’ peaceful reign on
earth

22 Flat Vowels A reference to the regional accent of

Ohioans. Flat vowels are a common
characteristic of Midwestern accents. It
is also typical of Bronx accents

23 Taxi Driver A 1970’s film set in a decaying New

York City after the Vietnam war telling
the story of a veteran working as a taxi
driver who plots to kill a presidential
candidate

23 Second A.D. A acronym standing for “Second

Assistant Director”

24 Carvel An ice cream franchise

24 Formica A type of decorative product made of

several different layers that are
compressed and cured to make a hard,
durable surface

25 Truncheons A short, thick stick carried as a weapon

by police officers

27 Life and Growth Empowerment A type of New Age spiritual system

Practitioner that seeks to help coach and empower
people through a connection with the
spirit world

27 Brooklyn Spiritual Emergence The Brooklyn branch of the Spiritual

Network Emergence Network which provides
individuals that are experiencing
psychospiritual difficulties a referral
and support service

27 Stones Short for the Rolling Stones, a band

formed in the 1960s
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27 Smegma, the Literary Magazine of Potentially a reference to the magazine
Brooklyn published in NYC between 1978 and
1981 that focused on art, poetry, and
music of the emerging punk scene of
the time

27 Greenwood Cemetery A historic cemetery located in

Greenwood Heights in Brooklyn

28 Avenue D An avenue in the lower East side in

Manhattan that is filled with housing
projects

28 Lenox Hill A hospital located in Lenox Hill

neighborhood in Manhattan

30 Madre que linda noche, cuantas Mother that beautiful night, how many
estrellas. Abreme la ventana, que stars. Open my window, I want to see
quiero verlas them

31 Firing Squad A form of execution often used by the

military or during times of war. An
individual is placed against a wall
opposite a group of armed individuals.
When a call is heard, the individuals
shoot at the person being executed

32 Bronx Botanical Garden A botanical garden and National

Historical Landmark located in the
Bronx that supports over 1 million
living plants in extensive collections

32 Eunuch A man who has been castrated, often at

an early age creating hormonal
consequences, and often for the
purpose of serving as a guard to an
important woman (like a queen)

35 Military Fatigues The casual clothes that military

personnel wear, these are the clothes
that military personnel wear when they
are engaging in battle rather than at an
official ceremony
ACT 2
38 Bodega A small grocery store, especially in a
Spanish-speaking neighborhood
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40 Cos Cob A neighborhood in the town of
Greenwich, Connecticut. In 2015, it
was ranked as the 287th wealthiest
place in the US

43 Plutonium A dense silvery radioactive metal used

as a fuel in nuclear reactors and as an
explosive in nuclear fission weapons

43 East Tremont A residential neighborhood located in

the West Bronx, New York City. It has
one of the highest concentrations of
Puerto Ricans in New York City.
Hispanic or Latino of any race was
67.3% of the population in the 2010
census. Almost half the population of
East Tremont lives below the poverty
line and receives public assistance

43 Grand Concourse A major road connecting various

locations to another in the Bronx. Some
of the locations Grand Concourse runs
through includes Tremont and
Fordham

43 Fordham A group of neighborhoods in Western

Bronx, New York City. It is now
predominately Latin American and
African American

43 Phi Beta Kappa The oldest academic honor society in

the US. Often described as the most
prestigious honor society due to its
academic selectivity

43 Arcane Mysterious or secret, known to only a

few people

43 Psyche The human soul, mind, or spirit

43 Saint Patrick’s Cathedral A neo-gothic style Roman Catholic

cathedral church and a prominent
landmark of New York City.
Underneath the high altar is a crypt in
which notable Catholic figures are
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entombed. Many notable people have
requiem masses here

44 Napalm A highly flammable sticky jelly used in

bombs and flamethrowers. It was first
used during WWII. It has since been
used in the Korean War, Vietnam War,
Iraq War, and War in Afghanistan

45 Air-Traffic Controller A person who is responsible for

remotely monitoring and directing the
movements of aircraft

45 Ay Dios, ay Dios mio, ay Dios Oh God, oh my God, oh God

45 DDT A synthetic organic compound used as

an insecticide. It is toxic, dangerous to
the environment, and likely
carcinogenic. It persists in the
environment and becomes concentrated
in animals at the head of the food
chain. It has been banned in many
countries

46 Scimitar A short sword with a curved blade that

broadens toward the point. It was
originally used in Eastern countries

46 Jimi Hendrix An American rock guitarist, singer, and

songwriter. He is widely regarded as
one of the most influential electric
guitarists in the history of popular
music

47 TRW An American corporation involved in a

variety of businesses. In particular, it
was involved in credit reporting. TRW
went defunct in 2002

48 Mine harbors The process of placing explosive

devices concealed under water in
harbors designed to destroy or disable
enemy targets

48 Germ bombs Bombs that employ biological warfare

to incapacitate or kill humans.
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Biological warfare is the use of toxins
or infections agents like bacteria,
viruses, and fungi as a form of warfare

49 Hemorrhoids A swollen vein or group of veins in the

region of the anus

49 Apple An iconic image in many religious

traditions (specifically Christianity)
that is viewed as a mystical or
forbidden fruit. Apples are symbols of
knowledge, immortality, temptation,
and sin. The apple is traditionally held
as the fruit Eve ate in the Garden of
Eden in the Biblical story of Adam and
Eve. Adam and eve were told by God
that they could eat from any tree except
the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil. Eve was tempted by a serpent to
eat from the tree and did. She gave
some of the fruit to Adam. This is
considered to be the original sin in the
Christian tradition and is the reason
that humans sin today

49 Greasing palms An idiom that means to bribe one

discreetly, as by slipping money into
their palm

49 Five-sided beast A name referencing the Pentagon, the

headquarters of the United States
Department of Defense

52 Frenetic Fast and energetic in a rather wild and

uncontrolled way

52 Angelitos A term of in Latin American culture

that refers to a dead child. The word
means “little angel” and can also be
used as a term of endearment

53 Border babies An infant or young child who is

abandoned or orphaned and left in a
hospital for lack of a foster home
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54 Upper West Side A neighborhood in Manhattan that is
an affluent, primarily residential area.
It has a reputation for being New York
City’s cultural and intellectual hub. It is
considered to be among New York
City’s wealthiest neighborhoods

54 Citicorps An extremely influential bank

headquartered in New York City.
Citicorp (now known as Citigroup Inc.)
has pioneered many of the ways we
bank today

55 Port Authority A bus terminal in New York City that

is the main gateway for interstate buses
to enter Manhattan
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Visual Glossary
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Marisol Visual Glossary
Page # Term/Allusion Image
ACT 1
10 180th Street

10 Uzi

11 Van Cortlandt Park

11 Salt
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13 Crucifix

13 Horseshoe

13 Rabbit’s Foot

13 Prayer Cards

13 Milagros
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13 Medicine Bundles

14 Linoleum

15 Rosaries

15 Urn

15 Arroz con Gandules

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16 Communion Wine

18 Seraphim, Cherubim,
Archangels

20 East Village

20 Astroturf

21 IRT Number Two

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21 Visigoths

23 Taxi Driver

24 Carvel

24 Formica
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25 Truncheons

27 Stones

27 Smegma, the Literary

Magazine of Brooklyn

27 Greenwood Cemetery

28 Avenue D
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28 Lenox Hill

31 Firing Squad

32 Bronx Botanical Garden

32 Eunuch
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35 Military Fatigues

ACT 2
38 Bodega

40 Cos Cob

43 Plutonium
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43 East Tremont

43 Grand Concourse

43 Fordham

43 Saint Patrick’s Cathedral

44 Napalm
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45 Air-Traffic Controller

45 DDT

46 Scimitar

46 Jimi Hendrix

47 TRW
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48 Mine harbors

49 Apple

49 Five-sided beast

54 Upper West Side

54 Citicorps
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55 Port Authority