BARBA in Costa Rica – An International Creative Collaboration

(Scroll to the bottom to read this post in Spanish. Thank you Jan Hurwitch for making this possible,)

One thing leads to another.  As I mentioned in recent blogs, Casa Uno Artist Residency has hosted several graduates of New York University’s MFA program in Musical Theatre Writing.  For the past two years, a faculty member from NYU’s program has sent out an email so alumni can apply for the Residency.  In July, I received an email from Kim Bixler saying she knew of my interest in musical theatre and was going to be in Costa Rica working on a musical called BARBA: Brazilian Body Percussion Musical, inspired by the Brazilian musician Fernando Barba, and she would like to meet me. So we began corresponding, and on August 19, I attended a rehearsal of BARBA. What an awesome treat, and I’m so excited that the piece is being workshopped here and I will get to see a performance.  I encourage all my Costa Rica friends and readers to make sure they go and see BARBA too.

There is lots of interesting history behind this production.  Let me begin by sharing a bit about the two creators, Kim Bixler (Writer and Lyricist) and Carlos Bauzys (Composer, Co-Book Writer and Musical Director).  I immediately identified with Kim, as she boldly tries new things in her life. She gave a TEDx talk this past February titled “Why I Couldn’t Be a Musical Theater Writer Until I Turned 50.” Besides our common interest in musical theatre, we share a love of Frank Lloyd Wright.  The latest book she published is Growing Up in A Frank Lloyd Wright House.  My mom often talked about seeing Frank Lloyd Wright walking around when Fallingwater was being created, as she had a friend with a summer home near the property.  I visited the house many times, first as a teenager and most recently around 2018 with my daughter Julie and her family. You can learn lots more about Kim by visiting her website.

When I met Kim at the rehearsal, we had some time to chat, and she explained that COVID proved to be helpful in bringing her and her collaborator together.  Because of COVID, potential NYU students could apply via Zoom, which opened the option for international talents to apply without the expense of making a trip to NYC to audition. Carlos Bauzys was one of those people and was awarded a full scholarship to attend.  He already had an outstanding career in Brazil as an award-winning composer, arranger, musical director, conductor and educator.  His resume of musical direction is very impressive and I encourage you to check out his website.  Kim and Carlos met and were partnered to work together during the two years they were enrolled in NYU Tisch’s graduate Musical Theatre Writing program.  According to Kim, the first year of the program is dedicated to working with a new collaborator every week on a musical project, then tackling a rewrite after receiving feedback. At the end of the first year, students are asked to rank their top 10 collaborators for their master’s thesis project. Carlos and Kim got their top choices—each other! Their final year is dedicated to completing a full-length musical. Their project became BARBA: Brazilian Body Percussion Musical. Their fellow classmate Matthew Graham from Edmonton, Canada, began working with them when BARBA was just one song and a dream. He is here in Costa Rica as their Assistant Musical Director and also performing in the show.

In February of 2024, BARBA: Brazilian Body Percussion Musical had sold out Off-Broadway performances in NYC where Raphael (Rafa) Esteban Arias Castro from Costa Rica was the lead actor (BARBA).  He is the Producer of the Costa Rican production and again playing the lead role of Barba.  At the rehearsal I attended in San José, the choreographer, Rodrigo Varandas (originally from São Paulo, Brazil, currently living in Los Angeles), was at work setting a section with Rafa and the ensemble.  Rafa’s strong presence guides the scene with talented local Costa Rican actors, singers and dancers supporting him.

Rounding out the international creative team is Guy Retallack from London, England. He is director of the Costa Rican workshop production of BARBA.

Before closing the blog, I want to share more about the relationship of Carlos to Fernando Barba.  Carlos found a way to notate the body percussion and showed that to Barba.  That was the beginning of a long friendship and collaboration.  On Carlos’s website he talks about how important that was and how committed he is. I quote from his webpage:

As the former co-musical director of the Barbatuques, and close friend of Barba, I’m excited to have the opportunity to tell Barba’s history in a musical, because it is also my history. Today, Barbatuques is a very well-known group in the world with reference to body percussion, but Barba’s influences are also in musical education across the country.  The way he could create music from nothing, using just the body and the creativity coming from all people around him was so special, evolving and inclusive.

Kim showed a page of the notation to me, and it is fascinating. I look forward to asking Carlos about it.  It looks as though “x” marks and “little circles” around notes, along with other small symbols on the musical staff, tell the performer what kind of body percussion to do.

While a graduate student at NYU, Carlos published “Songbook Barbatuques: Volume 1 featuring 12 scores and 4 lead sheets” in honor of the late Fernando Barba.   The songbook provides for the first time what was played by the Brazilian group.  Here’s a link to learn more about it.

Watching the rehearsal was a real treat and an excellent example of collaboration. Collaboration has been my focus in previous blogs.  It is indeed very special that a future Broadway show is being workshopped here.  I encourage all my Costa Rican readers to make sure to get tickets.  The show runs in San Jose at Teatro Expressivo from September 11 to September 28.  If you live in Atenas we are arranging for a bus to take us to the Sunday, September 21, performance. Here’s a link to buy tickets.

Thank you, Kim, for reaching out to me, and inviting me to a rehearsal! Following are a few of the pictures I took during the rehearsal.  The international creative team is in black T-shirts while the local cast (which is doing an outstanding job) are in blue T-shirts.