Solitude, presented by Latino Theater Company, opens Sept. 9; plays Thur.-Fri., 8 pm; Sat., 3 & 8 pm; Sun., 3 pm; through Oct. 4. Tickets $15-$35. Theatre 3 of Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles; 213.489.0994 or thelatc.org

“Mexicans drink in order to confess. Americans drink in order to forget.”

The quote is from The Labyrinth of Solitude by Nobel laureate Octavio Paz and is the inspiration for the world premiere play Solitude written by Evelina Fernandez in collaboration with the Latino Theater Company.

Robert Beltran

The play is about a group of people who come together to pay the respects to the mother of Gabriel. “What resumes is a psycho-drama comedy as these people set their lives out,” says Robert Beltran who plays The Man. “The catalyst is the death of the mother. They begin to reflect on their life and what death means and what living really means.” In other words, “What’s it all about?”

So just who is this mysterious character, The Man? “He’s the limo driver who has taken these characters to and from the funeral. And he’s invited himself into the reception.” Also, he’s “an expert on Octavio Paz and other philosophers. He offers advice to two of the men – advice on romance and women.” In the end, though, he receives a very valuable lesson. “Everyone receives a transformation,” says Beltran.

Director and LTC Artistic Director, José Luis Valenzuela and his wife Fernandez have known Beltran for many years. “They invited me to be a part of the production. We’re really good friends,” he says. “I’ve always followed their work because they do really good, unusual, penetrating work. I’ve always wanted to work with them.

“Solitude is a beautifully written play. It’s very deep and funny and the characters are very well drawn. It was a no brainer as far as I was concerned,” he admits.

Beltran with Semyan Kobialka and Fidel Gomez

Beltran was a part of the workshop process. “Evelina writes a first draft and then they put it in a workshop and develop it,” he says. “Everyone is involved in the shaping of their characters. Valenzuela then takes all the elements and puts them together into a coherent, theatrical piece. He’s very brilliant at doing it. When we’re all confused he’s three, four steps ahead of us.”

Originally from Bakersfield, California, Beltran went to Fresno State where he majored in theatre. “My last year at Fresno State they started a professional Shakespeare Company in Visalia for two years. That’s where I got my Equity card. I worked in several regional companies in California and then finally came to LA and started doing films and TV.”

But LA proved less fulfilling: “That’s when I became very depressed because I wasn’t able to do as much theatre as I wanted to. The last 10 years I’ve been trying to catch up on doing theatre because that’s what I’ve always preferred doing.”

Beltran helped found East LA Classic Theatre in 1992. “I envisioned a Latino theatre company that would investigate classical plays. We did three or four productions and then I had to leave because I was working. Since then it’s become more educational oriented, which is very valuable, but I was interested in producing plays and being a professional theatre company. We got it off the ground and they’re doing very well so I’m happy about that.”

He is refreshingly candid about his opinion of the TV and film industry. “Some would call it snobby but I don’t find the material in television and most films very challenging. It’s not like the great material you can get from all the plays that are available. In college, I became spoiled by the material. When I came to Los Angeles it was great to be making money but the material didn’t satisfy me.” He adds, “Agents don’t particularly like you doing theatre. They don’t really encourage it.”

Back in the ’80s “I did a lot of plays at LATC. While I was doing Star Trek, I produced my own things. I did Hamlet and The Big Knife. Now, I want to do more theatre. The New LATC is a great place to work. I plan to do more. But at the same time I’m still doing things like Big Love.”

In the future, Beltran hopes to produce and direct some plays at LATC. “They have four really nice theatres there. I also hope to develop a classical theatre company. I want to present some of the great classics.”

In junior high school, Beltran was inspired by Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet. “At the time it made a huge impact on me. I fell in love with Shakespeare. I loved the language. I was always drawn to literature and the great classical plays. The themes deal with the essence of humanity, the most existential questions of humanity. And that’s what I love about it.

“There’s a very shallow concept of what life is about in our time – we’re living in an age where it’s a very narrow perspective of life and humanity. I like dealing with a much broader perspective.”

What was the experience like working on Star Trek? Pause. “It’s television, you know, so you’re working in a factory. Your daily routine is to get this damn episode shot. When you’re working in a factory it becomes a grind and there isn’t much creativity. Some Star Trek fans don’t like me because I say that.” However, he admits, “It was seven years of steady employment, which gave me a lot of freedom to pick and choose other projects.”

Cast of Solitude

With Solitude “I feel like we’re all involved in something important. We’re offering something to an audience that is very entertaining, it’s very funny, but is also very thought provoking.” He elaborates, “It’s something you can’t just leave at the door when you leave the theatre. It’s something you’ll take home with you and think about for a long time. We’re making individuals think about their life and the way they live their life and maybe change what’s not so good about it.

“I believe in what Friedrich Schiller wrote about the theatre: the audience should leave the theatre better citizens and better human beings.” He confesses, “That is what I’m ultimately shooting for.”

Feature image, headshot of Robert Beltran, and story images by Ed Krieger

Article by Ashley Steed