Geraldine Fuenmayor had a number of goals when she penned her play Tuberose, Ginger and Other Essences. She wanted to illustrate her Venezuelan culture and she wanted to explore a tumultuous time in her life. Fuenmayor realized she was gay at the age of 18 and wanted to explore that time in her life through writing.
“I needed to channel a lot of emotions that started being trapped inside of me, and one of the way to releasea for that trapped emotions was through writing,” she said.
Back in Venezuela, Fuenmayor was a University professor, teaching in post grad studies, she was a researcher and a consultant.
“Coordinating projects and training students and guiding students to go through thesis and things like that. Also a lot of projects for the Venezuelan government, central government and municipalities. That was my life,” she said.
When she immigrated to Canada, she continued with that work, working for a specialized firm in land use, urban simulation and transport models. She kept working in that field because she thought it was her life path. But she was feeling an emptiness that was filled with writing and people and theatre.
Her play focuses on a mother and daughter relationship, but it has Venezuelan culture in the background, while featuring live music. Fuenmayor has written mostly in Spanish and is now venturing in playwriting in English and wants to build her skills as a writer and director.
Tuberose, Ginger and Other Essences works in a frame of 5 years, so you see the main character grow and change through 5 years of University life. But life gets too fast and she struggles to figure out what she wants. The audience gets to witness her journey. The play gets its title from the main character experiencing her world through scents an essences. This production also features immigrant artists with accents, as Fuenmayor wanted to celebrate her accent and being a newcomer.
“I am an immigrant myself, so if I have the opportunity to help other immigrants, I’ll do it. I have struggled a lot, to […] find my place or opportunities,” she explained.
Tuberose, Ginger and Other Essences is written and directed by Geraldine Fuenmayor and runs June 12 – 16 at Theatre 1308. Tickets are available online.
Photo Credit: KOIPIX PHOTOGRAPHY