Theater Latté Da's At Home With Series: Rodolfo Nieto

Reprinted with the permission of Theater Latté Da

This weekend's AT HOME WITH... checks in on Rodolfo Nieto! You may have seen Rodolfo in such Latté Da productions as A Little Night Music, Candide, Assassins, and All is Calm among others. Read on to find out what Rodolfo has been watching, how he celebrated his birthday, and how he's finding ways to stay creative lately!

Q: Do you have a daily ritual that's keeping you grounded these days?

A: I begin our days by stepping out and walking around our backyard for a few minutes just to take in a little bit of nature. Every few days I’ll have a virtual workout through our local gym, Discover Strength. Then I’ll make breakfast for Clare (my wife) and myself so that we start our days by connecting over a good meal.

Q: What are you reading? 

A: Lots and lots of news, especially since the heinous murder of George Floyd has rocked our city and our nation. I’ve also been spending some time reading municipal documents to better understand some of the levers of our local government.

I also love audiobooks, and am currently listening to, and loving:
How to Be an Anti-Racist written and narrated by Ibram X. Kendi.
Born a Crime by and narrated by Trevor Noah. 
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates is in my queue.

By my bedside, I have:

Moby Dick by Herman Melville (I borrowed it from the library before we went into quarantine, so I’m taking my time with that one).

Scenes de la Vie de Boheme by Henri Murger, in the original French. I was reading this while we were in rehearsals for La Bohème and I still have a few more chapters left for that.

Cervantes’ Don Quixote in the original 17th century Spanish that I started a few years ago. I’m not actively reading that one, but I’m feeling the pull to get back to it.

Q: Which work of art—a book, poem, painting, piece of music—provides some solace for you?

A: Music overall has been the greatest balm. Everyday I will sit down at the piano, or pick up the guitar, and sing, play, and create music for myself. For a long time I’ve wanted to write my own music, and of late I’ve found many lyrics and melodies bubbling to the surface that reflect some of my angst and turmoil, as well as my amusement and whimsy.

Q: What's your go-to, binge-watching tv series?

A: Queer Eye on Netflix (we devoured that, though I could easily watch them all again), Sex Education, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Glow and The Good Place.

We’re trying to catch up on movies that we’ve been meaning to watch for a while, like Roma and Parasite, which were both fantastic!

Q: If you could throw a Fantasy Dinner Party (the only kind of dinner parties we can throw right now!) who would be on the guest list?  

A: The cast of Queer Eye—Jonathan Van Ness, Antoni Porowski, Tan France, Karamo Brown, and Bobby Berk!  And Trevor Noah, on whom Clare has a crush. With the two of us that would make 8, which is a great dinner party number.  Also, I recognize that the list is all men, so, one of the topics I would love to discuss is masculinity and the various roles of men in a changing western culture. Plus the food, wine, and overall dining experience would be phenomenal.

Q: What are you doing to feel creative or productive during this time?

A: It’s been tough not being able to rush out and be with my community in solidarity during this tumultuous moment because of the pandemic. So instead, I’ve been writing and calling our elected officials to encourage reform, and spending lots of time researching and educating myself on the theme of anti-racist policy. Many friends and colleagues of mine, some of whom have been part of this “At Home With” series, have been very inspiring in that regard.

For my performance bug, I created a live, online concert for my birthday a few weeks ago via Facebook, which was a blast to put together. Clare and I had so much fun creating and performing it  that we’re hoping to present these shows more frequently. In the meantime, I am continuing to study French, Spanish, guitar, diction and elocution, and whatever else catches my interest while I’m at home.

Q: Is there a theater production you've seen that you wish you could stream right now?

A: To Let Go and Fall, Theater Latté Da, 2019. We loved that production, and the music was utterly gorgeous and a beautiful complement to the actors’ fantastic storytelling. Plus, being such a simple production, I think it would be easy to stream and enjoy at home.

Q: Are you cooking?  Do you have a favorite recipe to share?

A: I am cooking all the time, partly because I love doing it (and eating it!) and partly because I hate wasting food, so I will make sure to use all the food that is available to us. For day-to-day recipes I often refer to The Complete America's Test Kitchen Cookbook, which my mother gifted to me some years ago.

Q: Of the roles you've played at Theater Latté Da, which is your favorite?

A: That’s a tie between Leon Czolgosz in Assassins, and Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm in A Little Night Music. I would do either again in heartbeat. The former was an amazing experience because of the show’s dark themes, carnival-like atmosphere, and our killer (pardon the pun) ensemble. The latter was a dream role for me, and every night I had so much fun coming on as a swaggering, arrogant blowhard and singing such wonderful music with our cast.

A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, 2019. PHOTO BY DAN NORMAN

Q: Would you share a quote that's especially meaningful to you?

A: This summer I was hoping to walk one of the pilgrimage paths of the Camino de Santiago, but unfortunately that is not possible this year, and being unable to travel is stifling a part of me that wants to go wander.

Recently listening to the audiobook of The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss, for the second time, I encountered a quote that keeps this idea simmering inside:

“No man is brave that has never walked a hundred miles. If you want to know the truth of who you are, walk until not a person knows your name. Travel is the great leveler, the great teacher, bitter as medicine, crueler than mirror-glass. A long stretch of road will teach you more about yourself than a hundred years of quiet introspection.”

Q: Since this is the At Home with...Series, do you have a favorite spot in your home?  Would you be willing to take a picture of it that we could share?

A: I love our backyard, and here’s a photo of me sitting on a bench I acquired from a previous production, playing the guitar, and singing while enjoying the full sunlight of our day.