Madeline Noda/Contributing Writer
When it comes to dancing salsa, having a good partner is essential — but what happens when two people meet at a salsa club and the sparks dim?
Glenn Hutchinson, an English teacher and assistant director at the Center for Excellence in Writing, wrote the play, “Salsa,” depicting this dilemma.
“Salsa” is a ten-minute comedy play that examines the interactions between characters — Steve, played by Hutchinson, and Diana, played by FIU alumni, Evelyn Perez — when they meet at a salsa club. Steve, who is an outsider, has trouble taking lead in salsa dancing. It’s up to Diana to teach him how to lead.
“I just imagined in this same space that it would be really interesting if the two people were dancing and something unusual happened,” Hutchinson said.
“Salsa” will be shown through Oct. 5 at the Microtheater Miami on Biscayne Boulevard. Shows begin at 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Hutchinson wrote the play last summer and submitted it for the new season of Mircotheater Miami.
Ivan Lopez, teacher at the Department of Theatre and co-creative director of White Rose Miami, directed the play. He met Hutchinson while acting in Miami 1-Acts Festival in New Theatre.
“Glenn and Evelyn fit the characters very well so the rehearsals mainly consisted of running through the piece and trying out different approaches to get comfortable with the characters and develop the relationship,” Lopez said.
Hutchinson said since he was still new to Miami, he felt that he fit the role perfectly.
“As soon as I read the scene it became clear that Glenn would be best in that role. He and the character shared a lot of things in common. Both of them Americans that moved to South Florida and sought to integrate into the culture a little bit by taking salsa lessons,” Lopez said. ”That made it easier for him to connect to that. Also, Glenn is a terrific actor so it just seemed natural and the obvious choice. “
Hutchinson and Lopez met Perez while acting at the New Theatre.
“Glenn is a generous and talented actor and writer. Also good chemistry really makes a difference,” Perez said.
“I’ve seen her perform a couple times and think she is a wonderful and talented actress,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson moved to Miami two years ago to work at the Center for Excellence in Writing after living in North Carolina for several years. Once in Miami, he took up lessons in salsa and boxing.
Originally born in Dallas, Texas, he went on to North Carolina for college. While switching his major from guitar to history, Hutchinson took as many acting and theater history classes as possible. Later on, he became interested in writing and how it let him express himself.
“I have always been interested in theater since a young age growing up in Dallas. My parents put me in acting classes since I was three, mainly because they didn’t want me to be shy. When I started to like writing, I became more interested in playwriting in college,” Hutchinson said.
After discovering his love for writing, he was given the opportunity to teach a first year writing course as a graduate student.
“In the course, I encouraged students to write and reflect upon this new environment at the University and trying to make connections with your classes,” Hutchinson said.
Later on, he went to teach at Johnson C. Smith University. While teaching at JCSU, he directed the university’s writing studio and focused on peer-tutoring and teaching how to write.
While writing plays, poetry and academic journals, Hutchinson focused most of his attention on community-based topics such as immigration. He often connects his writing with how people play a role within a community.
“When in North Carolina, I worked with many students that were undocumented. Many of them dealing with issues of deportation. I volunteered with different immigration groups there and a lot of my writing has been about that topic,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson is also the campus advisor of Students Working For Equal Rights.
“They address a lot of different issues. They tackle the issue of immigration, challenges of students who are undocumented,” Hutchinson said.
Now at the University, he still participates in several volunteer projects such as Miami Rescue Mission, Inc. and helping Miami Northwestern Senior High School start its own writing center and a writing fellows program. It will be the first public high school in Miami-Dade to have a writing center.
“I had a lot of courses in college that connected to the community and I was impressed by the teachers who saw education as a means of social change,” said Hutchinson. “So I believe that courses here at FIU can help us think about what changes we can make in our own community and how to accomplish it.”
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