For Michael Marrero, one inventive medium might by no means be sufficient. A Key West native of Cuban descent, Marrero is a filmmaker, whose creations have been screened at greater than 100 festivals; a playwright, whose “Locura” was staged in Havana as a part of a historic Cuban-American theatrical change; an excellent photographer, who characterizes his photographs as “Cuban Gothic Meets Florida Man”; an artist exploring and exhibiting distinctive woodcarvings; and an creator, who just lately accomplished his first novel.
“I’ve at all times labored throughout mediums, however it wasn’t strategic,” stated Marrero. “If the story matches a photograph, I’ll shoot it; if it’s higher served as a play, I’ll write it.”
“I’m a giant believer in following the concept,” he added.
A lot of these concepts draw on his heritage and the Key West group that helps feed his creativity. His play “Locura,” for instance, spotlights the island metropolis’s mid-1900s “unhealthy previous days” by way of the interplay of a younger Key West man and his Cuban-born uncle. The script touches on smuggling, an escape from Cuba, cockfights, bodily confrontations and different components that characterised Key West on the time.
“’Locura’ was about monitoring the place the island was, versus what it’s turn into,” stated Marrero, who plans to stage a brand new manufacturing of the play to mark its 10-year anniversary. “A part of my work is about holding onto what’s disappearing — the tradition, the historical past, the traditions — and serving to protect them as greatest I can.”
His newest play, “King Tide,” expands on that theme by coping with gentrification, affordability and the impression of local weather change on coastal communities — points that loom massive in up to date Key West. He’s additionally engaged on a “King Tide” picture collection that can be featured in an upcoming Key West Artwork & Historic Society exhibit.
Marrero’s greatest recognized pictures features a breathtaking monochromatic assortment titled “Orisha: The Misplaced Saints.” Juxtaposing Key West’s disappearing Santeria tradition and conventional Catholic saints, his evocative large-format photographs have been exhibited each domestically and at Cuba’s 2022 Havana Biannual.
The multi-talented artist can also be the manager director of Key West’s Williams Corridor, a middle for religious and social actions, lessons, lectures, conferences, cultural shows, live shows and the favored Unity Desk eating experiences. As such, he leads programming and manages operations whereas encouraging group interplay and change.
Marrero balances his inventive work and his stewardship of Williams Corridor with roles because the husband of Key West occasion administration famous person Liz Love and the daddy of two daughters. Isabel is 10 and loves theater and appearing, whereas Stella is a 7-year-old powerhouse who he describes as a mini-version of her mom.
Regardless of expertise that might make him profitable in a lot bigger inventive arenas, Marrero stays completely satisfied to nurture his household and pursue his profession within the supportive group of Key West.
“I’ve been round, and there’s nowhere fairly like this island,” he stated. “It has an actual sense of place. I do know the folks, the historical past, the tradition — that depth is uncommon.”
His most up-to-date inventive pursuits contain woodcarving, a way of expression lengthy practiced on the island. The late folks artist Mario Sanchez, who chronicled early 1900s Key West in painted bas-relief carvings, lived throughout the road from Marrero’s grandmother.
“For me, it’s been a technique to reconnect with my roots and floor myself within the older island traditions,” stated Marrero. “It’s tactile, it’s off-screen — and in a world shifting quick towards AI, that analog sensibility feels extra important than ever.”
Founding father of the Key West Woodworking Society, he staged the society’s second annual showcase of members’ work at Wiliams Corridor in March, celebrating the island’s wealthy custom within the craft.
With regards to filmmaking with collaborator Jon Rhoads, nonetheless, Marrero’s curiosity in offbeat experimentation and embracing the absurd takes heart stage. His brief movies — some coping with zombies, apocalyptic horror, and what he calls “the surreal slipping into the on a regular basis” — have been screened at occasions starting from the Key West Worldwide Movie Competition to festivals in London, Amsterdam and Canada.
Regardless of his success in so many inventive disciplines, Marrero is soft-spoken and right down to earth, addressing any challenges with an air of quiet confidence. What’s his secret for balancing multi-genre creativity and myriad tasks with out turning into overwhelmed?
“Loads of naps,” he joked.
Truly, the key is way extra about perspective than naps.
“I by no means take into account the tasks work,” Marrero stated. “If I get the chance to spend a day creating one thing, it’s an excellent day.”