A conversation with author and actor Herbert Siguenza on A WEEKEND WITH PABLO PICASSO - Arizona Theatre Company

Herbert Siguenza
Photo by Darren Scott

by Gil Benbrook

Ever since he was a child, actor and playwright Herbert Siguenza was fascinated with drawing and creation. At the age of 7, he read the book The Private Life of Pablo Picasso by photographer Douglas Duncan and it inspired him to be an artist. He was impressed by the books in-depth details of the famous artist’s lifestyle in the South of France in 1957. “He had small kids, a goat, an owl and drew and painted all day. What a great life I thought!” That fascination with Picasso stuck with Siguenza throughout his life and inspired him to write his one man show A Weekend with Pablo Picasso. After several successful productions across the country, the play has its Arizona premiere at Arizona Theatre Company this month.

A Weekend with Pablo Picasso takes place over a single weekend in Picasso’s studio in the South of France in 1957.  He is working feverishly to complete a commission for six paintings for an important patron. Over the course of the one act play he agrees to let us watch him paint.  We witness his work habits along with hear his thoughts on art, women, politics and life. But most importantly, the experience gives us a firsthand account of his keen sense of playfulness as well as his fiery passion. It is a charming, funny, inspiring and heartfelt play grounded by Siguenza’s revealing performance of the famous painter.

A playwright, actor, director, and visual artist, Siguenza says that he decided that “I didn't want to do a bio-play but rather a moment in time.  I wanted to have the audience experience and feel like they are spending a weekend in his studio. What would he talk about? What would he paint? What would he eat? I wanted to show an intimate, private portrait of the artist at work and at home.”

Siguenza has a BFA in Fine Art, and he spent several years of intense research reading everything about Picasso as well as books by his associates and his lovers in creating the play. He also practiced the famous artists painting style, since, during the course of the play, he actually creates an original Picasso style painting. He says he’s waited all his life to play this part. “This is a role where I can show my acting and painting skills at the same time. There are very few actors in the world that could pull this role off because it requires certain skills and confidence.” As far as the difficulties in painting while also acting, he adds “I’m actually very comfortable while I create art on stage. But, it is a very challenging role because he is such a big figure in history.” Though he has found that his painting has improved since he started playing Picasso. “I have taken his philosophy of ‘don't try. Do.’ Let a mistake be a gateway to a new discovery. Never giving up until it's ‘finished’.”

During his research Siguenza discovered that the reason Picasso was so prolific and worked and painted ever day was because “he feared death and he truly believed that he would not die as long as he worked and created. He wanted to cheat death and he basically worked until the day he died at the age of 93. In a certain way, I have that same philosophy about work and life.” He also discovered they have other things in common. “We are from the same Spanish stock, my grandmother was Catalán, so I look like him once I put on the wig. We are also both workaholics and don't stop creating or working on something. We also both believe in world peace from a far left perspective.”

Herbert Siguenza
Photo by Darren Scott

While the play captures the enormous personality of the artist, Siguenza did decide to leave some information about Picasso out of the play. “I mention his misogynistic attitude towards women but I do not dwell on it. I think what is most important is his work, his process and his philosophy about art. He left the world with countless pieces of beautiful art. He only broke a dozen hearts. The former outweighs the latter in my opinion.”

Since this is a one man show, and he is alone on stage and talking to, interacting with, and basically painting for, the audience he has had some interesting reactions. “One time a patron was on his phone and his feet were on the stage. I exploded as Picasso and told him, ‘what I am saying here is much more interesting than your conversation. Please take your feet off the stage or I will ask you to leave.’ The audience applauded!” And, while he has been performing the part for the last several years, he states that “I always add something in every production to enrich it and make it interesting for me. I still don't know what I will do in Arizona.”

He hopes that audiences will not only realize that Picasso was "a true genius but also that greatness only comes from ‘doing’ and working. Picasso said, ‘success comes from action.’ My goal is that people feel like they have spent the weekend with him and have gotten to know him better and learn what really made him tick.” In the play Picasso states, “When I kiss a woman, I leave my eyes open. I want to see everything.” While A Weekend with Pablo Picasso might not afford us the opportunity to see everything about Picasso, it does allow us the chance to experience a great artist, in his element, and bask in his intense passion behind his creations.

A Weekend with Pablo Picasso plays at Arizona Theatre Company from April 30 - May 17, 2015 -   www.arizonatheatre.org