Jason WhitacreEdson Gomez looks like any person you might pass on your way to class, or at the grocery store, gas station, or just waiting to cross the street. Black hoodie, black beanie, light facial hair.
It’s a fair assumption, with the exception being that Gomez is anything but ordinary.
A technical theater major, Gomez specializes in carpentry and lighting, and is in his final year at SAC. He’s an artist in the shadows, a skilled craftsman who prefers to be a part of the creative process rather than the main character. The classic reserved something...
That’s what makes Gomez’s decision to audition for SAC’s spring production of Our Lady of 121st Street such a bizarre move.
Bizarre, at least, until you spend a little time getting to know him. That’s when you realize that Gomez has a secret drive to take risks. Despite appearances, it’s the same curiosity that drew him to explore abandoned churches in the desert that pushes him to leave his comfort zone and explore every facet of show business. Getting to know every sawn set piece and every bright spotlight.
He’s quiet and simple and content until he’s not.
“What I love about going to abandoned places is the intense pressure of not knowing what’s coming next,” said Gomez. “It’s like watching a scary movie. You want to go deeper.”
FACE TO FACE
Gomez and I sit in the auditorium at Santa Ana College’s Phillips Hall over coffee at the tables outside of the SAC Café. Both of us in all black under a hot California sun in the blue sky.
Not exactly profuse, it takes some work to get Gomez to open up about his decision to pause his theater tech responsibilities for an acting role in the play. It could be that it’s simply Gomez’s quiet personality, or it could be the play itself.
Our Lady of 121st Street is a character study about a diverse community reuniting on their old New York City block for a funeral, only to find the body has gone missing. In the play, Gomez plays Edwin, a building super who cares for a disabled brother. At times Edwin loses his patience and shouts at his brother. It’s an emotionally complex role that requires an actor to draw from experience.
“Honestly, it kind of hurts on my end,” says Gomez. “I also have a younger brother like Edwin with a disability at home. I love my brother very much, so having to do that on stage towards a character with similar problems is emotional.”
Gomez represented this well in his performance. Seemingly able to shift emotional extremes with ease while on stage, it’s easy to wonder if Gomez had become practiced in holding back and took the opportunity to express some of these frustrations while on stage.
Pressed on if this lifetime of stepping into place for attention has resulted in a more reserved personality, he acknowledges that he’s willfully placed himself into the background.
“It was only my mom who took care of my siblings and me growing up. At times, my older sister or I had to take care of my brother. I would want to go out with friends, but I had to take care of him.”
Gomez likes to shift his posture to meet the moments he speaks about. Moving closely when he knows what he’s going to say holds weight, and he leans back casually when there’s little consequence.
“I would say I live a quiet life, rather than an explosive life. It’s changed over the years.”
A History of Complexity
Most of us didn’t spend our youth balancing our needs with those of a sibling living with uncommon challenges. We didn’t have to develop an understanding of where our needs are met within a family’s emotional hierarchy. Certainly, most of us never had to navigate what it’s like to defend our brothers or sisters who maybe can’t do so themselves.
“Seeing how many people are so ignorant of these things, they don’t understand the difficulty of living with it for so long,” says Gomez. “The slurs and language they use about people with disabilities or Down syndrome pisses me off.”
He has a lot of influence in his family and in the productions he’s involved with. Despite this, Gomez shows no sign that he’s aware of his presence, or at least doesn’t pay attention to it. It’s a trend that follows him outside of theaters as much as in them.
Gomez moved to Santa Ana shortly after starting college. Leaving his family home in Anaheim, and into an apartment with a close family friend.
“We made plans, but then his whole family moved back in. That was a surprise. For two people, it’s a pretty standard apartment. Five or more, and it’s pretty small.”
While the situation doesn’t sound ideal, Gomez remains understanding of a family returning to a home they’ve always known. He chooses to go with the flow of a world moving around him, even when the realities are hard to ignore.
“Some buildings are never repaired. That apartment has always been the same for them.”
In Gomez’s life, this complex familial dynamic causes him to lean forward and clasp his hands together. That tells me that he knows the value in what he’s experienced, even if he doesn’t always have the words.
On Stage
For many, our early 20s are filled with moments of decision. We stop standing in the background, and we stop letting life move around us. We find meaningful moments where we can help guide the narrative. We’re hungry and looking. When we find something, we run with it.
Gomez is different.
After taking on a nuanced stage role that requires personal confrontation, Gomez is not filled with anxiety about his next moves. He’s ready to keep going and to take on life one day at a time.
Lately, his day-to-day consists of playing video games, relaxing at home with family, long drives, and occasional bar-hop evenings in LA.
Originally, Gomez had intended to perform in Julius Caesar in the attached “black box” theater stage, which will be presented at the end of May. It’s through the advice of Professor Kevin Slay, a 30-year theater veteran and 16-year theater professor, that Gomez found himself on the front stage rather than behind it.
“The honesty that they bring to their roles creates an authenticity within their characters and allows audiences to more easily connect to their performances on an emotional level,” said Professor Kevin Slay about his actors.
After facing that authenticity directly, Gomez is happy to return backstage. He’s done the necessary exploration and experienced the deep dive. Now he’s ready to get back to what he knows best.
It’s similar to the abandoned building explorations of his past. Sparking new inspirations and gaining the knowledge and experiences that add to future endeavors. It makes you wonder if all of these moments are still a part of him.
“One of my favorite memories was going to an abandoned church. We went on a personal field trip, out past Riverside and into the mountains. We had the flashlights out, we saw a dead animal in one of the pews, and hid behind a bush from the cops.”
He leans back at the rising memory, unlaces his fingers, and smiles into the distance.
Next Act
There’s a bright future in the shadows for the people who want to be there, but it requires active participation. Gomez has plans but recognizes that there may be obstacles on the road to making that future happen.
“From here, I want to work on bigger projects, bigger musicals, and join a union one day. There was a big conversation about whether or not moving out of the house was a good decision.”
This would mean looking at work for bigger theaters and in bigger cities, a prospect that might not be as easy to envision as it seems.
“If I wanted to find a job in LA, San Francisco or New York, it would be a much bigger topic. I have a big connection to my family. They’re basically my whole life. One thing I want to do in my life, a loophole, would be working at big concerts. That kind of opportunity would be worth discussing.”
Gomez’s story isn’t very different from what a lot of other people experience. He goes to work, manages his family and keeps to himself. Also, like most people, he’s not trying to make waves, and yet he does.
Even if the impact is small, the lives he touches are changed by his actions. Every unique set design, mediated conversation and unpredictable bold decision makes ripples across the sea of his life and the lives of those that love him.
“I’m just an average guy,” says Gomez.
