Sean San José and Luis Alfaro Speak about "The Travelers" and a Continued Collaboration

For Sean San José and Luis Alfaro, collaboration is not merely a professional arrangement; it is a decades-long journey down a "beautiful, long, endless road." This partnership has recently culminated in The Travelers at the Magic Theatre, a production that San José describes as a life-changing experience that "wants to keep walking with us."

The project is deeply rooted in the history of the Magic Theatre itself. Alfaro views the venue as a mythical space, built by poets and icons like Jessica Hagedorn and Paula Vogel. With The Travelers, Alfaro and San José have added another "brick, or another ghost" to a building where history dictates the method of working.

A Ritual of Community and Grief

The creation of The Travelers deviated significantly from standard theatrical processes. Working with Campo Santo, the approach was less of a traditional "writer-to-actor" pipeline and more of a communal immersion. Alfaro notes that the process didn't begin with a script, but with a meal shared by the entire team—including sound designers and stage managers.

"There’s something very joyful in feeling held up in community. The pressure goes away, but the emotional investment grows. You fall in love with everybody." — Luis Alfaro

This intimacy allowed the play to become a "pandemic play" in the truest sense. Born from a time of intense isolation and the grief of losing his father, Alfaro utilized the production to navigate the depression of the COVID-19 era. Consequently, the work became less of a standard play and more of a ritual, filtering the "soul threads" of the actors’ lives into the narrative. In fact, most characters in the play bear the actual given names of the actors portraying them, a choice that San José notes makes the work resonate on a subconscious, "rarefied" level.

The Surreal Reality of Highway 99

While critics have drawn comparisons to Samuel Beckett due to the play's absurd, "strangeness of the world" quality, the setting is undeniably grounded in American reality. The play takes place in a seminary in California's Central Valley, specifically along Highway 99.

For Alfaro and San José, this setting is not an abstract backdrop but a political statement. The Central Valley represents the "dirt and heat" of American labor, immigration, and agriculture. It is a landscape of survival where people of color have historically "put their fingers in the dirt."

The Landscape as Protest: What appears to be a surreal, deserted landscape is actually a reflection of the country's sociopolitical backbone.

The "Travelers": The title reflects the reality of migrant labor and the transient nature of survival in a harsh economic environment.

The Struggle: The play addresses the "dumpster fire" of current events while simultaneously highlighting the beautiful possibilities of survival.

San José observes that while the play lacks a literal protest sign, it is inherently an act of protest, channeling the energy of Alfaro’s history with ACT UP and fights against poverty and AIDS.

Writing into the Dark

Alfaro’s writing process for The Travelers was heavily influenced by his mentors, such as María Irene Fornés and Mac Wellman, who taught him the value of "bumping in the dark." Rather than adhering to a rigid structure or knowing the ending beforehand, Alfaro leads with his heart, allowing the emotional trajectory to dictate the form.

This methodology required a high degree of trust from the company. San José recalls moments during rehearsal where Alfaro would admit, "I just don’t know what’s going on here!" Yet, this uncertainty is framed as a virtue. By focusing on characters creating the world rather than a plot dictating their actions, the team discovered that the play was fundamentally about transformation.

Art as Citizenship

Ultimately, the collaboration between San José and Alfaro is sustained by a shared philosophy that refuses to separate the "art life" from the "citizen life." For Alfaro, every action—from teaching to going to the market—is part of the artistic process.

Embracing the mantra that it is "a honor to labor and a pleasure to rest," the duo sees their work as a constant evolution. As they continue to change as individuals, their collaborative work evolves to reflect the shifting landscapes of their lives and communities. The Travelers stands not just as a production, but as a testament to a friendship that commits to the voice of the writer and the evolution of the community forever.