Meet: Jose Solís

JOSE SOLÍS is a NYC-based theatre critic who has written for the The New York Times, American Theatre, America, and Backstage. 

Jose’s website: http://tokentheatrefriends.com/

CATHOLIC ARTIST CONNECTION (CAC): What brought you to NYC, and where did you come from? How long have you been here, and why did you decide to move here?

JOSE SOLÍS (JS): New York City is the only place I have ever missed. I fell in love with it the moment I first visited in my late childhood, and knew that this is where I belonged. I finally moved here in 2012 from Costa Rica, where I had gone to college, but I was actually born in Honduras.

CAC: Do you call yourself a Catholic artist?  What do you see as your personal mission as a Catholic working in the arts?

JS: Despite growing up in a predominantly Catholic country, I was actually raised atheist and it wasn’t until my very late 20s that I dared enter a Catholic church again. I had been told for years that my homosexuality had no place in the church, until I found the Jesuits in NYC, who showed me a side of Catholicism I didn’t know existed. So these days I don’t call myself a Catholic necessarily, but instead I’m more of a religious syncretic, I combine what I learned from Jesuits, Kabbalah, Zen, Hinduism and esotericism to craft and live by a philosophy of love and kindness. In many ways though, the Jesuit notion that prayer must be complimented with works is what I bring to the arts.

CAC: Where have you found support in the Church for your vocation as an artist?

JS: The Ignatian exercises helped me find a way to align my work with the teachings of Jesus Christ through St. Ignatius, so I find support in my spiritual director and a few priests I come to for advice. 

CAC: Where have you found support among your fellow artists for your Catholic faith?

JS: I haven’t, in fact it wasn’t until very recently that I “came out of the closet” so to speak, since the arts have over the past century or so, maintained themselves very removed from religion and spirituality. 

CAC: How can the Church be more welcoming to artists?

JS: It’s the job of the church to let people like me know that we’re welcome. I am blessed to have found the Jesuits, but if it wasn’t for them, I’d still feel that the Church wants me to cease existing. 

CAC: How can the artistic world be more welcoming to artists of faith?

JS: Any mention of the Catholic church leads to instant mentions, and rightfully so, of the child abuse within it. The problem is that in condemning the biggest sin of the Church (an undeniably un-Christian culture of silencing and aiding the powerful) but not making space to see the good that the Church can contribute (i.e. the work of Jesuits, and nuns like the Sisters of Charity) the arts treat the Church without any nuance. I don’t understand why Broadway plays for instance try to humanize Rupert Murdoch and racists, but won’t even consider doing the same for Catholics who condemn the child abuse.

CAC: Where in NYC do you regularly find spiritual fulfillment?

JS: My HQ is St. Francis Xavier Church near Union Square. It remains the only Catholic Church I’ve ever attended where I felt loved and wanted. 

CAC: Where in NYC do you regularly find artistic fulfillment?

JS: As a freelance critic, I’ve found the need for artistic community, but critics often find themselves on the outskirts of the field. We’re thought of as antagonists, instead of parts of the ecosystem. I find community on Twitter where I am able to have conversations with people from all walks of life. In terms of training and community I’m in the process of launching the first national organization comprised entirely of BIPOC theatre critics, and also a training program for BIPOC folks who want to become critics.

CAC: How have you found or built community as a Catholic artist living in NYC?

JS: I was part of the Contemplative Leaders in Action (CLA) program and met some fascinating people I now get to call my friends, the director of my program, Kaija DeWitt-Allen was instrumental to me finding a place within the Church. 

CAC: What is your daily spiritual practice?

JS: I do the Ignatian Examen most days, I pray constantly, and also use resources I learned from Kabbalah in my daily interactions with people. 

CAC: What is your daily artistic practice?

JS: I try to write something every day, even if it’s just a tweet. I also read constantly in order to become inspired by the work of others. 

CAC: Describe a recent day in which you were most completely living out your vocation as an artist.

JS: Ever since I launched my publication (Token Theatre Friends) independently, I have found fulfillment of my vocation every single day. While most theatre publications struggle waiting for things to go back to how they were before the pandemic, I made it my mission to remind ourselves that there is no virus that can prevent artists from creating, and such on a typical day I will be on the phone with different playwrights, actors and directors, or recording/editing my show, writing a review or a column etc. Nothing brings me more joy than being able to amplify the work these magnificent artists are doing. 

CAC: You actually live in NYC? How!?

JS: Barely hanging in there, during the pandemic I’ve relied on grants and the little income I’m able to make each month. I’ve also become one of those millennials who gets helps from their parents, which makes me feel endless shame, but they agree it’s safer for me to live in NYC than going back to Honduras.

CAC: But seriously, how do you make a living in NYC?

JS: I’m so stubborn that I found a way to make ends meet just by freelancing without relying on a “day job”, of course that all changed with COVID-19. I can’t romanticize NYC in any way, it’s an overpriced hellscape dominated by greedy landowners and the super rich, so I can’t recommend anyone in their right mind to just move here. But I’ve been blessed in that I make just about enough money to pay my rent/bills/food/transportation.

CAC: How much would you suggest artists moving to NYC budget for their first year?

JS: I have managed to live in NYC making less than 27k a year, I don’t recommend it, but it’s worked for me.

CAC: What are your top 3 pieces of advice for Catholic artists moving to NYC?

JS: 1. NYC can be filled with temptations and invitations to straying from the path of goodness and kindness. Stay focused.

2. If possible find a community of friends outside your field, in a city as competitive as this, it’s essential to have friends that aren’t vying for the same jobs you are.

3. Go to St. Francis Xavier and bask in the joy of their inclusive groups and friendly community. It’s the only church in the world where I can imagine both a tribute to the victims of the Pulse massacre, and seeing a black woman deliver the homily as the white priest sat behind her all smiles.