Cedric Leiba, Jr. plays Macedonio Guerra in T2’s production of “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity”, written by Kristoffer Diaz and directed by Dexter J. Singleton.
(Photo/Wesley Hitt)

The show is called “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity”, but when the lights come up at the top of Act 1, the professional wrestling ring on the T2 stage is lit with a simple spotlight on a single character: Macedonio Guerra. Macedonio, played in T2’s production by Cedric Leiba, Jr., is slight of build but fierce of soul; a wrestler gifted enough to make less talented—but more charismatic—competitors shine in the ring. As he does for Chad Deity, for example, whose savvy business sense and outsized charisma have taken him to the top of THE Wrestling organization. But where Chad is the cold, hard reality of professional wrestling, Macedonio is its promise—what it could be, in a different world.

The part is, surely, a difficult one to play: Macedonio is both the play’s narrator as well as its primary character, and Leiba navigates between wry direct addresses to the audience and intense scenes with other characters with incisive skill. Macedonio’s heartbreak is that he’s deeply in love with professional wrestling while simultaneously recognizing its unforgivable flaws, and Leiba’s sensitive face shows every slight, every barb, every time he has to hold his tongue in the ring. Just as moving are the moments where Macedonio experiences joy and hope: in a scene where he tries on THE Wrestling’s championship belt, the painful yearning on Leiba’s face is so bright, there’s hardly a need for stage light.

Leiba took some time out of his performance schedule to give us insight into the connection between him and Macedonio Guerra, the terror of learning professional wrestling moves in just one week of rehearsals, and the complex nature of Kristoffer Diaz’s Pulitzer Prize finalist of a play.

Can you talk a little bit about your path to theater?

My parent’s living room in Isla Verde, Puerto Rico was my first stage. They were my first audience members and Michael Jackson, Madonna and Whitney Houston were the first characters I tried to portray. In those early offerings my parents saw something in me which led to my auditioning for El Coro de Niños de San Juan (San Juan’s Children’s Choir). The next two years in that prestigious choir filled my formative years with a taste of the artist’s life. Upon moving to Deltona, Florida in the early 90’s, my grandmother’s church would become the new stage I’d use to work on my craft. My time in church not only taught me the healing power of story-telling through song, but I also took on the immense responsibility of Music Minister shortly before college. In the school system, my Galaxy Middle School music teacher, Mrs. Sharon Wade, nurtured my interest with solos, countless hours after school, teaching me to sight-read and even allowing me to choreograph for a school recital. Her mentorship led to being selected for the advanced choir in Pine Ridge High School where I began a deep love for musical theater. In my senior year of high school, a local theater company, Seaside Music Theater, created a program where they gave our class the summer stock experience. Dance and vocal warmups were taught and then used while mounting a production of Once On This Island in which I’d play the role of Daniel Beauxhomme. That sealed the deal. I wanted to experience that magic every day. When applying for college, I wasn’t accepted into the musical theater programs I’d chosen but my path led me to attend Stetson University to pursue a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. The degree prepared students to be Opera stars, but I knew that world would not be for me. While at Stetson, I connected with my musical theater tribe and learned what I needed to do to pursue a career in musical theater. The regional premiere of Miss Saigon at Seaside Music Theater started me on a consistent stock performing schedule that would go on to change my life. After Stetson, my next step was The Boston Conservatory where I’d pursue a graduate degree in Musical Theater. This institution beautifully set me up for New York City and soon after graduating, I booked several national tours and was on my way to a professional career in the arts. Though music and singing were my first love, they opened doors to acting, dancing and later to performing in movies, commercials and TV. I am most proud of this moment here at TheatreSquared’s “Chad Deity” because I am telling a story without music for the first time. My first play. This is a bucket list moment.

When you first read “Chad Deity”, what really pulled you in about the work?

What first drew me in was the fact that this story was being told by a Puerto Rican kid from the Bronx. Puerto Ricans from the Bronx have seldom been given the opportunity to tell their stories, let alone to be front and center. As a Puerto Rican man whose father is from The Bronx and whose mother was born on the island and raised in Brooklyn, this piece’s language and Mace’s journey felt very much like home. The diversity and authentic representation of these characters and the unapologetic way in which Kristoffer Diaz handles the negative side of wrestling’s history also became major proponents of my interest in the piece.

You seem so connected to Macedonio— can you talk a little bit about your actor's process, and what parts of Macedonio you feel the most affinity or maybe similarity with?

I do feel very connected to Macedonio. When I think about this character, I think about my Dad, my fiancé Pierre, my cousins and the many Puerto Rican men in my life who have come from humble beginnings and have fought hard to achieve their goals and dreams. I had many external sources to pull from for this character, but ultimately I had to recognize my own past feelings of being overlooked, passed on or being treated as lacking value. Those experiences have always fueled me to truly fight for the right to exist in this challenging world and to see all of my dreams come true, regardless of the obstacles. That is also Macedonio’s path in this poignant play.

The cast had about a week of intense training for the wrestling moves. Tell us about the trust that was involved with that, insofar as you're putting your safety into your fellow actors' hands, and having only known them for a short period of time—what was that like?

Fear. Full fear. That was my experience the first week of training. It was a new physical and mental language that was completely foreign to me and we had a limited amount of time to get all of the wrestling moves and fight choreography into our bodies. There is a tremendous amount of vulnerability and trust that needs to happen in order to make what we do every night seem authentic and impactful. Thankfully, every one brought their “A game” and all of the creatives, including our wrestling coach, Xander Gold, made sure that we felt safe. Honestly, the biggest obstacle was managing the fear that I would get hurt or disappoint hardcore wrestling fans. Once I did the work to get past those “bumps,” everything else truly fell into place.

This is a play about wrestling—and it's not about wrestling. Can you talk a little about how Diaz manages this complex duality in "Chad Deity”?

I think Diaz does a beautiful job glamorizing what we love about wrestling while calling out the decades of micro-aggressions and subtle racism that has become synonymous with the industry. The playwright uses the art of wrestling as a direct reflection to how the USA has treated those in power, those with money and how it always deeply impacts the stories and journeys of marginalized people. How greed and nationalistic pride have often minimized the worth of those whose backs this country was built upon.

What do you hope audience members leave the theater thinking about? What new information do you hope this experience might provide?

Empathy. More empathy. Truly thinking about our fellow human being and finding waysto make sure we are ALL being lifted up, we are ALL being seen and validated. The ALL which includes those that may not be a part of your tribe, community, belief system, gender expression, etc. This is what my time in Fayetteville has gifted me. The reminder that we MUST come together, heal, listen, grow from one another and most of all, for love to be the catalyst for all things.

Is there anything else you would like to say about your work on this show—anything I didn’t ask that I should have?

I want to thank TheatreSquared for investing in a wonderful season highlighting POC playwrights and performers. I’m deeply moved by the wonderful staff, cast, crew and community members who have poured into my life the past couple of weeks and have validated my existence, my work and made it clear to me that all of the communities I represent matter and deserve a moment in the spotlight.

Cedric Leiba, Jr. talks 'Chad Deity'