“In the Heights” by playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes ’99 on writing, theater and language

The Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright reflects on her relationship with language, her writing process, and her experiences working across different artistic mediums.

Isobel McClure

10:57 p.m., October 23, 2024

Contributing journalist

Courtesy of Quiara Alegría Hudes

Theater – according to award-winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes ’99 – is a fleeting experience. It’s “a now or never genre, a unique ceremony” and for years, Hudes has dedicated himself to this art form.

Hudes is a critically acclaimed playwright, essayist, and screenwriter currently based in New York. She is best known for writing the book for the Tony award-winning musical “In The Heights.”» and the screenplay for “Water By the Spoonful,” for which she received a Pulitzer Prize.

“In the heights» tells the story of the residents of Washington Heights, New York – and the stories of celebration and mourning within this predominantly Dominican-American neighborhood.

For Hudes, the writing process begins with “something tiny” rather than a specific intention or goal.

“A little idea will lead me into reverie. A character. A setting. A subject. Like a grain of sand in an oyster shell…And I let my mind wander in that space for a very long time,” Hudes wrote in an email to the News. “It’s the part of writing that happens while taking a shower, while doing the dishes, while waiting for the subway.”

Throughout her writing career, Hudes did not limit herself to a single form. She has published essays in publications including The New York Times and The Cut and has written screenplays, most recently for the 2021 animated film “Vivo.”

According to Hudes, this versatility allowed him to develop “distinct but complementary practices”. However, she is aware that with each form the audience will interact with her writing in different ways.

For Hudes, theater is a study of human behavior. Each medium adapts to the way people interact with language.

“Books are about experience, about an inner life. How do people experience things? Hudes said. “For live theatre, you need the audience to hear the words – there is a technical requirement to articulate them. For a reader, you imagine quiet corners of their mind and can drop your voice to a whisper.

In 2022, she published her first memoir, “My Broken Language.” The literary genre is more permanent than theater, Hudes said, which depends on a living – inherently ephemeral – experience.

According to Hudes, writing books allows his work to be “in conversation” with different moments in time. She said it was “liberating” to work in this “longer-term” genre.

“I wonder if Magda Szabó, Toni Morrison or Jamaica Kincaid knew how useful their books would be to me in times of crisis, even though I have never been to post-war Hungary or segregated Ohio in the 1910s, nor in Antigua.” She added: “This long experience has broadened my awareness, my sensitivity, my patience. »

She noted that over time, her relationship with language became more personal than observational.

Hudes “loved” listening and interviewing. Now she’s more in tune with the voice in her head.

“For me, there is nothing more fascinating than the way people use language. But today, I tend to listen closer to home: my own inner workings. »

Recently, his editor Chris Jackson prompted Hudes to think about the importance of consistency in a character’s voice. If a character’s intonations or expressions are not “consistent”, does their language require an explanation?

For Hudes, the answer is no.

“Dichotomies, disparate dialects, and colloquialisms within the same character do not represent inauthenticity, but quite the opposite. I have warring voices in my head,” Hudes said. “I talk urban, I talk suburban, I talk high, I talk low, I talk intellect, I talk spirit, I talk Bach, I talk Miles Davis.”

The concept of linguistic coherence is unfathomable to Hudes, even a foreigner.

During his undergraduate years at Yale, Hudes worked in the School of Music, helping to record his recitals. She cited memories of collaborating with her peers – composing music and directing productions – describing it as a time “to be active and create”.

Although Hudes graduated in 1999, his legacy at Yale endures today. In 2022, students put on a production of “In The Heights,” featuring a nearly entirely Latino cast and crew.

“Being a part of it was a joy, and especially as a freshman, I really felt a part of the student body in a way that I couldn’t have imagined,” said Cuatro Villareal ’26, who played Kevin Rosario. . “The community aspect, which is a core subject in the musical itself, also came to life through the process.”

William Romain ’26 — who played Benny — echoed those remarks. He recalled the sense of community that developed between the cast during the production, recalling the passion of those around him.

“In the Heights” was first performed at Yale in April 2014 and again in February 2018.