The young Venezuelan man in Argentina achieves the dream that his country and the United States denied him

The story of Luis Rodriguez Echeverría could be the story of any young actor aspiring to make a career, but it is also the story of every immigrant who arrives in a new land with a desire for freedom and the hope of fulfilling his dream. Today, at just 23 years old, and with a life story that has witnessed more than one uprooting, he is the hero of The Little Prince – a musical that has just arrived on Avenida Corrientes, in Buenos Aires – a role in which, he confirms, he is playing the sky with your hands .

by: Nation

“I can’t believe it yet. “Since I arrived in this country, six years ago, I’ve gone to a lot of shows and I haven’t ended up in any of them,” this brand-new theatrical reveal tells LA NACION. “The person I’ve been closest to is Rent, I auditioned to the end, but in the end they chose other artists.” But the experience was positive; during that transit, a production company met him and later thought he would give life to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s famous creature. It was the crucial (and final) audition for the grueling selection Among hundreds of candidates) is the scene with Juan Carlos Baglietto (who today stars in the production at the Opera Theater, where he plays the pilot, the alter ego of the French writer. “The communication between the two was immediate, as was the emotion). At the touch of a button, they said yes and sent me to the hairdresser to dye my roots.”

Luis was born in Caracas. There he attended a bilingual school, began studying theater and envisioned a future dedicated to acting. He even participated in many children’s advertisements and some plays. But at the age of fifteen, her mother made a decision that changed their lives forever. We left Venezuela for political and social reasons. My mother had suffered a lot from the situation in the country and I wanted to become an artist, which is very difficult to achieve there because it is almost considered a taboo, so we both chose to go to the United States, looking for a new opportunity. The initial destination was Weston, Florida, and to continue his artistic studies (at a public high school specializing in musical theater, Dillard’s), he had to travel every day to Fort Lauderdale, two hours there and two hours back. “At first the change was as painful as it was,” Lewis says. “It was full of hope.” “I had no friends and I missed my father very much, who lived in Venezuela, but I was able to participate in many musicals.” And when he says a lot he refers, for example, to amateur versions of Hairspray, Sister Act and The Addams Family and Smokey Joe’s Cafe, among other titles.

The journey to the south

But that period of training and hope in the United States did not last long: three years. “We had to leave again and this time it was not our decision. “My mother was able to enter the country with a work visa, but when Donald Trump took office, the immigration issue became very difficult and all the agreements collapsed.” For mother and son, the most rational option was to emigrate again and start from scratch in another country.

The chosen destination this time was Argentina. Because? “Because here they welcome immigrants with open arms. All Venezuelans feel welcome, accepted and loved. That’s why we feel at home.” Once he arrived, he had to go back to high school (because the curricula and academic years in Venezuela and the United States did not match the local ones) “and adapt as quickly as possible to the city and the Buenos Aires culture, because here we practically knew no one.” Everything improved when he found a representative for the actor and began attending castings. Until the arrival of the little prince, he had only made small appearances in the series The Protectors and the Planners.

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