María Zurita Ontiveros

Favorite memories: Directing In The Heights and Title of Show and working with Onastasia Ebright were amazing memories I will treasure. The cast and crew of In The Heights surprised me by flying my mom in to see the show, and that is the best memory I have as an undergrad. Good Country People also has a place in my heart as the show that I stage managed freshman year with Valerie Muensterman and Ashley Ericson. Finally, directing Medea has been the highlight of my Duke career.

What are you most proud of during your undergraduate years at Duke? I’m proud of the plays we put together, but most importantly, the communities we created in each one of those plays—and contributing to the work that Onastasia Ebright, Zhuri Bryant, Lulla Kiwinda, Elizabeth Bueti, Ernesto Morfin, and many others did to increase representation of BIPOC art in Duke Theater.

Why do you think the arts are essential? The arts have given me a tool to process things in my life in a way that feels productive and cathartic. When I was younger, I stumbled upon the quote “art is the weapon” and I have taken it as a life motto. Art helps us deal with fear, with inequality, with tragedy, and with oppression–it helps us fight back. Fundamentally, the arts give us hope.