Ariel “A.R” Garcia and I have known one another for 5 years now. Some things that have always connected us are being raised in Elizabeth, NJ, our love for writing and the performing arts. Since the very beginning I recall how passionate he would sound when speaking about his children, his Dominican culture, writing and his plays. At the time, he was promoting his one man show, “The Broken Bachelor,” a show that he just revived for his birthday weekend from October 19th-20th 2019 while working hard on a film that he wrote and also co-starred in, “Saint Nicholas,” which can be found on Amazon Prime. A.R was busy juggling his family, work life and making sure that he never forgot to pour into his craft after a long work day; something we all forget to do due to our fatigue from the everyday hustle and bustle. This is one of the reasons why I chose to feature Mr. Garcia.
Last year, A.R. premiered the newest play in his impressive portfolio, "She Hates Coffee," and I had the pleasure to attend one of the shows. The show was relatable, funny, and forces you to think about yourself and how you view love and relationships. I have noticed that most of A.R.'s work have been centered around different perspectives surrounding the ongoing hot topic of love and relationships. Due to this, I think this is why people really look forward to reading anything he writes and attending any play he produces and/or stars in. People love to have their traditional thoughts challenged, and that is exactly what A.R's work provides you.
Mr. Garcia is extremely focused on being a trailblazer for all people of color. When he first started writing, Tyler Perry was a huge influence on him and his craft. Not so much his content, because A.R's brand is not a comical one, but Tyler's life struggle and the passion he has for his craft. He realized after studying Tyler, that being a writer, producer, and actor is what he really wanted to do; being a trifecta in his art is very important to him. It is imperative for him to put his ideas on stage for the world to see. He strives to be heard, and most importantly, be represented in a space where he feels people of color are underrepresented.
Now that Tyler Perry has built his brand new studio, he has resurfaced as someone that A.R strives to be more like because of what he wants more than anything, which is to be able to be one of the influencers that pushes our people forward in spaces that we are not represented. This, if you have not realized, is a reoccurring selfless theme for A.R, to be that person who fights diligently for the representation of people of color in the creative arts industry. He believes that "it is a special time and those of us that have a wider dream than just exposing our art, should step into the fold and create not only art but opportunities for our people." In short, A.R's life long dream was and still is to be known and remembered as someone that represented us in a realistic, truthful, beautiful and powerful manner.
I am excited for the world to be impacted by the art and craft of Mr. A.R. Garcia!
Follow A.R on Social Media:
IG: @iamargarcia
Twitter: @IamARGarcia
Facebook: @ardominicansoul
Images provided by A.R. Garcia and Myrna L. Datilus