During the first two weeks of the CAAD period, I was tasked with continuing the research work I had previously done, revolving around Professor Gil Sheridan’s play, Marielitos. This involved searching through archival footage to find relevant details and images surrounding the Mariel boatlift and its aftermath. I also used these resources to construct a timeline for the life of Rene Valdes, the subject of the musical.

For the following four weeks, I switched to doing research for Professor Gil-Sheridan’s other play, Moonfall/Landfall (There was a one week space in between, in which I filled in as a music assistant for a staged reading of the first act of Marielitos). The topics underlying the development of this play led me in a number of directions research wise. I made a timeline with information documenting the 1969 moon landing and related events, in order to provide a base of knowledge for writing.

I made a similar timeline outlining the complex history of US/Cuba political relations (including details from my earlier work on the Mariel boatlift). I compiled and summarized details about climate change history and legislation, and completed a review of existing representations of climate change on stage and screen. I also performed a review of the intricacies of prejudice between and toward immigrant populations, partially within the context of Cuban migration to the US. This work specifically was geared towards answering questions about intergenerational racism and radical shifts in political thought, also adding to the basis for future writing.