The real inspiration for 007 is revealed in this funny, illuminating one-of-a-kind live show.
What happens when a James Bond-obsessed Dominican boy in Queens (who won’t go anywhere without his nerf gun), finds out that the real James Bond was Dominican? Learning that Bond creator Ian Fleming drew upon the life and career of Porfirio Rubirosa—a Dominican diplomat, international polo champion, race-car driver, pilot, and spy— as the inspiration for the classic 007 character shook performer Christopher Rivas’ very foundation and set him on a quest to find his true self.
Join Chris as he digs deeper into the world of Bond, its inspiration, and what it meant to him as an actor in Hollywood. Before Connery and Craig, there was Rubirosa. Developed with and Directed by Daniel Banks. Don’t miss the Boston premiere of The Real James Bond… Was Dominican.
Info
Venue
Emerson Paramount Center, Robert J. Orchard Stage
559 Washington Street Boston, MA 02111
Dates
Nov 08, 2023 - Nov 12, 2023
Tickets
Single tickets are available now along with Group Sales and Season Packages.
Details
Approximately 2 Hour Experience:
• 70 Minute Performance
• 45 post-show Story Circle
Ages 14+
View Health Information
Access
Open Captioning
Fri, Nov 10 8:00 pm
American Sign Language
Sat, Nov 11 8:00 pm
Audio Description
Sun, Nov 12 2:00 pm
Tickets
FOLLOW CHRIS’S STORY WITH YOUR OWN
After every performance of The Real James Bond… Was Dominican you are invited to participate in a story circle facilitated by Director Daniel Banks.
A story circle is a communal conversation with an audience about a piece of theater. It’s less about the performer/performance and more about the stories and memories that the show brings up from audience members’ own lives. What do you recognize in this piece of art?
Approximate Story Circle Length: 45 mins
Artists
Company
DNAWORKS
DNAWORKS—is a Fort Worth, TX-based arts and service organization dedicated to dialogue and healing through the arts. Founded in 2006 by Daniel Banks and Adam W. McKinney, DNAWORKS centers Global Majority and LGBTQQ2SPIAA+ voices to create more complex representations of identity, culture, class, and heritage through dance, theatre, film, and writing.
DNAWORKS has led its award-winning programming and performances, promoting dialogue-based social justice action and community building, with arts, educational, and community organizations in thirty-eight states and seventeen countries. DNAWORKS believes that art = ritual = healing = community and that this philosophy and practice lead to a more peaceful world. For more information, please visit www.dnaworks.org
Writer & Actor
Christopher Rivas
Developer & Director
Daniel Banks
Percussion
Jonathan Gomez
Original Score
Wilson Torres
Projection Designer
Alexandra Kelly Colburn
Projection Designer
Kate Freer
Lighting Designer
Driscoll Otto
Christopher Rivas
(Writer/Performer/Creator) is an award-winning storyteller, actor, author, and podcaster. He currently co-stars in the second season of the Fox series, Call Me Kat opposite Mayim Bialik. Rivas is simultaneously authoring a book, Brown Enough, that Row House Publishing is slated to release September 2022, as well as two podcasts with SiriusXM’s Stitcher: the first, a limited series on the life of Porfirio Rubirosa and the second, a 40-episode talk-back by the same title of his book. Additional on-screen credits include roles in: NBC’s New Amsterdam; CBS’ 2 Broke Girls; ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy; and Fox’s Rosewood.
Gallery
Photo Credit: Christopher Rivas Jumping Credit: Daniel Banks
Photo Credit: Christopher Rivas leaning Credit: Laura Bustillos Jaquez
Photo Credit: Christopher Rivas hands in air Credit: Andres Tagliaferro
Photo Credit: Christopher Rivas holding photo Credit: Laura Bustillos Jaquez
Photo Credit: Christopher Rivas sitting Credit: Driscoll Otto
Photo Credit: Christopher Rivas sitting Credit: Daniel Banks
“Fact, fiction, and forging an identity in ArtsEmerson’s ‘The Real James Bond … Was Dominican.’ [Rivas is] an engaging and expressive narrator and performer with a high-energy presence… I actually found myself wishing it were longer.”
— The Boston Globe
“This show is fantastic. Provocative, evocative and enlightening. If you are in Boston this week, it’s a must see.”
— Steffi W., audience member
“A TRIUMPH”
— @trendsandtolstoy, audience member
“A fun and powerful show about identity, heritage, and truth that brings communities together under one theme – self-acceptance!”
— Mary-Margaret Dale, Culture Shock
“The show is pumped full of the most amazing stories, rich with intimate details of Rivas’ life…chalk full of humor and depth, [Rivas] keeps us engaged with thoughtful comments and asides about people and the relationships we all share in one form or another”
— The Column Online
October 30, 2023
Watch Boston legend David Ortiz congratulate Christopher Rivas on the opening of The Real James Bond… Was Dominican!
Red Sox hall-of-famer and legendary Dominican Bostonian David Ortiz has delivered an exciting congratulatory message to Christopher Rivas, the performer of and creator behind The Real James Bond... Was Dominican! Check...
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Which superspy has been the protagonist of 14 books, 25 movies, and has been played by 12 different actors? It’s none other than James Bond, whose charismatic personality and famous...
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