By Eva Laporte
Some artistic partnerships become part of a project’s DNA, and that has certainly been true of our collaboration with Robert Cardoza over the years. I first met Robert in 2016 when Zach and I moved back to Texas, and it quickly became clear that his artistry, generosity, and commitment to language access aligned deeply with the kind of community we hoped Surround Project could build. So, when we officially launched Surround in 2017, we knew we wanted Robert to help shape our access program by providing ASL interpretation.
Our very first collaboration was 9 Circles by Bill Cain, and since then, Robert’s work has continued to expand not only the reach of our performances but also the ways audiences can feel welcomed into story.
For Native Gardens, Robert brings another extraordinary layer to the theatrical experience by reading the stage directions in English and Spanish—infusing the play’s world with cultural texture, humor, and the intimate feeling of being let in on the neighborhood gossip.
We’re so grateful for Robert’s long partnership and thrilled to share his reflections on language, culture, and the boundaries that shape Native Gardens.
Surround Project: You’ve been collaborating with Surround Project since 2017, providing ASL interpretation for 9 Circles by Bill Cain. How has your relationship with ASL interpretation for theatre works evolved over the years, and what keeps you excited about returning to these artistic conversations?
Robert Cardoza:9 Circles remains a definite highlight of my career. Since my initial collaboration with Surround Project, I have dedicated myself to expanding ASL visibility within the San Antonio theatre community and ultimately founding Stage Hands in 2018. Stage Hands has provided interpreting services—including specialized shadow interpreting—to more than 30 performing arts venues throughout the region. Having a passion for the arts and ASL, I remain committed to advocating for ASL access across all performance spaces.
Surround Project: This event asks you to hold English and Spanish in the same theatrical space, rather than interpreting into ASL. What excites you most about navigating meaning across multiple languages in performance?
Robert Cardoza: Having different cultures represented on stage is important for the theatre world. My team and I have been bringing ASL to the spotlight for over 10 years, but getting to bring Tex-Mex to the stage has been really special for me. It’s definitely a push outside my comfort zone to share my own culture like this—it’s literally how my family talks at home. But then again, theater is family.
Surround Project: Stage directions carry so much tone, rhythm, humor, and subtext. How do you approach translating not just the words, but the feeling and intention behind them?
Robert Cardoza: I wanted this to feel like that one ‘Nosy Neighbor’ we all know. The one who’s immediately on the line with her comadre as soon as she sees movement outside her window, or who dives to turn off the lights so they won’t be seen while peering through the blinds. My goal is for the audience to experience those ‘in-between’ moments—and feel exactly what I feel while I’m people-watching.
Surround Project: Native Gardens focuses on what gets lost or protected at the boundaries between people and explores miscommunication. As an interpreter and translator, how do you think language can both connect and reveal those boundaries or even contribute to conflict?
Robert Cardoza: Boundaries between cultures can easily cause misunderstandings. Miscommunication causes fences or walls between cultures. My role as an interpreter is to connect people so they truly understand each other, which means knowing the cultural nuances that words alone don’t always capture. When I’m working trilingually in English, Spanish, and ASL, I have to move smoothly in three different worlds. My goal is to navigate the language honestly, without sugar-coating, so that real issues can be addressed and conflict avoided.
Surround Project: What resonates most with you in the themes of Native Gardens—communication, culture, ownership, and the lines we draw between ourselves and others?
Robert Cardoza: Communication has always been an important part of my life. Language isn’t just words; it’s a deep part of who we are and where we come from. Without it, we start drawing lines between ourselves. But by talking and really understanding one another, we can build stronger communities. When a community starts supporting its own, it starts feeling like family.
Robert’s reflections remind us that Native Gardens is about so much more than property lines—it’s about the invisible boundaries language, culture, and assumptions can create between us.
We’re endlessly grateful for the care, wit, and humanity he brings to this work, and for the many ways his artistry has helped Surround Project grow into a more accessible and connected creative home.
I can attest to Robert’s love for the theatre arts, ASL, languages, cultures, and the communities that practice them. He is deeply involved in each of those parts and still holds a full time job. In the 26 years I have known him, he has never disappointed in the way he fully commits to his responsibilities. He loves what he does and that is why he never tires. Mazel Tov, Robert!!!