Meet the Cast of Ride the Cyclone: Silas Vazquez

Introduce yourself! What's your role in the show, where have audiences seen you recently, and where can they see you next?
Hi my name is Silas Vazquez (all pronouns), and I play the "Ukrainian Bad Boy" Mischa Bachinski. I was most recently in Sweeney Todd at Stagedoor Theatre, and will be in Woodlands and Wyverns at Audacious Immersive Theatre. You can also see me occasionally playing some kind of strange character in a murdery mystery show for The Murder Mystery Company!

How did you learn about Ride the Cyclone, and did you immediately connect with the character you're playing?
I actually heard about Vintage Theatre doing this show right when the season was announced. I love this show and it has always been a dream of mine to be in it, so I had the audition page in my bookmarks for months, refreshing until I was able to sign up for a slot. I love Mischa and how he is written. He is allowed to be the tough masculine guy but without any of the toxic parts. As an AMAB genderfluid individual, I don't have a lot of connection with masculinity, but Mischa is a representation of my favorite aspects of it. He is able to be confident and secure while admitting his insecurities, able to regulate his emotions in any capacity they form, and dislikes that people may have a preconceived notion about him, but knows who he is and what he cares about. I love this himbo.

If audiences are brand new to the world of Ride the Cyclone, how would you describe the show to them? 
Ride the Cyclone is a beautiful dark comedy about six unique characters and how they grapple with life in their death. They talk about the lives they led and wished to have lived, and help each other tell those stories. Using a combination of humor, harmony, and movement, this gut-busting, heart-wrenching show comes together to ask and answer the question: what is the meaning of life?

If you had to design a roller coaster, what would it be named and what would its signature element be?
Oooh it would be called The Penguin Slide, and the seating would work so that you are riding on your stomach the whole time.

This show explores what it means to have a "good life" even if it's short. What's on your bucket list? 
I have so many things but top five are: drive a motorcycle, be in a movie, sky dive, DM a DnD campaign, and have my face on the wall of a restaurant.  

Many of the characters in Ride the Cyclone are dealing with feeling misunderstood. What advice would you give to young people who feel like they don't fit in?
Social exclusion, like most hardships, is temporary. It is not your fault, there are always factors outside of who you are that contribute to not fitting in. You may have just gotten unlucky and found yourself in an environment where you and the others don't get along, and that's okay! I know it's hard, but you will find people that want to be around you. You will find people that care about you for you. These difficult times will become a distant memory, and you'll be too busy spending your time with those wonderful people to remember. So, find ways to have joy if you are by yourself, and don't give up hope for the joy others will eventually bring you.