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Crossing Borders (Cruzando Fronteras) 2023

Tickets: FREE

Rechnitz Theater

Run Time: All plays run between 90 minutes and 2 hours

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Crossing Borders (Cruzando Fronteras) is an annual celebration of new plays by Latine theater artists. This year’s festival is curated by José Zayas and features four new plays to be read in our Rechnitz Theater, plus music and community celebrations!

This festival is free and open to the public.

OPEN HOUSE TOURS

Take a peek behind the curtain of Two River on August 3rd! Led by passionate members of our staff, our Open House Tours give you a unique glimpse into our state-of-the-art facility, giving you a sneak peek into our creative process and sharing fascinating stories along the way. But that’s not all – after your tour, join us on our Plaza for our Community Kick-Off event with live music, fabulous food, drinks and more.

 

Tours are totally free, but space is limited!

BOOK YOUR TIMESLOT

Tours last roughly 20 minutes.

4:30 PM 4:40 PM SOLD OUT 4:50 PM SOLD OUT

5:00 PM SOLD OUT 5:10 PM SOLD OUT

A THOUSAND MAIDS

By Tony Meneses

Cordelia’s stuck. Cordelia needs to design a maid’s costume, but she can’t stop thinking about The Help and Maid in Manhattan and Gone with the Wind and As Good As It Gets and… and… and… How can she find a way to show these women for who they really are? Two River favorite Tony Meneses (The Hombres, Guadalupe in the Guest Room) returns with this world premiere comedy.

Thursday, Aug 3 @ 7PM

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MEET THE CREATIVES

Tony Meneses

Tony Meneses (Playwright) (he/him) was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and raised in Albuquerque and Dallas. His plays include Guadalupe in the Guest Room, twenty50, The Hombres, and El Borracho. He is an alum of the Soho Rep. Writer/Director Lab, Ars Nova Play Group, Sundance Institute Playwrights Retreat at Ucross Foundation, The Playwrights Realm Writing Fellowship, and Ensemble Studio Theatre’s Youngblood; his work has been previously developed at the Lark Playwrights’ Week, Berkeley Rep’s Ground Floor, The Denver Center’s Colorado New Play Summit, The Old Globe’s Powers New Voices Festival, and South Coast Repertory’s Pacific Playwrights Festival and New SCRipt Series. He is a two-time recipient of The Kennedy Center Latinx Playwriting Award, is published by Dramatists Play Service and Theatrical Rights Worldwide, and has been previously commissioned by Denver Center, Two River Theater, South Coast Rep, and The Juilliard School. He is currently under commission from The Old Globe. Education: The University of Texas at Austin, Iowa Playwrights Workshop, Juilliard.

May Adrales
May Adrales is a director, artistic leader, educator and mother; she has directed over 25 world premieres. Her work has been seen most recently at Second Stage (Rajiv Joseph’s Letters of Suresh) Manhattan Theater Club (Qui Nguyen’s Vietgone, and Poor Yella Rednecks, Felicia Anchuli King’s Golden Shield) Signature Theater, LCT3, The Public Theater, WP, New York Theater Workshop, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Seattle Rep, Milwaukee Rep and South Coast Rep. She was awarded the prestigious Ammerman Award at Arena Stage and Theater Communications Group’s Alan Schneider award for freelance directors. She is a Drama League Directing Fellow, Van Lier Directing Fellow, WP Lab Director, SoHo Rep Writers/Directors Lab and New York Theater Workshop directing fellow, TCG New Generations Grantee, SDC Denham Fellowship and Paul Green Directing Award.  She served as an Associate Artistic Director at Milwaukee Rep; Artistic Associate at The Playwrights Center; Artistic Associate at The Public Theater; and Director of Artistic Programs and Artistic Director at The Lark. She serves on the board of Theater Communications Group. May has directed and taught at Juilliard, Harvard/ART, ACT, Fordham, NYU and Bard College. May has served on faculty at the Yale School of Drama and Brown/Trinity MFA program. MFA, Yale School of Drama. She is currently the Director of the Theatre Program/Assistant Professor at Fordham University. (www.mayadrales.net)

MEET THE CAST

MaYaa Boateng
MaYaa Boateng

Tina Chilip
Tina Chilip

Yadira Correa
Yadira Correa

Zabryna Guevara
Zabryna Guevara

Denise Manning
Denise Manning

VOS!

By Christina Pumariega

After a long battle with infertility, Argentinian-American Annie makes a pilgrimage to her estranged birthplace of Buenos Aires to undergo IVF by the famed Dr. Cossi. But Annie’s medical tourism unearths the secrets of professor Ana and activist Sofia, lost to the Dirty War. VOS! is an epic hunt for belonging, motherhood, and the Disappeared, inspired by Las Madres—past, present and hopeful—and told by two Latina actors spinning as fast as they can.

Friday, Aug 4 @ 7PM

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MEET THE CREATIVES

Christina Pumariega

Christina Pumariega acts and writes. Often simultaneously.

She is the author of VOS!, Lei Chiede/She Asks (O’Neill NPC finalist), Joan Dark (DCPA Colorado New Play Summit, Jane Chambers Prize runner-up, O’Neill NPC finalist) and Her Math Play (BAPF finalist)Her plays have been developed at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater, the New Harmony Project, the Lark, New Georges, Hartford Stage Company and Ammunition Theatre Company. She is currently under commission by Denver Center for the Performing Arts and EST/Sloan Foundation in collaboration with Hartford Stage Company.

TV writing credits include “Turner & Hooch” (Disney+) and “Bluff City Law” (NBC).

Acting on and Off-Broadway and in television and film, Pumariega has cross examined Coach Taylor, made out with the Fly and set a Cuban pharmacy ablaze in a corset. MFA, NYU Graduate Acting Program.

José Zayas

José Zayas (he/him/his) is an award-winning director. He has directed over 100 productions in New York, regionally, and internationally. Credits include: El Perro del Hortelano (Gala Theatre), Fandango for Butterflies (and Coyotes) (En Garde Arts), The Queen of Basel (Studio Theatre, DC), Exquisita Agonía (Repertorio Español), The Magnetic Fields: 50 Song Memoir (BAM, MASS MoCA, US & European Tours), A Nonesuch Celebration (BAM), Washed Up on the Potomac (San Francisco Playhouse, The Flea Theater), Undocumented (Joe’s Pub), Pinkolandia and El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom (Two River Theater), The House of the Spirits (Teatro Espressivo, Gala Theatre, Denver Center, ACE, HOLA, and Ovation Awards for Best Production and Direction), Your Name Will Follow You Home, La Nena Se Casa, Love in the Time of Cholera, In the Time of the Butterflies, In The Name of Salome, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, Burundanga (Repertorio Español, ACE and HOLA Awards for Best Production and Direction for the latter two), Corazon Eterno, (Mixed Blood), Southern Promises and Strom Thurmond is Not a Racist (PS 122, The Brick), Useless (IRT), Father of Lies and Vengeance Can Wait (PS 122); P.S. Jones and the Frozen City, Feeder: A Love Story (TerraNOVA Collective); Privilege, Okay, Mrs. Jones and the Man From Dixieland (EST), The Idea of Me (Cherry Lane Theatre), The Queen Bees (Queens Theatre in the Park), Manuel Vs. The Statue of Liberty and Children of Salt (NYMF), Cancun, Chronicle of a Death Foretold (Gala Theatre, DC), Wedding Dress, The Island of Lonely Men (Teatro Espressivo, Costa Rica). José has premiered works by Stephin Merritt, Hilary Bettis, Nilo Cruz, Caridad Svich, Robert Askins, Thomas Bradshaw, Duncan Sheik, Steven Sater, Taylor Mac, Marco Antonio Rodriguez, Lynn Rosen, Saviana Stanescu, Carlos Murillo, Rob Urbinati, Kristina Poe, Catherine Filloux, James Carter, Gerardo Cardenas, Matt Barbot, Susan Kim, and Jordi Galceran. ​Notable fellowships and affiliations include: a Drama League Fellowship, Lincoln Center Theater’s Directors Lab, Soho Repertory Theater’s Writer/Director Lab, and the NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors. He is a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST) and he was the Resident Director at Repertorio Español from 2008-2018. José was born in Puerto Rico. He holds a BA from Harvard University and an MFA in Directing from Carnegie Mellon University. https://www.josezayasdirector.com/

MEET THE CAST

Florencia Lozano
Florencia Lozano

FLORENCIA LOZANO (she/her/hers) is an actor, writer and performance artist. Theatre includes: SHUTTLE, SPINDLE, NEEDLE (CLUBBED THUMB), RINSE, REPEAT (SIGNATURE), DEVIL OF CHOICE (LABYRINTH) AND SHE WOULD STAND LIKE THIS (MOVEMENT THEATRE CO), WINNERS (EST), RED DOG HOWLS (NYTW)“Lady Macduff” (SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK), Placebo (PLAYWRIGHTS HORIZONS), PRIVILEGE (SECOND STAGE), LAST EASTER (MCC), “Where’s My Money?” (MTC/LAB), Dirty Story (LAB). TV includes: Bull, The Baker and the Beauty, Gossip Girl, Blue Bloods, Ugly Betty, Law and Order:SVU&CI, The Mysteries of Laura, Madame Secretary, Kevin Can Wait, The Blacklist and Enemy Within. “Lucia Rivera” on KEEP BREATHING “Claudia Messina” in NARCOS (both on NETFLIX) and “Tea Delgado” on ABC’s One Life to Live. Films include: LIFE AFTER YOU (which she also co-wrote and produced. Available on all streaming platforms), AMY MAKES THREE, FARAWAY EYES, THE MINISTERS, PERFECT STRANGER, and VERONIKA DECIDES TO DIE. Upcoming: CRYBABY BRIDGE. Florencia is a member of the LAByrinth Theater Company and LAB’s literary manager. Her play: underneathmybed was produced at the Rattlestick Playwrights’ Theatre and won HOLA’s (Hispanic Organization of Latino Actors) Best New Play Award in 2010. Her play BUSTED was produced by Rising Phoenix at CINO nights and her new play PAPILUCHO is currently in development. Florencia got her MFA at NYU’s Graduate Acting Program and her BA at Brown University where she studied Comparative Literature. Her parents are immigrants from Argentina.

Christina Pumariega
Christina Pumariega

Christina Pumariega acts and writes. Often simultaneously.

She is the author of VOS!, Lei Chiede/She Asks (O’Neill NPC finalist), Joan Dark (DCPA Colorado New Play Summit, Jane Chambers Prize runner-up, O’Neill NPC finalist) and Her Math Play (BAPF finalist)Her plays have been developed at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater, the New Harmony Project, the Lark, New Georges, Hartford Stage Company and Ammunition Theatre Company. She is currently under commission by Denver Center for the Performing Arts and EST/Sloan Foundation in collaboration with Hartford Stage Company.

TV writing credits include “Turner & Hooch” (Disney+) and “Bluff City Law” (NBC).

Acting on and Off-Broadway and in television and film, Pumariega has cross examined Coach Taylor, made out with the Fly and set a Cuban pharmacy ablaze in a corset. MFA, NYU Graduate Acting Program.

Rebecca Oaxaca (Lays Down a Bunt)

By Kristoffer Diaz

In this modern day five-door farce, the overarching theme is to find, express, and celebrate your true calling in life. The action takes place in a renovated hotel, The Hotelman Arms, in Chicago, where the motto is, “No privacy is the new privacy.” The cast features a wide range of idiosyncratic roles including the title bunter who just wants to have fun, a mystery writer working on her next bestseller, a blogger trying to capture the next big thing, various members of the hotel staff who are either trying to hide or make love to the guests, and baseball executives that are vying to sign Rebecca to a major league deal. The pace is fast and furious.

Saturday, Aug 5 @ 3PM

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MEET THE CREATIVES

Kristoffer Diaz

KRISTOFFER DIAZ is a playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and educator. His play The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. Other full-length titles include Welcome to Arroyo’s, Reggie Hoops,Things With Friends, Hercules, and The Unfortunates. His work has been produced, commissioned, and developed at The Public Theater, Dallas Theater Center, Geffen Playhouse, ACT, Center Theatre Group, The Goodman, Second Stage, Victory Gardens, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival, among many others. Awards include the Guggenheim, Jerome, Van Lier, NYFA, and Gail Merrifield Papp Fellowships; New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award; Lucille Lortel, Equity Jeff, and OBIE Awards; and the Future Aesthetics Artist Regrant, among others. As a screenwriter, Kristoffer has developed original television pilots for HBO and FX, written for the first season of Netflix’s GLOW, and adapted the musical Rent for FOX. Kristoffer teaches playwriting at New York University. He is an alumnus of New Dramatists and a member of its Board of Directors, and the current secretary of the Dramatists Guild Council. Coming up: the world premiere of his musical Hell’s Kitchen, created with Alicia Keys.

José Zayas

José Zayas (he/him/his) is an award-winning director. He has directed over 100 productions in New York, regionally, and internationally. Credits include: El Perro del Hortelano (Gala Theatre), Fandango for Butterflies (and Coyotes) (En Garde Arts), The Queen of Basel (Studio Theatre, DC), Exquisita Agonía (Repertorio Español), The Magnetic Fields: 50 Song Memoir (BAM, MASS MoCA, US & European Tours), A Nonesuch Celebration (BAM), Washed Up on the Potomac (San Francisco Playhouse, The Flea Theater), Undocumented (Joe’s Pub), Pinkolandia and El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom (Two River Theater), The House of the Spirits (Teatro Espressivo, Gala Theatre, Denver Center, ACE, HOLA, and Ovation Awards for Best Production and Direction), Your Name Will Follow You Home, La Nena Se Casa, Love in the Time of Cholera, In the Time of the Butterflies, In The Name of Salome, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, Burundanga (Repertorio Español, ACE and HOLA Awards for Best Production and Direction for the latter two), Corazon Eterno, (Mixed Blood), Southern Promises and Strom Thurmond is Not a Racist (PS 122, The Brick), Useless (IRT), Father of Lies and Vengeance Can Wait (PS 122); P.S. Jones and the Frozen City, Feeder: A Love Story (TerraNOVA Collective); Privilege, Okay, Mrs. Jones and the Man From Dixieland (EST), The Idea of Me (Cherry Lane Theatre), The Queen Bees (Queens Theatre in the Park), Manuel Vs. The Statue of Liberty and Children of Salt (NYMF), Cancun, Chronicle of a Death Foretold (Gala Theatre, DC), Wedding Dress, The Island of Lonely Men (Teatro Espressivo, Costa Rica). José has premiered works by Stephin Merritt, Hilary Bettis, Nilo Cruz, Caridad Svich, Robert Askins, Thomas Bradshaw, Duncan Sheik, Steven Sater, Taylor Mac, Marco Antonio Rodriguez, Lynn Rosen, Saviana Stanescu, Carlos Murillo, Rob Urbinati, Kristina Poe, Catherine Filloux, James Carter, Gerardo Cardenas, Matt Barbot, Susan Kim, and Jordi Galceran. ​Notable fellowships and affiliations include: a Drama League Fellowship, Lincoln Center Theater’s Directors Lab, Soho Repertory Theater’s Writer/Director Lab, and the NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors. He is a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST) and he was the Resident Director at Repertorio Español from 2008-2018. José was born in Puerto Rico. He holds a BA from Harvard University and an MFA in Directing from Carnegie Mellon University. https://www.josezayasdirector.com/

MEET THE CAST

Maggie Bofill
Maggie Bofill

Maggie Bofill (Amalia) Maggie Bofill is a long time NYC actor, Founding Member of LAByrinth Theater Co., member of EST (Ensemble Studio Theater), and The Actor’s Center. She is also delighted to be making her Two River debut. Most recently played opposite Jason Alexander as Tracy in the World Premiere of Judgement Day (Chicago Shakes, Dir: Moritz von Steulpnagel), World Premiere of Laughs in Spanish (Estella, Denver Center for the Performing Arts Dir: Lisa Portes), World Premiere of All of Me (Elena, Barrington Stage, Dir: Ashley Brookes Monroe), World Premiere of Bai Pas (Elena, George St. Playhouse, Dir: Julio Monge), American Mariachi (Soyla, The Alley Theater, Dir: KJ Sanchez), A Dolls House Part Two (Nora, The Long Wharf, Dir: Will Davis) The Sound Inside (Bella, Theaterworks Hartford Dir: Rob Ruggiero). Off-Broadway: World Premiere of War Words (Jennifer, New York Rep @Art New York, Dir: Sarah Norris), Juan Planchard Workshop (Tectonic Theater Company, Dir: Moises Kaufman), World Premiere of The Trial of Judas Iscariot (St. Monica, The Public, Dir: Phillip Seymour Hoffman), World Premiere of NYLON (Marisol, Sofia Alvarez Block Chain Port. Dir: Knud Adams). TV and Film: Cuban American Gothic (PBS Short, Ms. Bofill Featuring, writer and co-producer, Dir: Maria Rodriguez) “Law and Order SVU,” “The Path,” “Smash,” and “High Town.”   

Kalyne Coleman
Kalyne Coleman

Jorge Cordova
Jorge Cordova

Jorge Cordova (he/him/his) is an actor whose credits include, Theater: A Doll’s House Part 2 (Long Wharf Theatre), Porto (The Bushwick Starr, WP Theater/New Georges), Universal Robots (Gideon Productions/Sheen Center), Lady Day (The Little Shubert). Television: Black Mirror (Netflix), Billions (HBO), Tales of The City (Netflix), Seven Seconds (Netflix). Upcoming voiceover work includes Podcast: Unknown 9: Out of Sight (Reflector Entertainment), TV: Mecha Builders (Sesame Street, HBO MAX).

Hiram Delgado
Hiram Delgado

HIRAM DELGADO is an actor from Carolina, Puerto Rico. He made his Broadway debut in the Tony-winning revival of Take Me Out at Second Stage and the Schoenfeld Theatre. Off-Broadway: Agnes (59E59). Regional: Williamstown Theatre Festival. TV: New Amsterdam (NBC); Prodigal Son (FOX); The Code (CBS); Madam Secretary (CBS). Film: Ties; Homesick; The Vessel. Member of Society Theatre Company. Education: MFA, NYU Graduate Acting. www.hiramdelgado.com

Jose Gamo
Jose Gamo

JOSE GAMO (he/him) is a Filipino artist born and raised in Indonesia. Theater includes: The Great Leap at Arc Stages; Cymbeline, Much Ado About Nothing, Richard II, The Heart of Robin Hood at Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival; Forbidden Colors at LaMama. Screen: “Instinct” on CBS. Training: Fordham University, London Dramatic Academy. All the thanks in the world to Elli, his beloved. www.jose-gamo.com

Irene Sofia Lucio
Irene Sofia Lucio

Irene Sofia Lucio (she/her/hers) Broadway: Slave Play, Wit. Off-Broadway: Romeo y Julieta (The Public Theater), Slave Play, Love and Information (New York Theatre Workshop), Orange Julius (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater), Undertaking (BAM), King Liz (Second Stage Theater), We Play for the Gods (WP). Regional Credits: Yale Repertory Theatre, Studio Theater DC, Cal Shakes among others. TV credits include: The Americans, Bartlett, Madam Secretary, Gossip Girl, Casi Casi. Co-Creator of BUTS Web series, (NBC Short Film Festival winner, Imagen Award Nom). Education: Princeton University and Yale School of Drama. Native of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Luis Moreno
Luis Moreno

Luis Moreno is thrilled to debut at Two River in such amazing company. Most recently he was seen as Harold Saxton in The Representatives’ VERITAS at the Olmstead Salon. NY: so go the ghosts of mexico, part one (La MaMa), Open Up, Hadrian (Caborca), Nature Theater of Oklahoma’s Three Sisters (Classic Stage Company), The Age of Iron (Classic Stage Company), Fetes de la Nuit (Ohio), Into the Hazard – Henry V (Walkerspace), 365 Days/365 Plays (Lightbox/Public), Uncivil Wars (Pickup Performance), Food for Fish (Kraine), Straight Up Vampire (Ars Nova, Joe’s Pub), among many others. Regional: Seven Spots on the Sun (Cincinnati Playhouse), Mary Zimmerman’s Arabian Nights (Berkeley Rep/Arena Stage), Peer Gynt (La Jolla Playhouse/Kansas City Rep), Anna in the Tropics (Capital Rep), Moby Dick Rehearsed, The Tempest (The Acting Company). TV: Mysteries of Laura, Daredevil, Madam Secretary, Blue Bloods, Person of Interest, Just Sayin’ (web). Film: Home:______, Red Right Return, and the short Zzzzzzz and the upcoming Wildwood. Luis records audiobooks for Recorded Books and Audible. Proud Union actor. MFA, Columbia. Many thanks to Annie, Lisa, Barbara Colio, Alex Beech, John Dias and the staff at Two River, John and Owen at St. Ann’s, and Tom at CU. To my Alexandra, thank you; I love you! Para Pucho, para Lola.

Jason O'Connell
Jason O'Connell

JASON O’CONNELL is a NYC-based actor, writer and director whose plays include CyranoThe Dork Knight (Abingdon Theatre, Joe’s Pub at The Public), and Fat and Scant of Breath: or, Stabbing at Hamlet. Directing credits include the world premiere of Cyrano (Amphibian Stage), Pride and Prejudice (Syracuse Stage), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival), and Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) (Texas Shakespeare Festival). As an actor, Jason’s Off-Broadway credits include Harold Ryan in Happy Birthday, Wanda June (Wheelhouse/The Duke on 42nd St), Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice (Primary Stages), Bottom and Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Pearl), Edward Ferrars and Robert Ferrars in Sense and Sensibility (Bedlam/The Gym at Judson), and Trigorin in The Seagull (Bedlam/Sheen Center). Regional acting credits include Noises Off and The Merry Wives of Windsor at Two River Theater, The Play’s the Thing at A.P.T., Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) at Great Lakes Theater, Next Fall at Florida Studio Theatre, All My Sons and Frost/Nixon at Arkansas Rep, the title role in Hamlet at Texas Shakespeare Festival, the title role in Richard III at Nebraska Shakespeare Festival, and 24 plays in 10 seasons with Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival (favorite roles include Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, Berowne in Love’s Labour’s Lost, Dorante in The Liar). Jason has appeared on several episodes of NBC’s Law & Order franchise, and has performed stand-up comedy all over NYC, including at Caroline’s on Broadway. He won the NYIT award for Outstanding Lead Actor in Don Juan in Hell (also cited as one of the year’s best performances by The Wall Street Journal); the premiere production of Cyrano received Best Play and Best Director citations from the Dallas-Fort Worth Critics Forum. Jason is a founding member of NYC theatre company The COOP, and makes his home in Queens with his fiancée, the actress/playwright Kate Hamill. www.jason-oconnell.com.

Brian Quijada
Brian Quijada

BRIAN QUIJADA is an Emmy-nominated playwright, actor, and composer whose original work has been developed and produced all across the country. His hip-hop solo show Where Did We Sit on the Bus? has been produced at Victory Gardens, Geva Theatre, Teatro Vista (Jeff Award), Ensemble Studio Theatre (Drama Desk Nomination), Boise Contemporary, 1st Stage, City Theatre Pittsburgh, and a digital production at Actors Theatre of Louisville (Drama League Nomination). His play Kid Prince and Pablo premiered at The Kennedy Center in 2019. Most recently, his musical Somewhere Over The Border received a critically-acclaimed rolling world premiere at Syracuse Stage, Geva Theatre, and TeatroVista, winning three Jeff Awards including Best Musical. His musical plays have been developed at The Kennedy Center, Pittsburgh CLO’s Spark Festival, Victory Gardens’ Ignition Festival, New Stage and Film’s Powerhouse Festival, and the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Musical Theatre Conference.

Christopher M. Ramirez
Christopher M. Ramirez

CHRISTOPHER M. RAMIREZ Off Broadway: Touchstone in As You Like It (Shakespeare in the Park at the Public Theater). Regional: Living & Breathing (Two River Theater). The Old Globe: Hair, Thinking Shakespeare LOVE!, The Heart of Rock & Roll, Twelfth Night, Scrooge. Disney’s Freaky Friday (La Jolla Playhouse, Cleveland Play House, Alley Theatre), Quixote Nuevo (Denver Center), Lookingglass Alice(Baltimore Center Stage), Man of La Mancha (Barrington Stage Company), The Count of Monte Cristo (Pioneer Theatre Company), In the Heights, Fun Home (SpeakEasy Stage Company). Television: “Instinct” (CBS), “FBI” (CBS). Education: B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from Boston Conservatory and M.F.A. from Usd/The Old Globe. @c_rambrothaman on Instagram.

Alexandra Silber
Alexandra Silber

Black Beans Project

By Melinda Lopez and Joel Perez

Mariana and Henry meet to share a secret family recipe that forces them to reveal secrets of their own. The siblings transform pandemic panic into renewal in this tender comedy about family, food, and finding the strength to move on. The Black Beans Project invites audiences to open a bottle of wine, chop some garlic, and savor the possibility of connecting with family after a long time apart.

Sunday, Aug 6 @ 3PM

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MEET THE CREATIVES

Melinda Lopez

Melinda Lopez is a multiple award winning playwright and performer based in Boston. Her solo play Mala, which has had multiple productions all over the country, had its first public reading at the Crossing Borders Festival in 2015. Mala is also available on Audible in English and Spanish. Melinda is the recipient of the 2019 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Achievement in Theatre, recognizing her 20-year career. Melinda was the Playwright-in-Residence at the Huntington Theatre for six years, under the Mellon Foundation’s National Playwright Residency Program, and Artist-in-Residence for an additional three years, where she helped developed and produce Dream Boston, and served as a core member of the Artistic staff. Elliot Norton Awards for Best New Play for: Black Beans Project (Zoom version, co-created with Joel Perez,) Mala(available on Audible in Spanish and English)and Sonia Flew  –all of which had their world premieres at the Huntington Other plays include: Yerma (adaptation) Young Nerds of Color, Mr. Parent (co-written with Maurice Emmanuelle Parent,) Becoming CubaBack the Night, Orchids to Octopi and many others. Melinda also performs on stage, radio and in film, and directs plays (Upcoming: at SpeakEasy Stage.) She has enjoyed residencies with the Mellon Foundation National Playwrights Residency, Sundance, the Lark, and the New York Theatre Workshop. Mayor Marty Walsh declared October 29, 2016 “Melinda Lopez Day in the City of Boston.” Melinda is also currently developing a commission with Play On! —a contemporary translation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night,  and working on a live version of Black Beans Project  for the Old Globe Theatre.

Joel Perez

Joel Perez: His stage acting work includes Fun Home (Broadway), Kiss My Aztec! (Hartford Stage) and Sweet Charity (New Group; Lortel Award). On screen in tick, tick… Boom! (Netflix), Jesus Christ Superstar Live! (NBC), and Odd Mom Out (Bravo). He performed with the UCB Maude sketch team Peach. His writing includes The Black Beans Project (The Huntington/Old Globe) and Playing With Myself (Ars Nova). His short film, Beautiful, FL, is a selection of Disney Launchpad and will premiere on Disney+ in 2023. He is a Warner Bros. Discovery 150 Artist for his comedy pilot You’re Tired, You’re Poor. He won the 2021 Voces Latinx National Playwriting Competition for his play From the Fountain. He is a 2019 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Playwriting. Follow him @misterjoelperez and www.misterjoelperez.com

MEET THE CAST

Melinda Lopez
Melinda Lopez

Melinda Lopez is a multiple award winning playwright and performer based in Boston. Her solo play Mala, which has had multiple productions all over the country, had its first public reading at the Crossing Borders Festival in 2015. Mala is also available on Audible in English and Spanish. Melinda is the recipient of the 2019 Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Achievement in Theatre, recognizing her 20-year career. Melinda was the Playwright-in-Residence at the Huntington Theatre for six years, under the Mellon Foundation’s National Playwright Residency Program, and Artist-in-Residence for an additional three years, where she helped developed and produce Dream Boston, and served as a core member of the Artistic staff. Elliot Norton Awards for Best New Play for: Black Beans Project (Zoom version, co-created with Joel Perez,) Mala(available on Audible in Spanish and English)and Sonia Flew  –all of which had their world premieres at the Huntington Other plays include: Yerma (adaptation) Young Nerds of Color, Mr. Parent (co-written with Maurice Emmanuelle Parent,) Becoming CubaBack the Night, Orchids to Octopi and many others. Melinda also performs on stage, radio and in film, and directs plays (Upcoming: at SpeakEasy Stage.) She has enjoyed residencies with the Mellon Foundation National Playwrights Residency, Sundance, the Lark, and the New York Theatre Workshop. Mayor Marty Walsh declared October 29, 2016 “Melinda Lopez Day in the City of Boston.” Melinda is also currently developing a commission with Play On! —a contemporary translation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night,  and working on a live version of Black Beans Project  for the Old Globe Theatre.

Joel Perez
Joel Perez

Joel Perez: His stage acting work includes Fun Home (Broadway), Kiss My Aztec! (Hartford Stage) and Sweet Charity (New Group; Lortel Award). On screen in tick, tick… Boom! (Netflix), Jesus Christ Superstar Live! (NBC), and Odd Mom Out (Bravo). He performed with the UCB Maude sketch team Peach. His writing includes The Black Beans Project (The Huntington/Old Globe) and Playing With Myself (Ars Nova). His short film, Beautiful, FL, is a selection of Disney Launchpad and will premiere on Disney+ in 2023. He is a Warner Bros. Discovery 150 Artist for his comedy pilot You’re Tired, You’re Poor. He won the 2021 Voces Latinx National Playwriting Competition for his play From the Fountain. He is a 2019 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Playwriting. Follow him @misterjoelperez and www.misterjoelperez.com

Hechter Ubarry
Hechter Ubarry

ALEA CONCERT

Saturday, Aug 5 @ 8PM

With a welcoming sound that embraces cumbia, vallenato, rancheras, jazz and American pop, the singer-songwriter Alea moves her audiences with messages of the spirit, calls for social change and free-flowing love. Originally from La Guajira, Colombia, Alea’s performance encompasses an entire generation of ethno-futuristic and folkloric music accentuated by buttery vocals, deep-rooted grooves and uplifting guitar. Alea’s in-person performances are powerful encounters of the spirit, passionate travelogues that link downtown New York to a tropical Colombian cantina. They are celebrations of Latin America and new definitions of what “Latin Alternative” can be. Her most recent album, 2021’s Alborotá, was shortlisted as among the Best Latin Music of the year by both Rolling Stone and NPR.

FEATURING:

Sebastian Cruz – Guitar
Felipe Fournier – Drum Set
Berta Moreno – Sax/Clarinet
Victor Murillo – Bass

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CROSSING BORDERS PARTNERS

VOICES OF HOPE STORYTELLERS

Nathalia Garcia

Nathalia Garcia is a first-generation Brazilian-American studying English education at Georgian Court University to become a high school English teacher. When not lost in a novel, she takes several classes at Project Write Now and assists at a few of the after-school programs. Born in the spring, she used to often pick pretty flowers and, overcome with their loveliness, would pop them into her mouth and eat them! She seeks connection through poetry and what she likes to call haunted prose. These days, Nathalia can be found either on a river enjoying blooming lilies or at her home in Long Branch where she resides with a loving partner, their two cats, and 100+ houseplants.

Samantha Martinez

Samantha Martinez is a first generation Mexican-American who journeys through the fields of visual art and writing. When Sam is not expressing their feelings on paper, they seek information in world history and culture. Sam is just about to begin their junior year at Red Bank Regional High School, but they plan to contribute as much as they can to the world as well during their continuous journey of self- identity.

Mar Mejia

Mar Mejia is currently a student at Red Bank Regional High School and is in the Visual & Performing Arts Academy as a studio art major. Mar is Mexican-American and has recently been involved with Project Write Now as they are volunteering at two summer programs and hope to improve in writing. Mar was raised in Mexico when they were younger and loves the culture that they saw throughout those years. Mar loves drawing and listening to music, allowing themselves to have an outlet and seeks to learn more every day as they are currently learning two more languages.

Edith Lozano Zane

Edith Lozano Zane is a rising senior at Red Bank Regional High School. She will be the first generation in her family to finish high school and attend college. She loves fighting for what is right, mostly when it comes to her people, Hispanics. Her mom has been her inspiration for everything. Her mom is the one Edith fights for every day to make her proud and one day to tell her to not work any more or worry about anything. Edith is a very happy girl who hopes one day to accomplish each one of her goals. She is also a Dreamer.

PROGRAM SPONSOR

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

monmouth arts
t. thomas fortune

Dates and tickets

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