Exciting News: Selected for Dramatic Question Theatre's 2024 Playtime Program!
I’m thrilled to share some great news—I’ve been selected for the Dramatic Question Theatre's 2024 Playtime program! This prestigious initiative supports BIPOC and female-identifying playwrights as they bring new, meaningful work to life. Playtime nurtures fresh voices in the theater world, and I’m honored to be one of the 12 writers chosen to participate in this year’s cohort.
As part of the Playtime program, I’ll have the opportunity to develop my play Daisies by the Sea with guidance from Carmen Rivera Tirado, an OBIE Award-winning playwright whose career and insights are nothing short of inspiring. Carmen holds an MA in Playwriting and Latin American Theatre from New York University and is perhaps best known for her play La Gringa, which premiered as part of the OBIE-winning New Voices series back in 1996. La Gringa recently celebrated its 26th anniversary in repertory at Repertorio Español, making history as the longest-running Spanish-language play Off-Broadway. Concord Theatrical Productions (formerly Samuel French) has published it in both English and Spanish, cementing the play’s legacy in the theater world. Having Carmen’s guidance as I refine Daisies by the Sea is a true gift, and I can't wait to see how her expertise influences my work.
Daisies by the Sea is a play I wrote last year, and it’s a deeply personal project that explores complex themes of domestic abuse, grief, female friendship, and motherhood. The narrative spans two timelines—the 1970s and the 1990s—following the life of a young woman named Elena, her parents, Armando and Maria, and her godmother, Sabina, along with Sabina’s partner, Angela. As the story unfolds, we see the escalating volatility in Maria and Armando’s marriage, culminating in a fateful decision that irrevocably alters the lives of everyone involved. This decision and the emotional consequences that follow are woven through time, ultimately revealing a powerful secret that binds these characters together.
One of the central symbols in Daisies by the Sea is the daisy itself. With their simplicity and beauty, Daisies represent purity, innocence, and loyalty—all qualities that are tested and redefined as the characters navigate their struggles. But daisies are also associated with secrets, a theme that resonates throughout the play. Just as daisies seem to hold secrets in their many petals, so do the characters, each harboring truths that shape their lives unexpectedly.
Daisies by the Sea, which earned me a spot as an AGE Legacy Playwright Grant Finalist in 2023, will receive a reading at Pangea World Theater in Minneapolis in 2025! This reading will offer an invaluable opportunity to see how the play resonates with an audience, bringing its themes and symbols to life in a new and dynamic way.
I am beyond grateful to the Dramatic Question Theatre and Carmen Rivera Tirado for this chance to develop Daisies by the Sea further and continue my playwright journey. I look forward to sharing more updates as I delve deeper into this process.
For more information about the DQT Playtime program and Carmen Rivera Tirado, visit https://www.thedqt.org/playtime-copy. To learn more about Pangea World Theater, visit their website: https://www.pangeaworldtheater.org/.
