Okay so, let’s start by introducing myself. I’m Florencia, I’m from La Ciudad de México (Mexico City) sorry to type it in Spanish first, it is just that it sounds delicious to say it in my native language. I moved to NYC almost five years ago. I came with my husband for our honeymoon and from one moment to the other we decided to stay here and pursue our dreams.
Read MoreI’ll never forget this phone call all the days of my life.
Several years ago, my genderqueer coming-of-age play (actually queer performance rite – more on that later) The White Dress was making the script submissions rounds. Like so many writers, I spent several months filling out online demographic forms, fashioning artistic statements, saving and resaving the script with either full contact info or none at all, based upon the application requirements.
Read MoreWhat does a Black, Gay actor with a Bass-Baritone voice write about when he is asked to write an essay about his experience being a Black, Gay actor with a Bass-Baritone voice in the modern musical theater world?
What does said Black, Gay, Bass Baritone write about when he is temporarily back at his parents' house in Colorado because his gig got cancelled the day before tech on account of a global pandemic?
Read MoreDev was the first person to impress upon me the importance of bringing diversity to not only the cast, but also the creative team. It’s one thing to achieve minority representation in a production, but it’s a game changer when the decision makers - directors, producers, etc - in the room are also diverse. And I didn’t really take that into account before.
Read MoreWe start in neutral. Sounds of a busy city slowly receding. Birds. Wheels. People walking home. A spotlight hits a single stool downstage center. The sounds get more distant. We throw up a slide of a fishpond. And then Annabelle enters and walks to the stool singing “Something Wonderful,” Lady Thiang’s torch song from The King and I.
Read MoreAh…gobble gobble…Thanksgiving—November’s rust and gold-colored leaves illuminate the trees of Manhattan’s Central Park—colors vibrant and special—as other significant splashes of hues permeate, in contrast to the usual, uniform green summer leaves—an opportunity to see the autumn uniqueness for that brief time during the year. Thanksgiving is a time where we are giving thanks. And what better time for me to give those thanks than to the Live & In Color (LAIC) program…
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