FULL LENGHT
EL RAYO; Or Self-Deportation Nation
Three siblings--two undocumented--navigate the quiet tensions of immigrant life in a small city, where dreams feel both urgent and out of reach. As they grapple with identity, belonging, and the weight of being stuck, the world shifts in unimaginable ways: Earth makes first contact with extraterrestrial life. Framing this historic moment, a chorus of news reporters documents, argues, and sensationalizes humanity's entrance into "alienhood." In this deeply personal yet sharply satirical play, a familiar coming-of-age narrative is reimagined through a lens too often ignored, revealing the delicate intersections between the intimate and the cosmic.
ABOUT
2026
Production, Playhouse Fresno (Fresno, CA) directed by Claudio Laso
(Recipient of the Expanded Access to Arts and Culture Grant in California)
PRODUCTION HISTORY
Winner! National Partners of the American Theatre Julie Jensen Playwriting Award National Recipient.
Winner! KCACTF National Playwriting Program Full Length Award Recipient Region 6, 2026.
Two estranged cousins, Elisa—a first generation “white washed” Mexican-American woman, and Chayo—a campesina woman born and raised in Mexico, meet in the southern part of the Mexican-American border for the funeral of Elisa’s mother. The two grapple with opposing views on opportunity, immigration, and the authenticity of the Mexican experience relative to their location. This story is intertwined with moments of magical realism as we explore the complex relationship of their lives. Analyzing the validity of resentment, and the disparity of Latinx individuals living on opposing sides of the border, LA NORTEÑA is a reflection of the lives of Mexican-Americans in the United States.
ABOUT
2025
Production, 2Rhythms Theatre (Inglewood, CA) directed by Imelda Franco
2023
Production, Teatro Espejo (Sacramento, CA) directed by Alexis Arriaga
2023
Non-Site-Specific Performance, The Pan Valley Institute (Madera, CA) directed by Rodolfo Robles Cruz
2021
Production (Virtual), Lime Arts Productions directed by Chelly Purnell
2020
Workshop, National Playwriting Program (KCACTF Region 8) directed by Kathryn Ervin
2020
Reading, The Experimental Theatre Company (Fresno, CA) directed by Rodolfo Robles Cruz
2019
Production, The Selma Arts Center (Selma, CA) directed by Rodolfo Robles Cruz
PRODUCTION HISTORY
Winner! ACTF Region 8 One Act National Playwriting Program, 2020.
LA NORTEÑA
ONE-ACT
COMMISSIONED
MY RELATIONSHIP WITH AMERICA
Commissioned by The Pan Valley Institute, MY RELATIONSHIP WITH AMERICA is a documentary theatre piece devised through interviews with the ArteVism Fellows in 2024 and designed to be adapted by every fellowship cohort after. It takes on the Teatro Campesino style of the Actors and is meant to be performed anywhere with space and an audience. This play takes a personal look into the lives of youth of color in California's Central Valley and asks challenging questions introspectively as well as externally.
ABOUT
2025
Non-Site-Specific Performance, The Pan Valley Institute (Fresno,CA) directed by Rodolfo Robles Cruz
2024
Non-Site-Specific Performance, The Pan Valley Institute (Fresno,CA) directed by Joshua Slack
PRODUCTION HISTORY