Plays:
- THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO
- BLOOM
- WALK-IN
- ASHES OF LIGHT
- BARCELO ON THE ROCKS
- IN THE NAME OF SALOMÉ
Synopses
ASHES OF LIGHT (Also available in Spanish): Dramedy. A mother’s love knows no boundaries. After a self-imposed five-year absence, a man returns home to attend his father’s funeral. Over the course of two evenings, mother and son, two estranged generations of Dominicans living in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, attempt to rekindle the love and appreciation for each other and their roots; but unexpectedly revealed intimate and taboo secrets threaten to destroy an already thin bond.
BARCELÓ ON THE ROCKS (Also available in Spanish): Dramedy. The lives of a Dominican family are turned upside down by the ghosts of the past and the intense needs of the present. After receiving unexpected news, Nino Antonio Cruz, a Dominican man living in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood with his two sons, is forced to confront his mortality and the dark secrets that have plagued his family for generations which are intrinsically tied to the Caribbean island’s political history.
IN THE NAME OF SALOMÉ (Stage adaptation of Julia Alvarez’ best-selling novel. Available in English and in Spanish. Historical fiction drama.) Based on Julia Alvarez’s epic fictional novel of the real-life Salomé Ureña. Born in the 1850s, in a time of intense political repression and turmoil in the Caribbean, Salomé’s fervent patriotic poems turned her at seventeen-into a national icon who went on to establish the very first institute of higher learning for women in the Caribbean. In the Name of Salomé is equally the story of Salomé’s daughter, Camila, who grows up in exile. Under her mother’s iconic shadow, Camila must find her own voice and forge her own path.
THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO (adapted for the stage by Marco Antonio Rodriguez based on Junot Diaz’ Pulitzer Prize-Winning Novel. Also available in Spanish.Oscar is a naive “nerd” from New Jersey who has finally left the grips of his imposing Dominican mother and is attending his first semester of college at Rutgers with his rebellious sister. He dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien and, most of all, finding love. But Oscar may never get what he wants. Blame the “fukú”—a curse that has haunted Oscar’s family for generations, following them on their epic journey from Santo Domingo to the USA. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao explores the endless human capacity to persevere—and risk it all—in the name of love.
BLOOM:
Drama inspired by true events. For years the government has sought to eradicate those who love in the way that Roan does. After being taken, imprisoned, and tortured, he is now returned home to his mother, Julia. But the sentence is clear: she has but one-hour to end her son’s life or face the consequences for her and her entire family. As the clock inches towards a final decision, the battle for life, truth and understanding is shaken by unexpected revelations that challenge preconceived ideas and the true meaning of unconditional love.
WALK-IN:
Supernatural Sci Fi Dramedy. Forced to return home after the sudden death of his estranged mother, a man’s already chaotic life attracts further upheaval when he discovers he can time travel back to moments of his childhood when wearing her vintage clothing. Walk-In is an unhinged, irreverent, unapologetically Queer-Caribbean dramatic comedy about generational trauma, the collateral damage that arises when we run from our truth and the quest to learn from and forgive the past through the arduous yet necessary journey of self-forgiveness.
Bio:
Dominican-American, award-winning bilingual writer. Double MFA-acting/television and screenwriting. Named Top 50 Figure in LatinX and Latin American Theatre by Routledge. Acclaimed plays Ashes of Light (HOLA, ACE, SOBERANO Award) and Barceló on the Rocks (HOLA, ATI Award) performed all over the world and published by NoPassport Press (Amazon.com & lulu.com). Acclaimed stage adaptation-Junot Díaz’ The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao – just celebrated four years at Off-Broadway’s Spanish Repertory Theatre. His play, Bloom-acclaimed workshop run at New York’s IATI theatre. Short film-Our Friendly Neighbors-DominiRican Productions. National Hispanic Media Coalition Scriptwriters Program Fellow. The Movement Theatre Company x Black List Playwriting Commission winner where he developed his new play, Walk-In which received a stage reading at Playwrights Horizons. Current new play commission – People’s Theatre Project. New York Stage & Film Residency. Space on Ryder Farm Residency. Currently voices “Uncle Nestor” in Emmy nominated PBS Kids series, Alma’s Way and “Alo” the unicorn on Netflix’s Barbie: A Touch of Magic. www.marcoantoniorodriguez.com