Award-winning playwright and librettist Migdalia Cruz joins IU Theatre & Dance this Fall semester. Cruz’s work in opera includes writing the libretto for the opera Frida. Cruz has also written various plays, including Fur with scenic design by Regina García, and Lolita de Lares.
On September 1st and 9th, Cruz will lead two workshops. The first will focus on creating new works for the theatre and features a keynote presentation with Migdalia Cruz and one of her collaborators, scenic designer Professor Regina García. The second will be a playwriting workshop led by Cruz, following the tradition of environmental pedagogy created by her teacher and mentor María Irene Fornés. The playwriting workshop culminates with dramatic readings of short works created in the workshop that will be directed by guest artist Cándido Tirado.
Migdalia Cruz (Workshop Leader) is a Bronx-born, award-winning multi-platform, playwright, lyricist, translator, and librettist of more than 60 works for stage, radio, film, TV, and podcast, performed in 150 venues in 40 cities in 12 countries, translated into Greek, Spanish, French, and Arabic. Her works include: El Grito Del Bronx, Salt, Frida, Latins In La-La Land, Satyricoño, Another Part of the House, and Yellow Eyes, produced in venues such as BAM, Mabou Mines, National Theatre of Greece, Chaskis Theatre (U.K.), Venus Theatre (D.C.), Hero Theatre (L.A.), Houston Grand Opera, Ateneo Puertorriqueño, and in Chicago: Visión Latino, Teatro Vista, & CollaborAction. New Dramatists alumna, she is a 2016 NYFA Fellow, the 2013 Helen Merrill Distinguished Playwright, recipient of two NEAs and a McKnight Fellowship. She was nurtured by Sundance, the Lark, & by her mentor, Maria Irene Fornés at INTAR. She developed her voice as writer-in-residence at Latino Chicago Theatre Company from 1990-1998, premiering nine plays including: Miriam’s Flowers, Lucy Loves Me, Cigarettes & Moby-Dick, Fur, and, Lolita de Lares—recently presented by Chicago’s Urban Theatre Company in a 20th anniversary production. She is a master teacher of playwriting with the Fornés Institute and various universities and colleges including Princeton & NYU/Tisch. She is co-chair of the DGF Playwriting Fellows 2020-21; mentors the NYC Latinx Playwrights Circle; and was recently commissioned by Clubbed Thumb, The Flea, INTAR, and Kitchen Dog (Dallas). Her 2021-22 productions: a PlayOnShakespeare translation of Macbeth (Sunderland, England) @TheatreSpaceNorthEast, Aug 2021, and in 2022@USD/Old Globe (San Diego), and is now a podcast @Next Chapter Podcasts; YORICK’S LAST LAUGH @Shakespeare Dallas, 2021; Dinner With Dee @Kitchen Dog (Dallas), June 2022. Her translations of Macbeth & Richard III were published by ACMRS Press. Migdalia was featured in “Fifty Key Figures in LatinX and Latin American Theatre,” published by Routledge, February 2022. Website: https://www.migdaliacruz.com/
Cándido Tirado (Presentation Director) is an award-winning playwright and director of over 20 Off-Broadway plays. He is the author of FISH MEN, which was co-produced by The Goodman Theatre and Teatro Vista, Nominated for 4 Jeffs and Steinberg award, Edgerton Foundation New Play Award (TCG), New York Foundation of the Arts “NYFA” Fellowship. CELIA: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF CELIA CRUZ- co-written with Carmen Rivera - (New World Stages - NYC; Athenaeum/Chicago; Bellas Artes/Santurce, Puerto Rico); MOMMA’S BOYZ (Produced by Teatro Vista/Chicago, Spanish Repertory/New York, Ateneo/Puerto Rico, “NYFA” Fellowship, chosen Chicago Top Ten plays in 2011 by the Huffington Post); THE BARBER SHOP (Spanish Repertory); KING WITHOUT A CASTLE (Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre (P.R.T.T.)/Sundance Institute Theatre Lab./”NYFA” Fellowship); FIRST CLASS, CHECKING OUT (P.R.T.T.) SOME PEOPLE HAVE ALL THE LUCK (National Theatre of Dominican Republic) SALSA NIGHTS (Latino Experimental Fantastic Theatre) THE KID NEXT DOOR “NYFA” Fellowship)