Nancy Nevarez

Nancy Nevarez is a playwright who has been produced throughout New York City at such venues as Irondale Theater in Brooklyn, UP Theater in Washington Heights and the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre in the theater district. Her awards include: a playwright fellowship in the Dramatist Guild program, playwright’s residency awards from the National Endowment for the Arts/Theater Communications Group and Mabou Mines, a New York Foundation for the Arts playwriting fellowship and twice has won runner-up awards in the Repertorio Español Nuestras Voces Playwriting Competition. Ms. Nevárez is a a member of the Dramatist Guild.

UPCOMING WORKS

I am currently working on a full length play incorporating music, dance and poetry in response to the loss of children due to gun violence in the inner cities of this country. In the Puerto Rican tradition there is a “Baquin?” known as ”a wake for the little black angels” which was held when children – mostly poor and black – died due to childhood diseases. The “Baquin?” combined poetic rhymes and storytelling to heighten awareness of community problems (communicable diseases) as well as music and prayer to bring solace to a grieving community. The tradition of the “Baquin?” has disappeared because fortunately so few children die of childhood illnesses, but I would like to re-explore/re-imagine this tradition in today’s world. As we lose so many children to gun violence I want to re-shape this tradition into a modern context but keep its power to bear witness and to heal.

CREDITS

The Chalkboard Trilogy: three one acts on education in pre civil rights South Carolina, the urban jungle of NYC and war torn Afghanistan
• Produced at UP Theater, 2011
• Staged Reading at Northern Manhattan Public Library, 2011
• Staged Reading at Café Teatro Colaó, Lafayette Ave Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn, NY, 2011

Doña Concepcións Pearls of Wisdom: a Puerto Rican matriarch ravished by dementia takes you through her life’s journey
• Staged Reading at Café Teatro, Lafayette Ave Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn, NY, 2009
• Staged Reading at Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, New York, 2009
• Developed/ read at The Fantastic Playwright’s Lab, New York, 2009

Windows: growing up in the South Bronx of the 70’s
• Presented at College of Mt. Saint Vincent’s Spanish Theater, New York, 2009
• Staged Reading at Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, New York, 2009
• Developed/read at the Dramatist Guild Fellows presentations at Lincoln Center, 2008

Rally Cry/Llamada: Puerto Rican Bomba, Salsa and Hip Hop converge to form a llamada/rally cry against the violence and abuse of women and children
• Produced at Irondale Center, Brooklyn, New York, 2013
• Produced at Words & Music Festival, Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, New York, 2007
• Produced at Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, New York, 2005
• Winner, Puffin Foundation Award, 2003

Puerto Rico I will always Love You, aka, Wild ‘N’ Sunday: Explores machismo and the sexual assaults following the 2000 Puerto Rican Day parade
• Produced at the Songs from Coconut Hill Latino Voices Festival, Kraine Theater, 2003
• Produced at Mabou Mines/SUITE, New York, 2002
• Produced at Intar Theater, New York, 2002
• Winner, 3rd Place Nuestras Voces, Repertorio Español, Playwriting Competition, 2002

Blind Alley: A Trilogy about the stark reality of adolescent girls living in the streets
• Produced at the main stage of Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, New York, 2000
• Winner, National Endowment for the Arts/Theater Communications Group Playwriting Award, 2001
A Place to Go: Homeless girls create their own home
• Produced at Raw Space, New York, 1999

Macaroni & Cheese: Teenage Relationship & Parenthood
• Produced at Raw Space, New York, 1997