We are so delighted and inspired by the inaugural ReImagine Grantees. These outstanding playwrights have conceived of eight compelling, timely and joy-inducing projects, and we are honored to support them in their development journeys.
Meet the 2021 ReImagine Grantees
Lee Cataluna’s most recent work includes commissions from Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Visual Sovereignty) and Arena Stage (Indigenous Earth Voices). Recent work includes What the Stars See at Night for LaJolla Playhouse and Funeral Attire, which won the Von Marie Atchley Award for Excellence in Playwriting from Native Voices at the Autry. Her play Home of the Brave is produced in schools around the world. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from UC Riverside. (www.leecataluna.com)
Lee Cataluna
Heart Strings My story is about the Hawaii concept of hanai, which is often translated to mean informal adoption, but is really a broader idea of a chosen family and treating people who aren’t blood relatives as though they are soul relatives. Two young girls learn they have been raised as hanai children. What troubles them most is that they realize they are not related to each other. When their grandmother gets sick, the children go to live in separate homes. The girls wrestle with what it means to be family and all the commitments and responsibilities that come with loving someone. The story is partially told using hei, Hawaii string figures, which are like Cat’s Cradle, but are unique to Hawaii. String figures are common around the world in indigenous cultures and are a way to learn, strengthen memory, and connect with another player. Once a string figure is learned and muscle memory kicks in, doing string figures become very soothing. In this time of social unrest and disagreement about what “family values” really mean, this is a story about how a family is defined by who you love and how you take care of one another.
Cristin Eve Cato
Christin Eve Cato is a playwright and performing artist from the Bronx. She holds an MFA in Playwriting from Indiana University and completed her BA degree at Fordham University. Cato is also a graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School for Music and Art and the Performing Arts. She is an ensemble member with NYC theater companies, Pregones/PRTT, and INTAR Theatre. She is also a proud member of the Latinx Playwrights Circle. Honoring her Puerto Rican and Jamaican roots, Cato’s artistic style is expressed through Caribbean culture and the Afro-Latinx diaspora. She has developed her work with The Classical Theatre of Harlem, Harlem9, Pregones Theater, Milagro, Borderlands Theater, Teatro Vivo, Indiana University, Texas State University, Cardinal Stage, Conch Shell Productions, KCACTF, and The Silverton Theatre Mine. Cato is also the recipient of the 2020 Greater Good Commission for Afro-Latinx writers. An aspiring screenwriter, she is currently repped by 3 Arts Entertainment.
jelly beans It’s the 4th anniversary of Jaden and Julissa’s father’s death. To celebrate his life, Mom gets the family together to talk about their fun moments with Dad. This ritual is always painful for the siblings: Julissa is still not ready to talk about her memories, and young Jaden barely has any of his own that he can recollect. To solve the ritual problem, Jaden invents a Memory App that is able to infiltrate the brain to show all the memories stored in it. Tempted with the idea of seeing Dad again, Julissa secretly syncs herself to the Memory App and gets accidentally trapped inside of her brain! After finding her unconscious, Jaden frantically tries to fix the malfunction and calls on their friends Milton, Destiny, and Kira to join the effort to save Julissa. But a big problem awaits them- Julissa discovers that being inside of her brain grants her the opportunity to erase unwanted memories, like Dad’s death. If the team doesn’t reach Julissa before she makes this major decision the repercussions could change her life forever!
Ramón Esquivel
Ramón Esquivel’s recent productions include The Hero Twins: Blood Race at University of Texas at Austin and Appalachian State University, The Shahrazad Society at ACME Theatre, and Luna at Filament Theatre and Luna Stage. His work is featured in two anthologies, Palabras del Cielo: An Exploration of Latina/o Theatre for Young Audiences and New Visions/New Voices: 25 Years/25 Plays. Ramón is Assistant Professor of Theatre – Playwriting at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo.
ZEQ Ezequiel “ZEQ” Zapata is annoyed to be spending their 17th birthday working at The Pop, a burger joint in a rural town. Coworkers Lolo, JC, and bestie Panchita try to cheer up ZEQ, but The Pop is slammed. Then a bus carrying a school choir pulls up, and ZEQ spots dreamy Danilo for the first time. Time moves slowly. Music plays. Fingers touch in a bag of tots. Electricity. ZEQ and Danilo share dreams of pop stardom. Danilo writes songs, so he and ZEQ exchange TikToks and make plans to duet later. When ZEQ returns home that night, they’re certain that fame, fortune, and love are within reach. But there is one problem: ZEQ doesn’t sing well. Like, at all. Family and friends, not even Panchita, never told this truth to ZEQ—but Danilo does. What happens when dreams meet reality? What defines us as individuals and makes us special? How do we navigate romance when we’re still figuring out friendship? ZEQ is a play with music for teen audiences that explores these questions. It is also something that I have wanted to write for years: an unequivocal love story about and for queer youth.
José Cruz González
José Cruz González’s plays include Under a Baseball Sky, American Mariachi, Forever Poppy, Tomás and the Library Lady, The Highest Heaven, The Magic Kite, The Sun Serpent, Super Cow Girl and Mighty Miracle. Mr. González was a 2016 PEN Center USA Literary Award Finalist. He is a member of the College of Fellows of the American Theatre, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Professor Emeritus at California State University Los Angeles.
Pia’s Wondrous Adventures in Tlaxlandia The story of Pia’s Wondrous Adventures in Tlaxlandia (A Musical Toy Theatre, Puppetry, Graphic Novel Mashup for a Brief Digital Age) unfolds in seven short episodes, and will explore different forms of storytelling. The project will be developed through online workshops and readings, engaging elementary age students, graduate theatre design students, as well as professional artists. Pia’s Wondrous Adventures in Tlaxlandia begins in a cemetery during a funeral service where Pia, a ten-year old Latinx child, mourns the recent death of her neighbor and best friend Mr. Jesse from COVID-19. The play explores how children negotiate loss and healing while celebrating the human spirit and unlikely heroes. As Pia mourns Mr. Jesse, the mysterious Hummingbird Wizard, calls upon her to help his beloved Tlaxlandia, a mythical Meso-American world, where plants and birds speak in an ancient language. Lord Ocelotl, the Jaguar Lord of the Night, enters through a breach in the universe to destroy them. The Hummingbird Wizard is forced to escape taking Pia with him to Tlaxlandia. Pia’s journey to save this magical world will challenge her heart and soul as she confronts Lord Ocetol, and the Empress Elvirus, the Sorceress of the Eastern Moons.
Samantha Miller (she/her/hers) is an actor and writer based in Los Angeles. She is currently touring as an Actor-Educator with Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre Southern California. In her first two seasons with the company, Samantha’s writing habit met new joys in entertaining and inspiring youth. With new reach and technological possibilities, Samantha hopes to expand her skills and stories to encourage young people both virtually and from the stage! (www.samanthawmiller.com)
Samantha Miller
DragonSoul Offline Davon is split between the online world of battling dragons and the real world of battling middle school. To him, there’s nothing worse than logging off from his party of friends and getting on the bus to another lonely and mundane day of 7th grade. When the student body president (the girl of his dreams) takes notice of Davon’s natural leadership abilities in a time of need, Davon starts to wonder if maybe some of what makes him so epic online can also make the real world a little more interesting… An action-packed play split between two different worlds and two different personas shows us how one smart kid discovers his true superpower.
Mabelle Reynoso is a multidisciplinary storyteller and teaching artist who works in non-traditional theatre spaces, including classrooms, community centers, and correctional facilities. She is co-host of the podcast Hey Playwright and leads TuYo Theatre’s Pa’ Letras, a new play development workshop for emerging Latinx playwrights. She has a BFA from New York University and an MFA from the School of Visual Arts. She was proudly born in Tijuana, Mexico. (mabellereynoso.com)
Mabelle Reynoso
¡Lotería: Game On! by Mabelle Reynoso ¡Lotería: Game On! is a play inspired by the Mexican bingo-like game Lotería. One rainy night, siblings Sam and Kris are completely consumed by their devices as their mother sets up a pillow fort and invites them to play Lotería. Her invitation is met with a resounding “NO.” When the internet goes out, Sam and Kris are outraged. Where is their Mom to fix it?! The kids soon discover that the pillow fort is a magical portal to the world of Lotería and their mother is trapped inside the game. Sam and Kris set out to bring her back, but Lotería will not let her go so easily. Conceived as an interactive experience, ¡Lotería: Game On! invites the audience to join Sam and Kris as they play to win back their mother.
Doug Robinson
Doug Robinson is a MFA candidate in the Yale School of Drama’s playwriting program. He has received commissions from Imagination Stage, Ally Theatre Company, and Rorschach Theatre Company. For the past six years he has worked as an actor, director, and teaching artist throughout the D.C. Metro Area.
Capture the Flag On the last day of summer vacation all the kids in the neighborhood gather in the woods for their annual game of Capture the Flag. This summer tradition has been passed down from kid generation to kid generation. Teams are chosen, traps are laid, flags are hidden, and glory is won. But this summer something is different. Someone is missing. A heaviness weighs on the game as the kids grapple with and attempt to come to terms with their feelings of loss and friendship.
Ashleigh Akilah Rucker
Ashleigh Akilah Rucker hails from sunny San Diego, Ca. and attended UC Santa Barbara, where she studied Biology and Theater. For over a decade, she has used theater and the arts to educate under resourced communities throughout Southern California for Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre. Ashleigh believes in using storytelling to disrupt systems of oppression and tell the vibrant and nuanced stories that have been pushed to the margins. Work that recognizes individuality and intersectionality. (www.AshleighAkilah.com IG: @AshleighAkilah)
Kaleidoscope Crown is a play about a bright and brave young girl named Nia who is in search of her purpose in a village steeped in traditionalism. One day, she awakes with a secret superpower: her hair magically changes with her feelings. With every new sensation she conjures up multicolor tresses. But the monochromatic world around her puts an instant target on her back. At first, she’s ashamed of this gift as passersby gawk and point and judge what is different from themselves. She must stand up against the only world she knows and learn to embrace her transformation. For once she does, it sends a tidal wave through her village as others begin revealing their own uniqueness and the world becomes a more vibrant and inclusive place. And all because our young heroine showed up as her authentic self.
ReImagine Finalists
We would like to celebrate and highlight these eight finalists, who have proven that there is a robust universe of BIPOC writers whose works are just waiting to be developed and produced. We encourage you to reach out to them or to us at reimaginetya@gmail.com if you would like to make a connection!
Sam Hamashima
Sam Hamashima (them+) is a writer based in unceded Lenape Land known as New York City. Hamashima passionately wields theater and writing for empowerment, change, and intergenerational healing. Produced and/or developed by John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, National Queer Theater, Lyric Stage of Boston, and Seattle Public Theater among others. Hamashima’s Shoyu Tell is commissioned by Lexington Children’s Theatre and will premiere in the Fall of 2021. BFA Musical Theatre, University of Michigan. samhamashima.com
Michele Tyrene Johnson
Michelle Tyrene Johnson is a public radio journalist and author from the Kansas City, Missouri area who now lives in Louisville, Kentucky. As a playwright, Johnson’s plays have been staged nationally. Several of her plays, such as Wiccans in the Hood, The Negro Whisperer, Trading Races: From Rodney King to Paula Deen, Echoes of Octavia, and The Green Book Wine Club Train Trip have been in New York City festivals and readings.
Nambi E. Kelley
Nambi E. Kelley, award-winning actress/playwright is currently in residence at New Victory Theatre in NYC . Her adaptation of RichardWright’s Native Son has been seen across the country and premiered off-Broadway in 2019. Former playwright-in-residence at the National Black Theatre, the Goodman Theatre, and Dramatists Guild Fellow, and recipient of the 2020 NNPN annual commission. Nambi’s production company, First Woman Inc, is currently producing a digital and national tour of Nambi’s young audiences’ play, Jabari Dreams of Freedom. Nambi is in development with several other film and TV projects.
Joe Plummer
Joe Plummer’s premiere production, Get Ready, has been produced by Victory Gardens Theatre, ETA Theatre, The EnsembleTheatre, and Penumbra Theatre. I Got’cha: The Story Of Joe Tex And The Soul Clan, co-written by David Barr III (two Black Excellence Awards, 11 Onyx Awards). Joe’s musical Vee Jay Records, co-written with Sanetta Gipson, had its first reading at The Chicago Dramatists. A film version is being produced by and stars Oscar nominee Viola Davis.
LeeAnet Noble
Lauretta Malloy
LeeAnet Noble and Lauretta Malloy are an internationally critically acclaimed mother-daughter duo who have experienced eclectic careers in entertainment. Both from Howard University made headlines worldwide and caused a shift in the fashion industry, Co-Directing Rick Owens historical SS14 Paris Fashion Week show. As an actor, director, educator, musician, choreographer, and creative writer, LeeAnet, has worked with Disney Theatricals, Bravo TV, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani and was mentored by Emmy-winning director and producer, Charles S. Dutton. As a writer, producer, musician, and vocalist Lauretta has worked with The National Symphony Orchestra, Queen Latifah, Earth Wind and Fire, and BET. Their work has been seen at The Kennedy Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Stade de Bercy, 54Below, and more and inducted into ten major museums. They are passionate about sharing stories that enrich, enlighten, and entertain people of all ages.
Joshua Rashon Streeter
Joshua Rashon Streeter is a drama/theatre educator, director, and dramaturg. His teaching focuses on pre-service and in-service education in K-12 schools, drama and theatre education, Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA), and Theatre for the Very Young (TVY). As a theatre-maker, Joshua loves to make work that is aesthetically and narratively driven – playing with light, objects, movement, and music. In Fall 2021, Joshua will be joining the faculty at Emerson College. joshuarashonstreeter.com
Nikki Toombs
Nikki Toombs is a notable American playwright, director, actress, and producer who hails from the “Magic City” of Birmingham, Alabama. She has authored eight plays, has directed 40+ productions, and is a nationally commissioned presenter and curriculum specialist. Her innovative approach, artistic impact, and undeniable connection with youth in the arts have earned her national recognition. Currently, she proudly serves as the Director of Education at Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company in Atlanta, Georgia.
Claire Tran
Claire Tran: Jonathan Larson Finalist 2020. Akira & the Merpeople, with composer Teresa Lotz (Polyphone Festival, Musical Theater Factory’s 4×15, THEatre ACCELERATOR), Livin’ the Dreamboat (Astoria Center for the Performing Arts), Grandma Kim vs. America (HERE Arts Center Theater), and Oh Soy (Bella Concert Hall in Calgary and the Duplex Theatre). Steel Cutter, screenplay, Winner, Fresh Voices, Semi-Finalist, CineStory and WeScreenplay. Steel Cutter, play, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference Finalist 2017. clairetran.net
Teresa Lotz
Teresa Lotz’s work includes She Calls Me Firefly (2019 New York Innovative Theater Award Winner Best Original Short Script); Akira & TheMerpeople (Polyphone Festival 2020); Red Emma & the Mad Monk (NY Times Critic’s Pick); ThreeTimesFast (Florida Festival of New Musicals 2019, O’Neill Theater Festival Semi-Finalist); The Awakening (MTF Developmental Series at Playwright’s Horizons 2016). New Perspectives Theatre Company Women’s Work Lab; 2020 Finalist for the Jonathan Larson Grant. Dramatist’s Guild, ASCAP, Musical Theater Writing, M.F.A. NYU. TeresaLotz.com
Shay Youngblood
Shay Youngblood is an Atlanta based writer, visual artist, and educator. Author of novels including Black Girl in Paris, short stories and essays, her published plays have been widely produced and her short stories have been performed at Symphony Space and recorded for NPR’s Selected Shorts. Her current projects include children’s books, a super hero graphic novel and an interdisciplinary performance installation inspired by research in Japan, China and the U.S. www.shayyoungblood.com