Live & In Color Announces Raquel Almazan As The Recipient Of The 2023 June Bingham New Playwright Commission

The June Bingham New Playwright Commission honors the legacy of the late artist and playwright, June Bingham, by providing support to a new generation of early-career women/femme and/or non-binary storytellers as they seek to create work that manifests change in the world. Director and Arts Leader, Abigail Grubb, serves as the Program's Director and Co-Founder alongside Live & In Color's Artistic Director and June Bingham's nephew, Devanand Janki.

After a highly competitive national call for applications and three rounds of panel review conducted entirely by femme and/or non-binary industry professionals, the panel selected Dr. Ada Cheng, é boylan, Fabiola R. Decius, and Raquel Almazan as the 2023 Finalists.

With incredible excitement, Live & In Color announces Raquel Almazan (they/she) and their to-be piece GODDESSES RETURN TO THE TEMPLE - FINAL INSTALLMENT OF A SEXTRILOGY-Loosely based on the life of Nina Hartley and inspired by autobiography-as this year's recipient of the June Bingham New Playwright Commission.

"I am beyond thrilled to welcome Raquel as this season's recipient.They are constantly excavating what the responsibility is of a playwright and culture shifter within their work. The results of this excavation are pieces and plays that invoke an audience to action. Raquel's perspective and work speaks directly to the critical issues our country is grappling with at this time." - Abigail Grubb, Program Director.

Raquel Almazan is an interdisciplinary artist, facilitator and activist. (M.F.A. - Playwriting, Columbia University). Their work has been featured Off-Broadway, throughout the United States and internationally in Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Canada and Sweden; including several of her plays within the (Latin is America play cycle), bi-lingual plays in dedication to Latin American countries.

Recipient of the Map Fund, Doris Duke Grant, NYFA NYC Women's Fund, NYSCA Grant and National Association of Latino Arts and Culture Grant, Kennedy Center's Latinidad Award, Kate Neal Kinley Playwriting Fellowship and the LGBTQ Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation Playwriting Prize. Almazan has taught playwriting at Marymount Manhattan College and Augsburg University through The Playwrights Center.

Their work has been presented/developed at selected orgs/venues: The Signature Theatre, Chelsea Factory, La Mama, The Lark, INTAR and LAByrinth Theatre Company. Off-Broadway Theatre Row, Pregones- PRTT, Bric Arts, Reading: Lincoln Center- Classical Theatre of Harlem, Bushwick Starr reading, New Georges - Audrey residency and the Kennedy Center.

Almazan is the Co-President of the Board of Directors of Indie Space/The Independent Theatre Fund. Her play La Paloma Prisoner will have its world premiere in the fall of 2023. www.raquelalmazan.com

"So thrilling to receive the news that I am the recipient of the June Bingham New Playwright Commission! Also honored to be in the company of the phenomenal group of finalists, alongside, é boylan, Fabiola R. Decius and Dr. Ada Cheng. To be welcomed into this generous and vital community is awe-inspiring! To demand a resourced diverse community in the American theatre is an essential mission to my practice. Live & In Color is innovating the role of equity and agency in our field, and I can't wait to share what we manifest together. I'm looking forward to developing the proposed play Goddesses Return to the Temple, where I'll continue exploring the narratives and representation of queer and Latine women, motherhood, sexuality, sex positivity, the active systemic barriers that restrain our political and social possibilities and finally, the reclaiming of ancient wisdom that leads us to collective power as a community. Thank you for this incredible opportunity. In solidarity and love." - Raquel Almazan

Raquel's work, GODDESSES RETURN TO THE TEMPLE, will be developed over the course of the next few months and will then complete a workshop of the piece at Live & In Color's annual fall retreat in September. This opportunity will culminate in a 60-90 min 2-person play that will be workshopped and presented to an audience.

2021's recipient, Erlina Ortiz, developed LA EGOISTA at the Bingham Camp during the fall retreat. LA EGOSITA made its world premiere this past February at the acclaimed Actors Theatre of Louisville and is currently making its west coast premiere at Skylight Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, where it will run until April 8th. The winner of the 2022 National Latine Playwrights Award, LA EGOISTA, was also selected to be a part of the 2022 Latinx Theatre Commons Comedy Carnival in Denver and received development support from Power Street Theatre.

2022's recipient, AriDy Nox developed THE WETLANDS, which will receive a reading in New York City this coming May.

Founded by Director/Choreographer Devanand Janki, Live & In Color is a creative incubator for new plays and musicals bound for commercial success, with a core mission of diversity and inclusion in all aspects of the theater industry-on and off stage, and at every level of creative and business touchpoint. In its first seven seasons, Live & In Color has developed the musicals "Howdyland!" by JB Tang Jackson and Dominique Gélin, "Little Girl Blue" by Laiona Michelle, "With Bells On!" by Tommy Newman & Devanand Janki (Based on the play by Darrin Hagen), "Within Elsewhere" by Trent Jeffords and Joshua Betancourt, "The Golden Threshold" by Cheeyang Ng and Eric Sorrels, "Present Perfect" by Nancy Nachama Cheser and Jaime Lozano, "Pangaea" by Janet Noh and Lee Summers, "The Family Resemblance" by Masi Asare and "Call It Courage" by Adam Overett. Plays developed during the retreat include "The Wetlands" by AriDy Nox, "La Egoista" by Erlina Ortiz, "Narrow Daylight" by SEVAN, "The Home We Left Behind" by Valerie David, "Invictus Mingus" by Frank Harts, "The Galilee House" by BV Marshall and "Esspy" by Nandita Shenoy. In 2020, Live & in Color developed the virtual pieces "Days of Re-Creation" written entirely by writers of color, "2020 Roasting on an Open Fire" a virtual holiday extravaganza and a weekly virtual happy hour show, "Be Our Guest!" with Broadway professionals, and two virtual 24 HR Play and Song Festivals.

Named one of the SDC's "Top standout moments for diversity and inclusion," Live & In Color develops new work for the stage that promotes and celebrates diversity. Emphasizing non-traditional casting, multi-ethnic participants, and bold theatricality, Live & In Color offers unique development opportunities for new plays and musicals that encourage dialogue among artists from a variety of cultures. Live & In Color envisions an American Theatre where established and aspiring artists of color have generous opportunities to practice their craft by providing a safe, beautiful space in Salem, CT where artists can gather to develop new works that give voice to under-represented communities.

Support has been provided from The Bingham Family, CT Humanities (CTH), with funding provided by the Connecticut State Department of Economic and Community Development/Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) from the Connecticut State Legislature.

To keep up to date on this year's recipient and their work, visit liveandincolor.org.

 

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