Diana Burbano Named Director of New Play Development  at AlterTheater

AlterTheater has named playwright Diana Burbano to the newly created position of Director of New Play Development. The Director of New Play Development will be part of AlterTheater's shared leadership model, leading the company collaboratively with the Producing Artistic Directors and Literary Committee. She replaces outgoing co-founder and artistic director Jeanette Harrison, who will be joining Artists Repertory Theater in Portland, OR.

"AlterTheater is committed to nurturing playwrights from underserved and underrepresented communities," says Ms. Burbano. "I'm thrilled to continue our decolonization work by actively seeking and promoting writers who otherwise might be overlooked. I'm most excited about giving writers a place to breathe, experiment, and find joy in writing. It's important to me that our writers feel supported and free and that they feel safe. I'm following the tradition that Artistic Director Jeanette Harrison established, of a writer's led process."

AlterTheater has long been a champion of new work through its AlterLab new play development program, which most recently supported playwrights Tara Moses, Dillon Chitto, Blossom Johnson, and Vickie Ramirez in its yearlong residency. Tara Moses's Snag was adapted into a film, and Dillon Chitto's Pueblo Revolt is scheduled to premiere this winter. Pueblo Revolt won the Rella Lossy Award, and will be directed by Reed Flores. AlterLab plays include Drunk at the Base of the Bodhi Tree by Julie Hébert, Bondage by Star Finch, BABA by Denmo Ibrahim, and The River Bride by Marisela Treviño Orta. AlterTheater has commissioned and produced new works by Larissa FastHorse, Lauren Yee and Michelle Carter.

"I couldn't be more excited about leaving the AlterLab new play development program in Diana's hands. She's kind, writer-focused, and she has a knack for creating inviting spaces where people can be their full selves," says Harrison, who previously ran the AlterLab program.

An award-winning playwright who's been part of two different AlterLab cohorts, "Diana's got the core values so essential to the success of AlterLab, as well as a deep understanding of just what makes this program so special," adds Harrison.

"Diana Burbano is brilliant, generous, and one of the most talented people I've ever met," says AlterLab alum and AlterTheater associate artist Laura Shamas, whose play CIRCULAR premiered with AlterTheater in 2019. "Alter Theater is so lucky to have her as Director of New Play Development. AlterLab's amazing literary track record is well-served under her guidance and expertise."

As AlterTheater's literary manager, Diana designed and initiated AlterLab First Acts. Modeled after the flagship yearlong AlterLab, First Acts is a 12-week residency, designed for early career playwrights. Current First Acts playwrights are Chana Mamani, Tere Martínez, Blossom Johnson, Lofanitani Aisea, and Cris Eli Blak, in a special joint program with La Lengua Teatro en Español, the Decolonization Stories Project/Historias de descolonizacíon. The writers' plays will be staged in November, as part of La Lengua's season. The inaugural First Acts writers were lily gonzales, Alicia Margarita Olivo, Devin Porter, Jasmine Sharma, and Baylee Shlictman.

"One of the great things about the second First Acts cohort, which became the Decolonization Stories Project, is that we encouraged writers to create in languages other than English," says Harrison. The cohort's writers include Blossom Johnson, whose play ayóó'áníínísh'ní was written entirely in Navajo. AlterTheater remains committed to finding ways for theater to support Native language revitalization efforts.

"Our first First Acts cohort was created to support writers of color who had less than ideal experiences in educational settings. It was my privilege to watch young writers rediscover their authentic voices," says Burbano. "Our decolonization cohort was one of the most exciting experiences I have ever had as a facilitator. Writers creating work in their languages and also listening to writing in languages they didn't speak with open hearts, made for a magical room."

"AlterLab First Acts was my first professional playwriting opportunity right out of college. During the first few months of the pandemic, this program was invaluable in reasserting the importance of my voice, not only as a playwright, but as a Latine person," says Alicia Margarita Olivo. "The camaraderie I found there was unlike any other space I've been in, and I believe this has to do with Diana Burbano's fearless leadership and mentoring. She encouraged us to dig deep and be honest in our works, to try new ways of generating ideas and process of playwriting that I was previously afraid of trying out."

Diana Burbano is an award winning playwright and actor of Colombian descent. Her play Ghosts of Bogotá was commissioned by and premiered at Alter Theatre in 2020 pre-pandemic and is published by Stage Rights at Broadway Liscencing. Her punk rock play Fabulous Monsters will premiere at The Public Theatre of San Antonio in 2023, featuring the music of FEA. She was in Center Theatre Group's 2018-19 Writers Workshop and the Geffen's Writers Lab in 2020-21. She has commissions with Artists Repertory Theatre, Breath of Fire Latina Theatre Ensemble, and Center Theatre Group.

Diana played Amalia in American Mariachi at South Coast Repertory and Arizona Theatre Company, Marisela in La Ruta at Artists Repertory, and Izzy in the world premiere of Drunk at the Base of the Bodhi Tree for Mile High Theatre. You can see her as Viv the Punk in the cult musical Isle of Lesbos.

Diana was awarded the Advance Gender Equity in the Arts grant 2022, the Bay Area Rella Lossy Award, and the Long Beach Arts Council Professional Artist Grant 2020. She is the Dramatists Guild Rep for Southern California. www.dianaburbano.com insta: @ladianaburbano

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