NYCPlaywrights January 3, 2026
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NYCPlaywrights
Jan 3, 2026, 5:02:08 PM (5 days ago) Jan 3
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Greetings NYCPlaywrights
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026!
***
Gustavo Ott
In the vibrant spectrum of Latin American theater, Gustavo Ott emerges as a prominent and profoundly influential figure. This Venezuelan playwright, whose work has crossed borders and been applauded in multiple languages, encapsulates the essence of an art form that entertains, challenges and transforms. With a distinctive style that combines acerbic humor with sharp social critique, Ott has adeptly touched the nerve of socio-political realities in Venezuela and worldwide.
Born in Caracas, Ott began his theatrical career at a young age and quickly became a crucial voice in the Venezuelan theater scene. Founder of Teatro San Martín de Caracas, his artistic vision also led him to head Teatro Dallas in Texas, USA, and GALA Hispanic Theatre in Washington, DC, where he currently serves as Artistic Director. His work at GALA, a cultural organization soon to mark 50 years of history, has been fundamental in enriching and diversifying the theatrical offerings in the U.S. capital, presenting works that speak both of the Latin American experience and universal values.
More...
https://www.openscene.org/post/gustavo-ott-bastion-of-venezuelan-contemporary-theater
***
Michel Hausman
Miami’s Venezuelan Jews love Michel Hausmann, even if he sometimes infuriates them.
“I’m now a pariah in my community,” said Hausmann, who has produced and directed acclaimed theatre in his native Venezuela, New York and, now, Miami. “I am in a way an enfant terrible. They support me but they don’t agree with my politics.”
Hausman co-founded Miami New Drama in 2016 with fellow Venezuelan Jew Moises Kaufman, the famous playwright and director. Miami New Drama’s success has been a source of pride to Venezuelan exiles, approximately 109,000 of whom, including most of the country’s Jews, have settled in South Florida, where they’ve become a vocal part of this heavily immigrant area.
But his overt progressive politics have also put him at odds with a community that stood with former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, even as the majority of American Jews opposed him.
More...
https://forward.com/news/464728/michel-hausman-is-remaking-miami-theatre-one-controversy-at-a-time/
***
Armando Carías
In this interview, Carías delves into various aspects of Venezuelan theater, particularly children’s theater. He also talks about his work as director of Comunicalle, an experimental theater ensemble, and about the unresolved challenges facing the Bolivarian Process in the sphere of cultural production.
Could you discuss your dramaturgical work and its relation to the broader Venezuelan cultural landscape?
Dramaturgical work has historically been considered a minor genre within literature. Only a fraction of theater makes its way to publication and distribution, and it primarily exists in the sphere of performance. I’m a proponent of the idea that theater should be read and, of course, performed.
Fortunately, my work has been widely published, including my children’s plays. This is a double achievement, since children’s literature is often marginalized by publishers. Your question prompts a reflection on dramaturgy as a literary genre, as a genre that is as valid and interesting as a novel, a short story, poetry, or an essay.
More...
https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/theater-for-revolution-a-conversation-with-armando-carias/
***
Virginia Urdaneta
Stage left is Josefina, a rough-talking working girl; stage right, Sofia, a swankily dressed bourgeois who has fallen on hard times. The two characters in Venezuelan playwright Virginia Urdaneta's new play come together doing something that real people in her homeland spend long hours doing, across the country, every day: waiting in line to buy scarce products from barren supermarket shelves. As the South American oil giant has gone from boom to bust in recent years, shortages, violent crime and the temptation to move abroad have become inescapable markers of Venezuelans' daily reality. That is driving a new wave of drama in the nation's tiny privately owned theaters, where the tribulations of life in the economic crisis are giving rise to acerbic, often darkly funny plays. The trend is an antidote to Venezuela's mainstream theater scene. Light comedies are the standard fare in the country's main theaters, which are all owned by the socialist government. The new plays revolve around themes like spending the day in line to buy basic goods, only to find that prices have shot up overnight. "Venezuela is living a moment of pure absurdity. We barter coffee for shampoo," said Urdaneta, who wrote and stars as Sofia in "Pa'lante" (Onward), a sort of Venezuelan answer to "Waiting for Godot" where the interminable wait is for groceries and toiletries.
More...
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/venezuelan-theater-chronicles-absurdity-life-crisis-072943746.html
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026!
*** FREE THEATER IN NYC ***
ECSTATIC PEEPHOLE IV: 108 NOTES
Ecstatic Peephole is a monthly play reading series at Pete's Candy Store curated and hosted by Emma Horwitz and Bailey Williams. Every third Monday we refract into a fish eye and experience the silly, the uncanny, the physically impossible, and more!
This month we read 108 Notes by kanishk pandey!
Synopsis: Eve and Ava are currently testing to see if they can figure out what it means to know a person, with the help of some index cards. You're gonna help them too.
Please note that Ecstatic Peephole is first come, first serve. Ticket does not guarantee a seat, so please come early to claim a spot.
Jan 19 from 6:30pm to 8pm EST
Pete's Candy Store
709 Lorimer Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ecstatic-peephole-iv-108-notes-tickets-1979095376547?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
*** OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAYWRIGHTS ***
The Alcazar Theatre Ensemble in Carpinteria, California seeks one-act plays
We call it “Spring Break Theater” and traditionally it incorporates Fairytales reimagined and/or a mash up. We do the show for kids during the day, and for families in the evening. Six performances total.
Ideally it includes multiple characters that can be played by a cast of 6-8.
Ideally it has a message of empowerment.
Ideally it is geared towards kids, but it has some humor that adults will enjoy.
Ideally it includes fairytale characters from lots of different stories all thrown together in one funny story.
ECSTATIC PEEPHOLE IV: 108 NOTES
Ecstatic Peephole is a monthly play reading series at Pete's Candy Store curated and hosted by Emma Horwitz and Bailey Williams. Every third Monday we refract into a fish eye and experience the silly, the uncanny, the physically impossible, and more!
This month we read 108 Notes by kanishk pandey!
Synopsis: Eve and Ava are currently testing to see if they can figure out what it means to know a person, with the help of some index cards. You're gonna help them too.
Please note that Ecstatic Peephole is first come, first serve. Ticket does not guarantee a seat, so please come early to claim a spot.
Jan 19 from 6:30pm to 8pm EST
Pete's Candy Store
709 Lorimer Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ecstatic-peephole-iv-108-notes-tickets-1979095376547?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
*** OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAYWRIGHTS ***
The Alcazar Theatre Ensemble in Carpinteria, California seeks one-act plays
We call it “Spring Break Theater” and traditionally it incorporates Fairytales reimagined and/or a mash up. We do the show for kids during the day, and for families in the evening. Six performances total.
Ideally it includes multiple characters that can be played by a cast of 6-8.
Ideally it has a message of empowerment.
Ideally it is geared towards kids, but it has some humor that adults will enjoy.
Ideally it includes fairytale characters from lots of different stories all thrown together in one funny story.
***
Feels Blind Literary welcomes plays for Issue #13
Feels Blind Literary is committed to speaking out against social and environmental injustice, police brutality, and unconstitutional attacks on our bodies and the free press. With that being said, we didn't feel just saying we're committed to these causes was enough. Rather, we knew we needed to demonstrate that commitment in tangible ways, both by continuing to elevate marginalized voices in the work that we publish and by raising money for causes we believe will help directly combat the -isms in this country.
***
The Spotlight New Works Fest is a curated festival dedicated to showcasing exceptional new plays written for the secondary theatre market—including high schools, colleges, and community theatres.
Each year, educational and community stages produce hundreds of thousands of performances. The Spotlight New Works Fest exists to help new work find a place within that ecosystem by highlighting plays that balance strong craft, theatrical vitality, and real-world production potential for these stages.
This is not a competition. Instead, the festival brings together a selected group of plays that demonstrate both artistic excellence and a clear understanding of how theatre is made and shared in educational and community settings.
*** FOR MORE INFORMATION about these and other opportunities see the web site at https://www.nycplaywrights.org ***
*** VENEZUELAN PLAYWRIGHTS ***
Moises Kaufman
...Aside from critical recognition in the U.S., the response to his work from friends and family in Venezuela holds special meaning for the playwright. “Seeing how they and my (other) countrymen rejoice in my success is a very big source of unexpected joy,” he said, after recounting that his mother, who always supported him, cried at the White House ceremony and said it was the happiest day of her life.
Yet he doesn’t go back to Venezuela often. Just as for Kaufman much has changed since leaving Caracas in the 1980s, so too has the country of his birth undergone a transformation. The election of the late former President Hugo Chávez in 1999 – and of current President Nicolás Maduro in 2013 – have brought years of economic turmoil to a head, eroding civil liberties in the process. “It was very difficult to watch,” Kaufman said of a recent trip back home, his first in four years. “The change was very noticeable … The poverty. The desperation … It was heartbreaking.”
More...
https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/how-a-venezuelan-playwright-conquered-broadway/
***
Mónica Montañés
We had the opportunity to interview Mónica Montañés, a children’s book author, journalist, playwright and screenwriter. Her latest book, Different, is inspired by her family’s stories of growing up during the Spanish Civil War, living under Franco’s dictatorship, and fleeing to Venezuela. As an adult, Mónica made her ancestors’ journey in reverse, moving from Caracas to Madrid. Different is Mónica’s first book published in English.
What made you decide to become an author?
More than a decision, writing is a necessity for me. Almost like eating or breathing. I need to write to be okay. I write all the time, even when I’m on vacation. When I don’t have my computer handy, I write in my mind. Luckily, it is one of the activities that I enjoy the most in life.
Have you always loved to write?
Yes, I have always loved writing. When I was a little girl, I made up a lot of stories. I am an only child, and I invented many imaginary siblings to whom extraordinary things happened. I told them to my classmates so as not to feel different. They all had siblings except me. One day, a classmate found out that it was not true that I had siblings. I was afraid that she would tell others, and they would call me a liar. She kept the secret for me and became my best friend, and I became a writer. I started writing everything I imagined, because I realized that if people read what you make up, they know it’s a story and you don’t get in trouble.
More...
https://eerdlings.com/2022/05/15/interview-with-childrens-book-author-monica-montanes/
***
Luis Britto Garcia
Luis Britto Garcia is probably Venezuela’s most highly regarded living writer. He was recently appointed as the coordinator of the Venezuelan chapter of the Red de Intelectuales y Artistas en Defensa de la Humanidad [Network of Intellectuals and Artists in Defense of Humanity]. A firm supporter of the Bolivarian Revolution, he has written numerous plays, novels, historical works, and film scripts in addition to regular political commentary.
In this VA interview, Britto Garcia talks about the role of intellectuals in the Bolivarian Revolution and about Chavez’s own intellectual development.
What is the role of leftist intellectuals in a process of change? Although with many exceptions, they often tend to become a sort of uncritical appendage of the movement.
The role of the intellectual is always the same: to explain reality, propose lines of action and, when necessary, criticize incorrect or counterproductive policies.
Historically the grounds for all great revolutions–including the French, Soviet, Chinese and Cuban revolutions–have been prepared by intellectual avant-gardes (I include artists and cultural producers among these intellectuals). Their function is to generate a great artistic undertaking that expresses and imposes revolutionary ethics.
More...
https://mronline.org/2020/03/23/the-role-of-intellectuals-in-the-bolivarian-revolution-a-conversation-with-luis-britto-garcia/
Feels Blind Literary welcomes plays for Issue #13
Feels Blind Literary is committed to speaking out against social and environmental injustice, police brutality, and unconstitutional attacks on our bodies and the free press. With that being said, we didn't feel just saying we're committed to these causes was enough. Rather, we knew we needed to demonstrate that commitment in tangible ways, both by continuing to elevate marginalized voices in the work that we publish and by raising money for causes we believe will help directly combat the -isms in this country.
***
The Spotlight New Works Fest is a curated festival dedicated to showcasing exceptional new plays written for the secondary theatre market—including high schools, colleges, and community theatres.
Each year, educational and community stages produce hundreds of thousands of performances. The Spotlight New Works Fest exists to help new work find a place within that ecosystem by highlighting plays that balance strong craft, theatrical vitality, and real-world production potential for these stages.
This is not a competition. Instead, the festival brings together a selected group of plays that demonstrate both artistic excellence and a clear understanding of how theatre is made and shared in educational and community settings.
*** FOR MORE INFORMATION about these and other opportunities see the web site at https://www.nycplaywrights.org ***
*** VENEZUELAN PLAYWRIGHTS ***
Moises Kaufman
...Aside from critical recognition in the U.S., the response to his work from friends and family in Venezuela holds special meaning for the playwright. “Seeing how they and my (other) countrymen rejoice in my success is a very big source of unexpected joy,” he said, after recounting that his mother, who always supported him, cried at the White House ceremony and said it was the happiest day of her life.
Yet he doesn’t go back to Venezuela often. Just as for Kaufman much has changed since leaving Caracas in the 1980s, so too has the country of his birth undergone a transformation. The election of the late former President Hugo Chávez in 1999 – and of current President Nicolás Maduro in 2013 – have brought years of economic turmoil to a head, eroding civil liberties in the process. “It was very difficult to watch,” Kaufman said of a recent trip back home, his first in four years. “The change was very noticeable … The poverty. The desperation … It was heartbreaking.”
More...
https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/how-a-venezuelan-playwright-conquered-broadway/
***
Mónica Montañés
We had the opportunity to interview Mónica Montañés, a children’s book author, journalist, playwright and screenwriter. Her latest book, Different, is inspired by her family’s stories of growing up during the Spanish Civil War, living under Franco’s dictatorship, and fleeing to Venezuela. As an adult, Mónica made her ancestors’ journey in reverse, moving from Caracas to Madrid. Different is Mónica’s first book published in English.
What made you decide to become an author?
More than a decision, writing is a necessity for me. Almost like eating or breathing. I need to write to be okay. I write all the time, even when I’m on vacation. When I don’t have my computer handy, I write in my mind. Luckily, it is one of the activities that I enjoy the most in life.
Have you always loved to write?
Yes, I have always loved writing. When I was a little girl, I made up a lot of stories. I am an only child, and I invented many imaginary siblings to whom extraordinary things happened. I told them to my classmates so as not to feel different. They all had siblings except me. One day, a classmate found out that it was not true that I had siblings. I was afraid that she would tell others, and they would call me a liar. She kept the secret for me and became my best friend, and I became a writer. I started writing everything I imagined, because I realized that if people read what you make up, they know it’s a story and you don’t get in trouble.
More...
https://eerdlings.com/2022/05/15/interview-with-childrens-book-author-monica-montanes/
***
Luis Britto Garcia
Luis Britto Garcia is probably Venezuela’s most highly regarded living writer. He was recently appointed as the coordinator of the Venezuelan chapter of the Red de Intelectuales y Artistas en Defensa de la Humanidad [Network of Intellectuals and Artists in Defense of Humanity]. A firm supporter of the Bolivarian Revolution, he has written numerous plays, novels, historical works, and film scripts in addition to regular political commentary.
In this VA interview, Britto Garcia talks about the role of intellectuals in the Bolivarian Revolution and about Chavez’s own intellectual development.
What is the role of leftist intellectuals in a process of change? Although with many exceptions, they often tend to become a sort of uncritical appendage of the movement.
The role of the intellectual is always the same: to explain reality, propose lines of action and, when necessary, criticize incorrect or counterproductive policies.
Historically the grounds for all great revolutions–including the French, Soviet, Chinese and Cuban revolutions–have been prepared by intellectual avant-gardes (I include artists and cultural producers among these intellectuals). Their function is to generate a great artistic undertaking that expresses and imposes revolutionary ethics.
More...
https://mronline.org/2020/03/23/the-role-of-intellectuals-in-the-bolivarian-revolution-a-conversation-with-luis-britto-garcia/
***
Gustavo Ott
In the vibrant spectrum of Latin American theater, Gustavo Ott emerges as a prominent and profoundly influential figure. This Venezuelan playwright, whose work has crossed borders and been applauded in multiple languages, encapsulates the essence of an art form that entertains, challenges and transforms. With a distinctive style that combines acerbic humor with sharp social critique, Ott has adeptly touched the nerve of socio-political realities in Venezuela and worldwide.
Born in Caracas, Ott began his theatrical career at a young age and quickly became a crucial voice in the Venezuelan theater scene. Founder of Teatro San Martín de Caracas, his artistic vision also led him to head Teatro Dallas in Texas, USA, and GALA Hispanic Theatre in Washington, DC, where he currently serves as Artistic Director. His work at GALA, a cultural organization soon to mark 50 years of history, has been fundamental in enriching and diversifying the theatrical offerings in the U.S. capital, presenting works that speak both of the Latin American experience and universal values.
More...
https://www.openscene.org/post/gustavo-ott-bastion-of-venezuelan-contemporary-theater
***
Michel Hausman
Miami’s Venezuelan Jews love Michel Hausmann, even if he sometimes infuriates them.
“I’m now a pariah in my community,” said Hausmann, who has produced and directed acclaimed theatre in his native Venezuela, New York and, now, Miami. “I am in a way an enfant terrible. They support me but they don’t agree with my politics.”
Hausman co-founded Miami New Drama in 2016 with fellow Venezuelan Jew Moises Kaufman, the famous playwright and director. Miami New Drama’s success has been a source of pride to Venezuelan exiles, approximately 109,000 of whom, including most of the country’s Jews, have settled in South Florida, where they’ve become a vocal part of this heavily immigrant area.
But his overt progressive politics have also put him at odds with a community that stood with former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election, even as the majority of American Jews opposed him.
More...
https://forward.com/news/464728/michel-hausman-is-remaking-miami-theatre-one-controversy-at-a-time/
***
Armando Carías
In this interview, Carías delves into various aspects of Venezuelan theater, particularly children’s theater. He also talks about his work as director of Comunicalle, an experimental theater ensemble, and about the unresolved challenges facing the Bolivarian Process in the sphere of cultural production.
Could you discuss your dramaturgical work and its relation to the broader Venezuelan cultural landscape?
Dramaturgical work has historically been considered a minor genre within literature. Only a fraction of theater makes its way to publication and distribution, and it primarily exists in the sphere of performance. I’m a proponent of the idea that theater should be read and, of course, performed.
Fortunately, my work has been widely published, including my children’s plays. This is a double achievement, since children’s literature is often marginalized by publishers. Your question prompts a reflection on dramaturgy as a literary genre, as a genre that is as valid and interesting as a novel, a short story, poetry, or an essay.
More...
https://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/theater-for-revolution-a-conversation-with-armando-carias/
***
Virginia Urdaneta
Stage left is Josefina, a rough-talking working girl; stage right, Sofia, a swankily dressed bourgeois who has fallen on hard times. The two characters in Venezuelan playwright Virginia Urdaneta's new play come together doing something that real people in her homeland spend long hours doing, across the country, every day: waiting in line to buy scarce products from barren supermarket shelves. As the South American oil giant has gone from boom to bust in recent years, shortages, violent crime and the temptation to move abroad have become inescapable markers of Venezuelans' daily reality. That is driving a new wave of drama in the nation's tiny privately owned theaters, where the tribulations of life in the economic crisis are giving rise to acerbic, often darkly funny plays. The trend is an antidote to Venezuela's mainstream theater scene. Light comedies are the standard fare in the country's main theaters, which are all owned by the socialist government. The new plays revolve around themes like spending the day in line to buy basic goods, only to find that prices have shot up overnight. "Venezuela is living a moment of pure absurdity. We barter coffee for shampoo," said Urdaneta, who wrote and stars as Sofia in "Pa'lante" (Onward), a sort of Venezuelan answer to "Waiting for Godot" where the interminable wait is for groceries and toiletries.
More...
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/venezuelan-theater-chronicles-absurdity-life-crisis-072943746.html
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