Migdalia Cruz
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Migdalia Cruz is a writer of plays, musical theatre and opera in the U.S. and has been translated into Spanish, French, Arabic, Greek, and Turkish. Her works have been produced in venues as diverse as
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in New York City, the
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in London, Miracle Theatre in Portland, Oregon, Ateneo Puertorriqueño in San Juan, the National Theatre of Greece in Athens, and
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. Other venues around the world include:
Mabou Mines Mabou Mines is an experimental theatre company founded in 1970 and based in New York City. Founding and history Mabou Mines was founded by David Warrilow, Lee Breuer, Ruth Maleczech, JoAnne Akalaitis, and Philip Glass, at the house of Akalaiti ...
,
Classic Stage Company Classic Stage Company, or CSC, is a classical Off-Broadway theater company. Founded in 1967, Classic Stage Company is one of Off-Broadway's oldest theater companies. CSC is led by Producing Artistic Director Jill Rafson. John Doyle previously ...
, INTAR,
Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a multi-arts center in Brooklyn, New York City. It hosts progressive and avant-garde performances, with theater, dance, music, opera, film programming across multiple nearby venues. BAM was chartered in 18 ...
, Monarch Theater, En-Garde Arts, HOME, Shaliko Company,
New York Shakespeare Festival Shakespeare in the Park (or Free Shakespeare in the Park) is a theatrical program that stages productions of Shakespearean plays at the Delacorte Theater, an open-air theater in New York City's Central Park. The theater and the productions are ...
's Festival Latino, Theatre For The New City, and the W.O.W. Cafe (New York);
Ateneo Puertorriqueño The Ateneo Puertorriqueño (Puerto Rican Athenaeum) is a cultural institution in Puerto Rico. Founded on April 30, 1876, it has been called Puerto Rico's oldest cultural institution, however, it is actually its third oldest overall and second c ...
(PR); National Theater of Greece (Athens); Foro Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz (Mexico City); Vancouver Players (Vancouver, B.C.); Latino Chicago Theater Company (Chicago); American Repertory Theatre (Cambridge); Cleveland Public Theatre (Cleveland); Frank Theatre (Minneapolis); Théâtre d’aujourd hui (Montreal); American Music Theatre Festival (Philadelphia); Intersection for the Arts/LATA (San Francisco); and Cornerstone Theater Company (Los Angeles). Cruz is the recipient of numerous awards including the
National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...
playwriting fellowship (in 1991 and 1995). In 1999, she was named the first Sackler Artist in the School of Fine Arts at the
University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...
where she worked on ''Featherless Angels'' her commissioned play about children in war torn countries. In 1995, her research took her to
Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
(where she met with former child soldiers of the Khymer Rouge), Croatia (where she met
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n child refugees), and to Dharamsala, India, where she interviewed the Dalai Lama along with teenage members of the Tibetan refugee community. In December 2013, Cruz was awarded
the New York Community Trust The New York Community Trust (The Trust) is a community foundation that serves New York City's five boroughs, Long Island, and Westchester County. The Trust administers more than 2,200 charitable funds. Established in 1924, The Trust is one of the ...
/
Helen Merrill Helen Merrill (born Jelena Ana Milcetic; July 21, 1929) is an American jazz vocalist. Her first album, the eponymous 1954 recording ''Helen Merrill (album), Helen Merrill'' (with Clifford Brown on EmArcy), was an immediate success and associat ...
Distinguished Playwright's Award. She is a recipient of the
Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...
's Fund for New American Plays award for ''Another Part of the House'' (1996). In 1994, she was the PEW/ TCG National Artist-in-Residence at Classic Stage Company in New York. She was a McKnight Fellow in 1988.


Influences

Cruz's writing is known for its bold poetic crispness, violence and sexuality, transforming the ugly to beautiful. Her mentor,
María Irene Fornés María Irene Fornés (May 14, 1930 – October 30, 2018) was a Cuban-American playwright, theater director, and teacher who worked in off-Broadway and experimental theater venues in the last four decades of the twentieth century. Her plays range w ...
, has noted the voluptuousness of her work. Playwright
Tony Kushner Anthony Robert Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an American author, playwright, and screenwriter. Among his stage work, he is most known for ''Angels in America'', which earned a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award, as well as its subsequent acclaime ...
has said that "one can feel history in the bones of her characters," and indeed, her themes are drawn from Latinx history and her personal experiences of growing up in the
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. Cruz received her MFA degree from
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
and is an alumna of
New Dramatists New Dramatists is an organization of playwrights founded in 1949 and located at 424 West 44th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen (Clinton) neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The members of New Dramatists par ...
(1987-1994). From 1991 to 1998, Cruz was a playwright in residence at Latino Chicago Theater Company. Cruz also worked with María Irene Fornés at INTAR'S HPRL (Hispanic Playwrights-in-Residence Laboratory) from 1984–1991, a professional workshop for Latino/a writers in New York City. Cruz was profoundly influenced by Fornés and expressed her gratitude in several short plays, essays, and poems, including "A Double Haiku for Irene Because She Detests the Ordinary From Her Eternal Fan, Migdalia:" In six lines or less – I must honor the teacher who gave me the moon. It was an honest, clear, yet savage light, poured from desire's heart-fire. One of her most profound experiences was in 2007, working with the experimental theater company, Mabou Mines, and one of its founders, Ruth Maleczech, on a floating play on a barge in the
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, an echo to
Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...
's "Song of New York" 100 years later, a love letter to the post-
9/11 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
survival spirit of New York City, called "Song for New York: What Women Do While Men Sit Knitting", written in five parts, one for each borough, by five women poets—Cruz wrote the Bronx song: ''Da Bronx Rocks/From the Country to the Country of the Bronx'', with composer Lisa Gutkin of The Klezmatics. She has also been nurtured by Royal Court Theatre/New Dramatists Exchange '94 (London); Steppenwolf Theatre's New PlaysLab (Chicago); Bay Area Playwrights' Festival '94, Festival Latino '93 at Teatro Mision (San Francisco); the
Sundance Institute Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by actor Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and compo ...
; Midwest PlayLabs; Mark Taper Forum's New Play Festival; Omaha Magic Theatre; "Songs from Coconut Hill" Theater Festival '05; and South Coast Rep's HPP '04. Cruz has taught and lectured across the country and abroad in community centers, theaters, and schools, from junior high to graduate level, at
NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a non-denominational all-male institutio ...
,
Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...
, Earlham,
UNT UNT or University of North Texas is a state university in Denton, Texas. UNT or Unt may refer to: * Unt (surname), an Estonian-language surname * Unt (album), ''Unt'' (album), a 2024 album by Pinhead Gunpowder * ("A New Era"), a political party in ...
, Mission Cultural Center & Intersection for the Arts (San Francisco),
UC Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California, United States. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in ...
, Amherst,
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, UNM (Albuquerque),
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, Monarch Theater at
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (sometimes abbreviated as La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theater founded in 1961 by African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer Ellen Stewart. Located in the East Village neighborho ...
& P.S. 106 (NYC), and Alameda Theatre Company (Toronto), among others.


Plays

Cruz has written more than 50 plays including: * ''NEVER MOSCOW'' * ''SATYRICOÑO'' (work in progress) * ''TWO ROBERTS: A PIRATE BLUES PROJECT'' * ''EL GRITO DEL BRONX'' * ''FUR'' * ''ANOTHER PART OF THE HOUSE'' * ''TELLING TALES'' * ''SONG FOR NY :: WHAT WOMEN DO WHILE MEN SIT KNITTING'' * ''X & Y STORIES'' * ''THE HAVE-LITTLE'' * ''YELLOW EYES'' * ''PRIMER CONTACTO'' * ''MIRIAM'S FLOWERS'' * ''HAMLET: Asalto a la Inocencia'' * ''FEATHERLESS ANGELS'' * ''MARILUZ's THANKSGIVING'' * ''DANGER'' * ''SALT'' * ''¡CHE-CHE-CHE!'' * ''DYLAN & THE FLASH'' * ''SO…'' * ''CIGARETTES AND MOBY-DICK'' * ''DREAMS OF HOME'' * ''LOLITA de LARES'' * ''WINNIE-IN-THE-CITIE'' * ''FRIDA: The Story of Frida Kahlo'' * ''RUSHING WATERS'' * ''LUCY LOVES ME'' * ''RUNNING FOR BLOOD: NO. 3'' * ''WHISTLE'' * ''STREET SENSE'' * ''OCCASIONAL GRACE'' * ''THE TOUCH OF AN ANGEL'' * ''WELCOME BACK TO SALAMANCA'' * ''WHEN GALAXY SIX & THE BRONX COLLIDE'' * ''LOOSE LIPS'' * ''COCONUTS'' * ''SHE WAS SOMETHING...'' * ''SENSIBLE SHOES'' * ''NOT TIME's FOOL'' * ''LATINS IN LA-LA LAND'' * ''BROCCOLI'' * ''GRACE FALLS'' * ''SAFE'' * ''THIS IS JUST A TEST'' * ''DRIPPING DOWN'' * ''PILLAR OF SALT''


Screenplays

* BLANK VERSE (co-written with Juan A. Ramirez) * CARMEN’S MOUNTAIN (co-written with Michael Angel Cuesta)


Publications

Cruz's plays and monologues are published by NoPassport Press, Theatre Communications Group, U. of Arizona Press, Routledge Press, Penguin Books, Arte Publico Press, Applause Books, Smith & Kraus Publishers, and Third Woman Press, including: * DREAMS OF HOME, in The Best American Short Plays 1990–92, ed. Howard Stein and Glenn Young (New Jersey: The Fireside Theatre, 1992), 23–47; and, The Best Short Plays of 1991–92, ed. Howard Stein and Glenn Young, (Applause Books, 1992). * MIRIAM'S FLOWERS, in Shattering the Myth: Plays by Hispanic Women, ed. Denise Chavez (Houston: Arte Publico Press, 1992), 51–84; and, Theatre Communications Group's Plays in Process, V.11, N.1.; and, The Presbyter's Peartree, Las Flores de Miriam, translated by Manuel Pereiras Garcia, (1994); and, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña/ARTWORKS/NEA, TEATRO PUERTORRIQUEÑA EN ESTADOS UNIDOS, Las flores de Miriam, translated by Roberto Irizarry, with notes by Rosalina Perales, (2011); and, Universidad Veracuzana, Tramoya: Cuaderno de Teatro, Las Flores de Miriam, translated by Roberto Irizarry, tercera epoca, 116, (Jul/Sep. 2013). * TELLING TALES, in Telling Tales: New One Act Plays, ed. Eric Lane (Penguin: New York, 1993), 1– 16; and, Bilingual Translations of 3 of the TALES: Sand, Fire & Jesus, Ollantay Theater Magazine's Puerto Rican Theater Issue, which includes an essay about MIRIAM’S FLOWERS by Roberto Irizarry and other scholarly essays by Rosalina Perales which reference the work. v. XVIII, n.35-36, (Fall, 2010); * FRIDA, in Puro Teatro: An Anthology of Latina Theatre, Performance, and Testimonios, eds. Nancy Saporta Sternbach & Alberto Sandoval, (University of Arizona Press, 2000); and, Here To Stay: Five Plays from The Women's Project, ed. Julia Miles, (Applause Books, 1997); and, Houston Grand Opera published libretto, (1993) and G. Schrimer Music published the music in 1994. * THE HAVE-LITTLE, in Contemporary Plays by Women of Color, eds. Roberta Uno & Kathy Perkins, 106–26, (Routledge Press, 1996); * WINNIE-IN-THE-CITIE in Actor's Playbook: Theatre Arts—The Dynamics of Acting (National Textbook Company, 1997); * LUCY LOVES ME, in Latinas on Stage: Criticism and Practice, ed. Alicia Arrizón and Lillian Manzor Coats (Berkeley: Third Woman Press, 2000)., and, the Omaha Magic Theatre, Right Brain Vacation Photos: New Plays & Production Photos 1972–1992, eds. Jo Ann Schmisman, Sara Kimberlain, Megan Terry, 1992. * FUR, in Out of the Fringe: Contemporary Latina/o Theatre and Performance, ed. Caridad Svich and Teresa Marrero (New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2000); * So...& MARILUZ'S THANKSGIVING in PositiveNegative: women of color and HIV/AIDS, eds. Imani Harrington & Cheryl Bellamy (Aunt Lute Books, 2002); * EL GRITO DEL BRONX & Other Plays by Migdalia Cruz, includes EL GRITO DEL BRONX, SALT, YELLOW EYES & DA BRONX ROCKS, eds. Caridad Svich, Randy Gener, Otis Ramsey-Zoe (NoPassport Press, 2010); * CIGARETTES & MOBY-DICK, included in: Envisioning the Americas:Latina/o Theatre & Performance, Migdalia Cruz, John Jesurun, Oliver Mayer, Alejandro Morales, and Anne Garcia-Romero Preface by Jose Rivera, Introduction by Caridad Svich, (NoPassport Press: Dreaming the Americas Series, 2011); * ANOTHER PART OF THE HOUSE in La Voz Latina: Contemporary Plays and Performance Pieces by Latinas, ed. Elizabeth C. Ramirez & Catherine Casiano (U. of Illinois Press, 2011) Ms. Cruz also contributed a Chapter in CONDUCTING A LIFE: Testimonials for Maria Irene Fornés, ed. Caridad Svich & Maria Delgado, (Smith & Kraus, 2000). Scenes and Monologues from MIRIAM’S FLOWERS, THE HAVE-LITTLE, FRIDA, LUCY LOVES ME, RUSHING WATERS, TELLING TALES & LATINS IN LA-LA LAND: * Monologues For Latino/a Actors, ed. Micha Espinosa, (Smith & Kraus Publishers, 2014); * Applause Acting Series, Best Contemporary Monologues For Women 18–35, ed. Lawrence Harbison (Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, 2014); * Applause Acting Series, best monologues from the best American short plays, volume one, ed. William w. demastes (Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, 2014); * Leading women: Plays for Actresses II, ed. Eric Lane and Nina Shengold (Vintage Books, 2002); * Monologues For Actors of Color: Women, ed. Roberta Uno (Routledge Press, 1998); * The Great Monologues from the Women's Project, The Best Men's Stage Monologues of 1990 & The Best Men's Stage Monologues of 1991, The Best Women's Stage Monologues of 1991, The Best Women's Stage Monologues of 1990, The Best Stage Scenes For Women From the 1980s, The Best Stage Scenes For Men From the 1980s (Smith And Kraus, Inc.); * Multicultural Theatre, ed. Roger Ellis (Meriwether Publishing Ltd., 1996); * Childsplay, ed. Kerry Muir (Limelight Editions, New York, 1995); The work is referenced in several scholarly texts, in articles and interviews by Tiffany Ana Lopez (UCR), Jorge Huerta (UCSD), Analola Santana (U.of Florida), Alberto Sandoval (Mt. Holyoke College), Maria Teresa Marrero (UNT), Maria Delgado (U. of London), and Caridad Svich. Also, interviewed in the following publications: Trans-global readings: Crossing theatrical boundaries, ed. Caridad Svich, Manchester (University Press, 2003); Women Who Write Plays: Interviews with American Dramatists, ed. Alexis Greene (Smith & Kraus Books, 2001); Chicanas/Latinas In American Theatre: A history of Performance, by Elizabeth C. Ramirez (Indiana University Press, 2000); Latinas On Stage: Criticism and Practice, eds. Alicia Arrizón & Lillian Manzor (Third Woman Press, 2000); Ollantay Theater Magazine, V.1, N.2, ed. Pedro R. Monge-Rafuls, V.V, N.1, and V.IX, N.18, ed. Maria Teresa Marrero, V.XIX, N.38. PAJ, V. XXXI, No.3, ed. Bonnie Marranca, in article of Fornés as Teacher, 2009. Dramatists Guild Quarterly, V.32, N.3, Autumn 1995. In Spanish, the work is referenced in: ME LLAMAN DESDE ALLÁ, by Rosalina Perales, Impresora Soto Castillo, S.A., 2010; Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña/ARTWORKS/NEA, TEATRO PUERTORRIQUEÑA EN ESTADOS UNIDOS, Las flores de Miriam, translated by Roberto Irizarry, with notes by Rosalina Perales, 2011; & in OLLANTAY THEATER MAGAZINE's Puerto Rican Theater Issue, which includes an essay about MIRIAM’S FLOWERS by Roberto Irizarry and other scholarly essays by Rosalina Perales which reference the work, including Spanish translations of 3 of the TALES: Sand, Fire & Jesus, v. XVIII, n.35-36, Fall, 2010.


Translations

Affectionately known as the ''madrina'' of the Lark's Mexico/US Playwright Exchange, Cruz has translated four plays for the project, 2008–2013. * ''SKY ON THE SKIN'' (with author Edgar Chías) * ''ALASKA'' (with author Gibran Portela) * ''LAS MENINAS'' (with author Ernesto Anaya) * ''VAN GOGH IN NEW YORK'' (with author Jorge Celaya)


Recent projects

* ''El Grito del Bronx'' at Brown University (4/14), NYU/Tisch (4/08), at the Milagro Theatre (OR) 4/09, and at the Goodman in a co-production with Teatro Vista & CollaborAction (IL), 7/09; * ''FUR'' presented at UNM@ Albuquerque, 3/08. * Developed ''Two Roberts: A Pirate-Blues Project'' at the Lark (NY) with a 2010 NYSCA grant; is inspired by Petronius’ (69a.d.) & Fellini's (1968) ''Satyricon'' to write ''Satyricoño'' about 21st C. America; * ''Never Moscow,'' a play about Chekhov, his marriage to Olga, & his death by consumption as he wrote the ''Three Sisters''. * Co-teaching with experimental theater artist, John Jesurun, for the Monarch Theater @LaMama (NY) in 2010 * ''Telling Tales'' produced in Santurce, P.R., Interacto (1/13); and ''Lucy Loves Me'', produced by INTAR in 2/13.


Teaching

Cruz has taught playwriting at U.of Iowa/Playwrights’ Workshop, NYU's
Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...
,
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
, and at
Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...
, and guest lectured at
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
,
Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...
,
Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...
, and
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
.


Awards and recognition

* 2013 Helen Merrill Distinguished Playwright Award (NYCommTrust) * 1996 recipient of the Kennedy Center's Fund for New American Plays award for ''Another Part Of The House''. * 1991 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, Her play, ''The Have-little'' was the runner-up for the and ''SALT'' was a 1997 runner-up. * 2009 Obsidian Theatre of Toronto's International Playwrights Festival * 2005 Massachusetts Cultural Council grant * 1994 Connecticut Commission on The Arts grant for playwriting * 1994 PEW/TCG National Artist in Residence., Classic Stage Company. * 1997-98 Sackler Fellow at Connecticut Rep/UConn * 1991 & 1995 NEA Playwriting Fellow * 1988 McKnight Fellow, * MFA, Columbia University * Alumna of New Dramatists.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Migdalia 1958 births Living people American women dramatists and playwrights Columbia University School of the Arts alumni Hispanic and Latino American dramatists and playwrights American women screenwriters 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights 21st-century American women writers Writers from New York City American opera librettists Women opera librettists Screenwriters from New York (state) Columbia University alumni University of Iowa faculty Tisch School of the Arts faculty Princeton University faculty Amherst College faculty