Nilo Cruz is a

Cuban-American Cuban Americans ( or ) are Americans who immigrated from or are descended from immigrants from Cuba. As of 2023, Cuban Americans were the fourth largest Hispanic and Latino Americans, Hispanic and Latino American group in the United States aft ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

and

pedagogue Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

. With his award of the

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were a ...

for his play '' Anna in the Tropics'', he became the second Latino so honored, after Nicholas Dante.

Biography

Early years

Cruz was born in 1960 to Tina and Nilo Cruz, Sr. in

Matanzas, Cuba Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...

. The family immigrated to

Little Havana Little Havana () is a Neighborhoods in Miami, neighborhood of Miami, Florida, United States. Home to many Cuban exiles, as well as many immigrants from Central and South America, Little Havana is named after Havana, the Capital (political), ...

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, in 1970 on a Freedom Flight, and eventually naturalised to the United States. His interest in theater began with acting and directing in the early 1980s. He studied theater first at Miami-Dade Community College, later moving to New York City, where Cruz studied under fellow Cuban María Irene Fornés. Fornes recommended Cruz to Paula Vogel who was teaching at

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

where he would later receive his M.F.A. in 1994.

Career

In 2001, Cruz served as the playwright-in-residence for the New Theatre in

Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida and is located southwest of Greater Downtown Miami, Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

, where he wrote '' Anna in the Tropics''. Rafael de Acha, artistic director of the New Theatre, produced and directed the world premiere performance of ''Anna in the Tropics,'' which won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Steinberg Award for Best New Play. After the play was awarded the Pulitzer and Steinberg awards, Emily Mann directed a production at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey, and the play then had its Broadway premiere with Jimmy Smits in the lead role. Some of the theatres that have developed and performed Cruz’s works include New York's Public Theater,

New York Theatre Workshop __NOTOC__ New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) is an Off-Broadway theater noted for its productions of new works. Located at 79 East 4th Street between Second Avenue and Bowery in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, it h ...

Pasadena Playhouse Pasadena Playhouse is a Tony Award-winning historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engag ...

, McCarter Theatre,

Oregon Shakespeare Festival The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is a regional Repertory, repertory theatre in Ashland, Oregon, United States, founded in 1935 by Angus L. Bowmer. The Festival now offers matinee and evening performances of a wide range of classic and conte ...

, South Coast Repertory, The Alliance, New Theatre, Florida Stage, and the Coconut Grove Playhouse. Cruz wrote the book of the

Frank Wildhorn Frank Wildhorn (born November 29, 1958) is an American composer of both musicals and popular songs. His musical ''Jekyll & Hyde (musical), Jekyll & Hyde'' ran for four years on Broadway. He also wrote the hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" for ...

-Jack Murphy musical ''Havana''. Its scheduled world premiere at the

has been delayed by the theatre's declaration of bankruptcy in 2010. Cruz has translated plays into both Spanish and English. His adaptation and translation of ''La vida es sueño'' ('' Life Is a Dream'') in English premiered at South Coast Repertory in 2007. He translated the script for ''Hamlet, Prince of Cuba'' at Asolo Repertory Theatre into Spanish for the 2012 production that ran simultaneously in English and Spanish on alternating nights. Cruz has been the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including two NEA/TCG National Theatre Artist Residency grants, a

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller (" ...

grant,

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

's W. Alton Jones award, a

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, ...

Fund for New American Plays award, and a USA Artist Fellowship. Cruz is a frequent collaborator with Peruvian-American composer Gabriela Lena Frank. To date, they have completed a set of orchestral songs, ''La centinela y la paloma'' (''The Keeper and the Dove''), for soprano

Dawn Upshaw Dawn Upshaw (born July 17, 1960) is an American soprano. She is the recipient of several Grammy Awards and has released a number of Edison Award-winning discs; she performs both opera and art song, and her repertoire spans Baroque to contempo ...

and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (premiered under the baton of Joana Carneiro in February 2011); ''The Saint Maker'' for soprano Jessica Rivera, mezzo-soprano Rachel Calloway, the San Francisco Girls Chorus, and the Berkeley Symphony in May 2013; ''Journey of the Shadow'' for narrator and ensemble of eleven players (San Francisco Chamber Orchestra premiering in April 2013); the ''Conquest Requiem'' for soprano, baritone, orchestra, and chorus for the Houston Symphony under the baton of Andrés Orozco-Estrada in May 2017 which will be recorded by the Nashville Symphony in November 2022 for the Naxos label; and ''Cinco Lunas de Lorca'' (''The Five Moons of Lorca'') as a digital short for countertenor, choir, and piano for the

Los Angeles Opera The Los Angeles Opera, originally called the Los Angeles Music Center Opera, is an American opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth-largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler P ...

. Their newest project is ''El último sueño de Frida y Diego'' (''The Last Dream of Frida and Diego)'', a two-act opera commissioned b
San Diego Opera
an
San Francisco Opera
with a premiere in October 2022. Cruz penned the libretto to composer Jimmy López's opera ''

Bel Canto , )—with several similar constructions (, , , pronounced in English as )—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing, and whose definitions have often been misunderstood. ''Bel canto'' was not only seen as a vocal technique ...

'' which had its world premiere at the

Lyric Opera of Chicago Lyric Opera of Chicago is an American opera company based in Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded in Chicago in 1954, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox (Chicago opera), Carol Fox, Nicola Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, w ...

on December 7, 2015. Cruz's most recent work is ''Bathing in Moonlight'', a world premiere featuring Raul Mendez,

Priscilla Lopez Priscilla Lopez is an American singer, dancer, and actress. She is perhaps best known for originating the role of Diana Morales in ''A Chorus Line''. She has had the distinction of appearing in two Broadway landmarks: one of its greatest hits, t ...

, Hannia Guillen, Frankie J. Alvarez, Michael Rudko, and Katty Velasquez. Directed by Emily Mann, ''Bathing in Moonlight'' ran September 9 - October 9, 2016, at the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey. ''Bathing in Moonlight'' is the recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award and a 2016 Greenfield Prize. Cruz is an alumnus of New Dramatists and has taught playwriting at

, the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

, and

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 ...

. He currently lives in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and Miami.

Awards and honors

In 2003, Cruz received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play ''Anna in the Tropics''. In 2009, Cruz received the

PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award The PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award, commonly referred to as the PEN/Laura Pels Theater Award, is awarded by the PEN America (formerly PEN American Center). It annually recognizes two American playwrights. A medal is given ...

for a distinguished American playwright in mid-career. In 2010, Cruz was awarded the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.) from

Whittier College Whittier College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Whittier, California. It is a Hispanic-serving institution, Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and, as of spring 2024, had 815 ...

Work

Plays

* ''Dancing on Her Knees'' (1994) * ''Night Train to Bolina'' (1995) * ''A Park in Our House'' (1995) * ''Two Sisters and a Piano'' (1998) * ''A Bicycle Country'' (1999) * ''Hortensia and the Museum of Dreams'' (2001) * '' Anna in the Tropics'' (2002) * ''Lorca in a Green Dress '' (2003) * ''Capricho'' (2003) * ''Beauty of the Father'' (2006) * ''The Color of Desire'' (2010) * ''Hurricane'' (2010) * ''Soto Voce'' (2014) * ''Bathing in Moonlight'' (2016) * ''Exquisita Agonía'' (''Exquisite Agony'') (2018)

Musicals

* ''Havana'' – music by

, lyrics by Jack Murphy, book by Cruz

Translations

* ''A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings'' – a children's play that is an adaptation of a short story by

Gabriel García Márquez Gabriel José García Márquez (; 6 March 1927 – 17 April 2014) was a Colombian writer and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo () or Gabito () throughout Latin America. Considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th centur ...

* '' Doña Rosita the Spinster'' – by

Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936) was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27, a g ...

* ''

The House of Bernarda Alba ''The House of Bernarda Alba'' () is a play (theatre), play by the Spain, Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca. Commentators have often grouped it with ''Blood Wedding (play), Blood Wedding'' and ''Yerma'' as the Rural Trilogy. García Lorc ...

'' – by

* '' Life is a Dream'' – by

Pedro Calderón de la Barca Pedro Calderón de la Barca y Barreda González de Henao Ruiz de Blasco y Riaño (17 January 160025 May 1681) (, ; ) was a Spanish dramatist, poet, and writer. He is known as one of the most distinguished Spanish Baroque literature, poets and ...

References

External links

* * *
Nilo Cruz Interview by Beth Stevens on Broadway.com

New Plays And Playwrights
– ''Working in the Theatre Seminar'' video at

American Theatre Wing The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...

.org, January 2004
Bomb magazine interview

Articles about Nilo Cruz and ''Life is a Dream''
at South Coast Repertory {{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Nilo 1960 births Living people 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights Brown University alumni American writers of Cuban descent Cuban emigrants to the United States American male dramatists and playwrights American gay writers Pulitzer Prize for Drama winners Hispanic and Latino American dramatists and playwrights 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights People from Matanzas American opera librettists Exiles of the Cuban Revolution in the United States 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers American LGBTQ dramatists and playwrights