AZTEC PIRATES & THE INSIGNIFICANCE OF LIFE ON MARS

by David Davila

[FULL LENGTH] What makes someone a traitor to their race? Johnny Montenegro is an ICE agent trying to put back the pieces of his life after an alleged incident got him suspended from duty. But if he really beat an undocumented immigrant half to death, then why can't he remember? Why can he only hear the man's voice echoing in his head, over and over, accusing him of genocide? Equipped with only his commands...

[FULL LENGTH] What makes someone a traitor to their race? Johnny Montenegro is an ICE agent trying to put back the pieces of his life after an alleged incident got him suspended from duty. But if he really beat an undocumented immigrant half to death, then why can't he remember? Why can he only hear the man's voice echoing in his head, over and over, accusing him of genocide? Equipped with only his commands Johnny embarks on a dark odyssey searching for the truth about his country, his culture, and his memory as he seeks the validation he needs to continue living complicitly.

Across borders and allegiances this three part fantasia takes you on a harrowing and disturbing adventure that examines life for LatinX people caught between embracing their roots and conforming to the mob mentality of a Trump-era USA.

Part 1 in the epic trilogy: Aztec Pirates, a Latinx Fantasia on National Themes

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AZTEC PIRATES & THE INSIGNIFICANCE OF LIFE ON MARS

Recommended by

  • Annalise Cain: AZTEC PIRATES & THE INSIGNIFICANCE OF LIFE ON MARS by David Davila
    “

    This play is absolutely devastating: beautifully rendered, with a world so rich and dark it won't leave you alone. Davila looks at Johnny from all angles, and won't let us simplify him as a character, even if his actions make us want to. Ready to see this onstage ASAP.

    This play is absolutely devastating: beautifully rendered, with a world so rich and dark it won't leave you alone. Davila looks at Johnny from all angles, and won't let us simplify him as a character, even if his actions make us want to. Ready to see this onstage ASAP.

    ”
  • Lainie Vansant: AZTEC PIRATES & THE INSIGNIFICANCE OF LIFE ON MARS by David Davila
    “

    This piece is utterly haunting. Davila creates characters who are indisputably terrible people but he leaves them with just enough humanity that I still want them to be redeemed. It's a difficult line to tow, but he's done it well. This is a whirlwind, surreal look inside the head of someone with PTSD. It's complex, rich, and well worth your time.

    This piece is utterly haunting. Davila creates characters who are indisputably terrible people but he leaves them with just enough humanity that I still want them to be redeemed. It's a difficult line to tow, but he's done it well. This is a whirlwind, surreal look inside the head of someone with PTSD. It's complex, rich, and well worth your time.

    ”
  • Playwrights Foundation: AZTEC PIRATES & THE INSIGNIFICANCE OF LIFE ON MARS by David Davila
    “

    The community of national & local readers for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival in 2021 enthusiastically recommends AZTEC PIRATES & THE INSIGNIFICANCE OF LIFE ON MARS as a Semi-Finalist at Playwrights Foundation out of 755 plays. We highly enjoyed the nuanced characters with distinct voices & POV with powerful, relevant themes and questions. We were compelled by this play's promise as an epic play with a complex structure straddling complex issues. We hope this play is widely read, finds dedicated collaborators, and moves swiftly towards production. #BAPF2021

    The community of national & local readers for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival in 2021 enthusiastically recommends AZTEC PIRATES & THE INSIGNIFICANCE OF LIFE ON MARS as a Semi-Finalist at Playwrights Foundation out of 755 plays. We highly enjoyed the nuanced characters with distinct voices & POV with powerful, relevant themes and questions. We were compelled by this play's promise as an epic play with a complex structure straddling complex issues. We hope this play is widely read, finds dedicated collaborators, and moves swiftly towards production. #BAPF2021

    ”
View all 17 recommendations

Character Information

The cast is is made up of 5 female and 3 male Latinx actors (who double some characters) to play Tejanos who live on the border of South Texas in what is known as the Rio Grande Valley (RGV). The accent in this area is neither a classic Texas, nor a Mexican accent, but instead the South Western dialect of Southern California (if present at all). Many people in South Texas have a centralized commercial American accent and code switch into perfect Spanish when speaking Spanish words. The South Western dialect is more common in communities of lesser affluence, therefore Salvador & Michelle might speak with this dialect while Elida and Johnny might speak as if they are actors in a Hollywood movie. Such is the complex duality of the RGV.
  • Delia Cruz
    ICE Office of Professional Responsibilities Investigator, Latina. Stringent, detail oriented.
    Forties/Fifties
    Latina
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Michelle Salinas
    Salvador's wife, a waitress, wants to be a soccer mom.
    Twenties/Thirties
    Latina
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Xochitl & Others
    A young immigrant woman about twenty years old, indigenous. (Also plays Dr. Garza, and Immigrant Woman 1 & 2)
    Twenties
    Indigenous Latina
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Capt. Pulido
    Latino, a forceful man (played by the same actor that plays Salvador Salinas).
    Thirties/Forties
    Latino
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Johnny Montenegro
    Immigration & Customs Enforcement Officer (ICE), Latino, strong-headed, stays the course, believes in people.
    Thirties
    Latino
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Elida Montenegro
    Johnny's wife, Hispanic. Wants more out of life, or at least wants everyone to think she has everything she wants in life.
    Thirties
    Hispanic
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Beto Fernandez
    ICE Officer, Juan's partner, Mexican-American, a joker, a prankster, the life of the party.
    Thirties
    Mexican-American
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Carmen Fernandez
    Aztec-American, married to Beto, but nobody's wife! Extremely woke.
    Thirties
    Aztec-American
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Salvador Salinas
    Mexican-American. An auto-mechanic, a family man (also plays Capt. Pulido)
    Thirties/Forties
    Mexican-American
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male

Development History

  • Reading, The Landing Theatre Company, 2021
  • Reading, Alexandra Castro Productions LLC, 2020
  • Reading, Frank Silvera Writer's Workshop, 2019
  • Reading, All-Star Theatre, 2019
  • Workshop, FEAST Performance Series, 2018
  • Reading, Broadviews on Broadway Summer Fresh Festival, 2018

Production History

  • Workshop, Lone Star Media, 2023

Awards