DERECHO

by Noelle Viñas

2020 Bay Area Playwrights Festival. Winner, The John Gassner Playwriting Award. Honorable Mention for the 2019 Jane Chambers Award.

Hoping to join the wave of women of color elected for public office, Eugenia Silva fights to bring an old friend onto her primary campaign in the Virginia General Assembly. As a storm brews, tensions between her ambitions and her sister Mercedes begin overshadowing the need to...

2020 Bay Area Playwrights Festival. Winner, The John Gassner Playwriting Award. Honorable Mention for the 2019 Jane Chambers Award.

Hoping to join the wave of women of color elected for public office, Eugenia Silva fights to bring an old friend onto her primary campaign in the Virginia General Assembly. As a storm brews, tensions between her ambitions and her sister Mercedes begin overshadowing the need to reconnect with her roots and family. As the past manifests and interrupts the present, the sisters must confront how traditional Latino values conflict with an American definition of success that is always changing. How can they swim back to each other when fragmented identity threatens to tear them apart?

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DERECHO

Recommended by

  • Nilsa Reyna: DERECHO by Noelle Viñas
    “

    I've enjoyed seeing this play develop over the last couple of years! It was especially timely during the 2020 US presidential election, and will continue to have great impact as more of the Latinx diaspora fight for equity and equality.

    I've enjoyed seeing this play develop over the last couple of years! It was especially timely during the 2020 US presidential election, and will continue to have great impact as more of the Latinx diaspora fight for equity and equality.

    ”
  • Cheryl Bear: DERECHO by Noelle Viñas
    “

    A powerful look into what we define as success when ultimately it may mean cutting off important parts of ourselves and losing our root of family. While searching for external validation, we may end up missing the greater meaning of life. Well done.

    A powerful look into what we define as success when ultimately it may mean cutting off important parts of ourselves and losing our root of family. While searching for external validation, we may end up missing the greater meaning of life. Well done.

    ”
  • Jordan Ramirez Puckett: DERECHO by Noelle Viñas
    “

    I had the pleasure of seeing DERECHO at the 2020 BAPF. Noelle has created nuanced characters who are able to talk about complex issues without ever feeling didactic. This is exactly the kind of theatre I love to see: thought provoking, emotionally wrenching, and plenty humorous. I hope that this play receives a full production soon- I would love to see it.

    I had the pleasure of seeing DERECHO at the 2020 BAPF. Noelle has created nuanced characters who are able to talk about complex issues without ever feeling didactic. This is exactly the kind of theatre I love to see: thought provoking, emotionally wrenching, and plenty humorous. I hope that this play receives a full production soon- I would love to see it.

    ”
View all 10 recommendations

Development History

  • Workshop, La Jolla Playhouse, 2023
  • Reading, La Jolla Playhouse, 2022
  • Workshop, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, 2020
  • Reading, Teatro LATEA, 2019

Production History

  • Professional, La Jolla Playhouse, 2024

Awards

  • The John Gassner Playwriting Award
    New England Theatre Conference (NETC)
    Winner
    2019
  • Jane Chambers Award
    Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE)
    Honorable Mention
    2019
  • Premiere Stages Play Festival
    Premiere Stages at Kean University
    Semi-Finalist
    2019
  • Residency at Madison New Works Lab
    Madison New Works Lab at James Madison University
    Finalist
    2019