Paletas de Coco or, The Letter Unspoken or, The Christmas Eve Play by Franky D. Gonzalez

Digital Production: Ars Nova ANT Fest 2021
Digital Production: Latino Theater Company RE: Encuentro 2021

A playwright searching for his father and for someone to read aloud a letter he's written recruits a Performer who, along with the audience, are taken with the playwright on a journey through four Christmas Eves, coconut popsicles, depression, Santería chants, Times Square, male...
Digital Production: Ars Nova ANT Fest 2021
Digital Production: Latino Theater Company RE: Encuentro 2021

A playwright searching for his father and for someone to read aloud a letter he's written recruits a Performer who, along with the audience, are taken with the playwright on a journey through four Christmas Eves, coconut popsicles, depression, Santería chants, Times Square, male breastfeeding, reunions with long-lost siblings, Applebee's Nacho Plates, child birth, suicide attempts, fatherhood, and robbing Chinese buffets.
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Paletas de Coco or, The Letter Unspoken or, The Christmas Eve Play

Recommended by

  • Lainie Vansant:
    29 Jul. 2022
    “ This is a deeply personal, incredibly moving show -- thank you, Franky for sharing it with the world. It's a peek behind the curtain, a life story, a confession. Gonzalez has given the world a gift here. ”
  • Sarah Tuft:
    29 Sep. 2021
    “ This play is tour de force of dramatized self-revelation. Brutally honest, achingly tender, heartbreakingly sweet, and always triumphant - PALETAS DE COCO OR, THE LETTER UNSPOKEN OR, THE CHRISTMAS EVE PLAY follows our narrator as he digs deep into feelings and memory so he can become the loving father he never had. ”
  • Sarah Tuft:
    29 Sep. 2021
    “ This play is tour de force of dramatized self-revelation. Brutally honest, achingly tender, heartbreakingly sweet, and always triumphant - PALETAS DE COCO OR, THE LETTER UNSPOKEN OR, THE CHRISTMAS EVE PLAY follows our narrator as he digs deep into feelings and memory so he can become the loving father he never had. ”
View all 35 recommendations

Character Information

No doubling required. Two person show.

  • Franky Duval Gonzalez
    20s - 30s,
    Latino
    ,
    Male
    Dark glasses. Blazer. Overweight. Latino.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Performer
    Any Age,
    Any
    ,
    Any
    Any age, anything on the gender spectrum. Race neutral. Only rule: They can’t have seen, rehearsed, or read this script.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Dallas Theater Center Playwrights Workshop
    ,
    2020
  • Reading
    ,
    HBMG Foundation National Winter Playwrights Retreat
    ,
    2020
  • Reading
    ,
    LAByrinth Theater Company
    ,
    2020
  • Reading
    ,
    The Public Theatre of San Antonio
    ,
    2020
  • Workshop
    ,
    The Goodman Theatre Live @ Five Series with Dael Orlandersmith
    ,
    2020
  • Reading
    ,
    Hudson Valley Performing Arts Laboratory
    ,
    2019
  • Workshop
    ,
    The Lark
    ,
    2019

Production History

  • Workshop
    ,
    Ars Nova ANT Fest
    ,
    2021
  • Workshop
    ,
    The Latino Theater Co. RE: Encuentro
    ,
    2021

Awards

Finalist
,
Sin Muros Latinx Theatre Festival
,
Stages
,
2021
Semi-Finalist
,
Princess Grace Playwriting Fellowship
,
Princess Grace Foundation
,
2021
Semi-Finalist
,
Seven Devils Playwrights Conference
,
Seven Devils New Play Foundry
,
2020
Finalist
,
Risk Theatre Modern Tragedy Competition
,
2020
Finalist
,
Generations
,
BETC
,
2020
Runner Up
,
Theatre Prize
,
The Alpine Fellowship
,
2019