Andrew Siañez-De La O

A Mexican-American writer whose work often centers the culture of the Borderlands and his diasporic identity through myths and monsters. With a reverence for sci-fi and fantasy, Andrew has collaborated on projects across multiple genres and mediums and continues to use their skills to help bring under-represented narratives to life. Andrew is a 2019 Huntington Playwriting Fellow, continuing through to 2022 due to Covid, a WGA Audio Alliance Organizing Committee Member, and the Executive Producer of Development at Sound Escape Productions.

His plays include Borderline (Echo Theatre, 2018 National Young Playwrights in Residence), The Ortiz Twins Are Coming Home (Pipeline Theatre Company, 2019 PlayLab), Sangre Mía (Playwrights Realm, 2019 Scratchpad), Truth or Consequences (Fresh Ink Theatre...

A Mexican-American writer whose work often centers the culture of the Borderlands and his diasporic identity through myths and monsters. With a reverence for sci-fi and fantasy, Andrew has collaborated on projects across multiple genres and mediums and continues to use their skills to help bring under-represented narratives to life. Andrew is a 2019 Huntington Playwriting Fellow, continuing through to 2022 due to Covid, a WGA Audio Alliance Organizing Committee Member, and the Executive Producer of Development at Sound Escape Productions.

His plays include Borderline (Echo Theatre, 2018 National Young Playwrights in Residence), The Ortiz Twins Are Coming Home (Pipeline Theatre Company, 2019 PlayLab), Sangre Mía (Playwrights Realm, 2019 Scratchpad), Truth or Consequences (Fresh Ink Theatre, 2019 Development Season). His work has been developed and presented by Company One (PlayLab Fellow), Echo Theater Company (National Young Playwrights in Residence), Pipeline Theatre Company (PlayLab), Milagro Theatre (INGENIO), Playwrights Realm (Scratchpad), University of Texas at El Paso (ReUnión rEvolución), Fresh Ink Theatre (Digital Development), and Stages Houston (Sin Muros).

Scripts

Borderline

by Andrew Siañez-De La O

Synopsis

FULL LENGTH: We are all told ghost stories as kids, but for children of the border, those stories are about more than just what goes bump in the night. They are very real warnings about the world outside their home. In the old cotton fields of Socorro, Texas, Enzo and Rosita have snuck away to write ghost stories, while Tony and Veronica are both building up the courage to tell the other a secret. Threatened by...

FULL LENGTH: We are all told ghost stories as kids, but for children of the border, those stories are about more than just what goes bump in the night. They are very real warnings about the world outside their home. In the old cotton fields of Socorro, Texas, Enzo and Rosita have snuck away to write ghost stories, while Tony and Veronica are both building up the courage to tell the other a secret. Threatened by a creature in the darkness, these two generations will have to rely on each other and the voice of the repentant Tío Ofelio to escape the desert alive. It’ll take made-up-myths, stories of the past, and a rendition of La Llorona to defeat the very real monster stalking children in the borderlands.

Borderline was developed as part of Echo Theater Company's National Young Playwrights in Residence Program (NYPR).

The Ortiz Twins Are Coming Home

by Andrew Siañez-De La O

Synopsis

FULL LENGTH: Andrea and Mateo Ortiz have always seen their abuelo as a hero, but when an ancient Zapotec God appears to them and reveals a dark family secret, the twins must journey back to the land of their ancestors to right a long-forgotten wrong. The Ortiz Twins Are Coming Home is an otherworldly adventure play for all audiences, a fantasy rooted in the reality of crossing borders in order to recover...

FULL LENGTH: Andrea and Mateo Ortiz have always seen their abuelo as a hero, but when an ancient Zapotec God appears to them and reveals a dark family secret, the twins must journey back to the land of their ancestors to right a long-forgotten wrong. The Ortiz Twins Are Coming Home is an otherworldly adventure play for all audiences, a fantasy rooted in the reality of crossing borders in order to recover memories, both personal and cultural, before they are gone for good.

Or, it’s like James and the Giant Peach, but everyone’s Mexican.

The Ortiz Twins Are Coming Home was developed as part of Pipeline Theatre Company's 2019 PlayLab.

Truth or Consequences

by Andrew Siañez-De La O

Synopsis

FULL LENGTH: Thanks to budget cuts, two agents from The Bureau of [REDACTED] are going to have to share a dusty motel room in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Agent Chavez is on her way back to headquarters after having just lost her partner during a mission gone wrong and Agent Hogan is days away from retiring from the Bureau after twenty five years of service. They're both used to the budget cuts and their...

FULL LENGTH: Thanks to budget cuts, two agents from The Bureau of [REDACTED] are going to have to share a dusty motel room in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Agent Chavez is on her way back to headquarters after having just lost her partner during a mission gone wrong and Agent Hogan is days away from retiring from the Bureau after twenty five years of service. They're both used to the budget cuts and their inconvenience, but what they don't know is that The Bureau may have put them directly in harms way. The El Dorado Motel is no ordinary motel. It will conjure the two Agent's darkest memories and regrets, because fear and vulnerability are its favorite meals.

Rough Magic

by Andrew Siañez-De La O

Synopsis

A hurricane is raging in Houston, but that won’t stop Miranda from breaking into her school’s gym and enacting her master plan. She’ll need her abuela’s help, her best friend’s guidance, and a nudge from a friendly ghost if she wants to survive this storm. Rough Magic is an intimate reimagining of Shakespeare’s The Tempest brought to life with a touch of brujeria and the warmth of a candle.

This play was...

A hurricane is raging in Houston, but that won’t stop Miranda from breaking into her school’s gym and enacting her master plan. She’ll need her abuela’s help, her best friend’s guidance, and a nudge from a friendly ghost if she wants to survive this storm. Rough Magic is an intimate reimagining of Shakespeare’s The Tempest brought to life with a touch of brujeria and the warmth of a candle.

This play was developed as part of Huntington Theatre's playwriting fellowship and presented during the 2022 Breaking Ground festival of new plays.

Sangre Mía

by Andrew Siañez-De La O

Synopsis

FULL LENGTH: Sangre Mía follows Carreon, a veteran of the War in Afghanistan, who has returned to his hometown of El Paso, Texas. Now working in Customs and Border Protection, Carreon is tasked with interviewing asylum seekers and navigating a rigid evaluation system all while specters from his past haunt him.

Sangre Mía was developed as part of The Playwrights Realm's Scratchpad Series.

FULL LENGTH: Sangre Mía follows Carreon, a veteran of the War in Afghanistan, who has returned to his hometown of El Paso, Texas. Now working in Customs and Border Protection, Carreon is tasked with interviewing asylum seekers and navigating a rigid evaluation system all while specters from his past haunt him.

Sangre Mía was developed as part of The Playwrights Realm's Scratchpad Series.

Beast Magik

by Andrew Siañez-De La O

Synopsis

FULL LENGTH: The Muñoz Family has never been good at confronting their problems and the recent passing of Abuela Ximena, and the sudden disappearance of Rosa's father, hasn't helped. In an effort to maintain normalcy, the family has gathered for an Easter tradition, the painting of cascarones, but even this tradition isn't enough to calm the young Rosa. She swears she saw a giant wolf outside their house, but no...

FULL LENGTH: The Muñoz Family has never been good at confronting their problems and the recent passing of Abuela Ximena, and the sudden disappearance of Rosa's father, hasn't helped. In an effort to maintain normalcy, the family has gathered for an Easter tradition, the painting of cascarones, but even this tradition isn't enough to calm the young Rosa. She swears she saw a giant wolf outside their house, but no one seems to trust her, except her cousin, and newly returned Army recruit, Angel. The family will have to face a giant beast and unspoken fears and regrets if they are going to survive until Easter morning.

Ruben

by Andrew Siañez-De La O

Synopsis

ONE ACT: Ruben tells the story of Mexican-American journalist Ruben Salazar. Ruben has a long history of writing for the LA Times and covering stories such as the American occupation of the Dominican Republic, the War in Vietnam, and the Tlatelolco Massacre in Mexico City, all leading up to his death at the Chicano Moratorium in LA in 1970. This is a history play told from his point of view, exploring the need...

ONE ACT: Ruben tells the story of Mexican-American journalist Ruben Salazar. Ruben has a long history of writing for the LA Times and covering stories such as the American occupation of the Dominican Republic, the War in Vietnam, and the Tlatelolco Massacre in Mexico City, all leading up to his death at the Chicano Moratorium in LA in 1970. This is a history play told from his point of view, exploring the need for journalism that covers the stories of all those oppressed.

Visions of an Eagle atop a Cactus eating a Snake

by Andrew Siañez-De La O

Synopsis

TEN-MINUTE PLAY: A father, raising a child in increasingly terrifying times, takes his daughter to the desert to show her a piece of her past. A family history of visions and homes left behind; of eagles and the sacrifices we make for the ones we love.

TEN-MINUTE PLAY: A father, raising a child in increasingly terrifying times, takes his daughter to the desert to show her a piece of her past. A family history of visions and homes left behind; of eagles and the sacrifices we make for the ones we love.

A Song in the Corn Stalks

by Andrew Siañez-De La O

Synopsis

TEN-MINUTE PLAY: It's the night before a young girl moves away from her farming community and she knows exactly how she wants to spend it: at the corn maze with the ghost of her abuelo. Worried she's not just leaving her community, but her culture behind, the two spend the night sharing stories about ants, and corn, and nixtamal, and all the ways she can stay in touch with her roots.

A commission from Geva...

TEN-MINUTE PLAY: It's the night before a young girl moves away from her farming community and she knows exactly how she wants to spend it: at the corn maze with the ghost of her abuelo. Worried she's not just leaving her community, but her culture behind, the two spend the night sharing stories about ants, and corn, and nixtamal, and all the ways she can stay in touch with her roots.

A commission from Geva Theatre Center for their Tenacious Women Project.

Things You Should Know When Setting up an Ofrenda

by Andrew Siañez-De La O

Synopsis

TEN-MINUTE PLAY: Luz is helping set up the family ofrenda and Alonso, her older brother, takes this opportunity to teach her the symbolism behind this family tradition, even if it is one they haven't kept up with.

TEN-MINUTE PLAY: Luz is helping set up the family ofrenda and Alonso, her older brother, takes this opportunity to teach her the symbolism behind this family tradition, even if it is one they haven't kept up with.

How Angel Got Their Stitches

by Andrew Siañez-De La O

Synopsis

TEN-MINUTE PLAY: Even though Carlos and Magdalena are no longer united by marriage, they are united in their love for their child Angel. Magdalena has organized a surprise party for Angel's high school graduation and Carlos, well, he's always ready to share a story or two about Angel's upbringing, even if it may make him look like a fool.

A commission from Teatro Chelsea for El camino de cuentos encantadores.

TEN-MINUTE PLAY: Even though Carlos and Magdalena are no longer united by marriage, they are united in their love for their child Angel. Magdalena has organized a surprise party for Angel's high school graduation and Carlos, well, he's always ready to share a story or two about Angel's upbringing, even if it may make him look like a fool.

A commission from Teatro Chelsea for El camino de cuentos encantadores.

Citrus Fruits

by Andrew Siañez-De La O

Synopsis

ONE-MINUTE PLAY: A young woman remembers her father and a tradition they had for when big storms hit their island.

ONE-MINUTE PLAY: A young woman remembers her father and a tradition they had for when big storms hit their island.

One Foot, Two Foot

by Andrew Siañez-De La O

Synopsis

ONE-MINUTE PLAY: A reflection on loss using hopscotch.

Written as part of Open Theatre Project's Community Write, using the themes "seedlings" and "sidewalk chalk" provided by the Boston community.

ONE-MINUTE PLAY: A reflection on loss using hopscotch.

Written as part of Open Theatre Project's Community Write, using the themes "seedlings" and "sidewalk chalk" provided by the Boston community.

Tus Hijos

by Andrew Siañez-De La O

Synopsis

ONE-MINUTE PLAY: Three siblings are making a dangerous journey with only each other to rely on. One desperately needs a friend, one was given more responsibility than they were ready for, and one hopes someone is listening.

ONE-MINUTE PLAY: Three siblings are making a dangerous journey with only each other to rely on. One desperately needs a friend, one was given more responsibility than they were ready for, and one hopes someone is listening.