Carl(os) Roa

Carl(os) Roa

Carl(os) Roa [they/them] is an interdisciplinary artist and storyteller, juicy Colombian bear, and effusive Miami transplant. A proud alumni of the Headlong Performance Institute and Drexel University, (os)’ work explores the marginalized within the marginalized, and alternative communities living alternative lives.

They’ve worked with numerous artistic organizations in Philadelphia, including...
Carl(os) Roa [they/them] is an interdisciplinary artist and storyteller, juicy Colombian bear, and effusive Miami transplant. A proud alumni of the Headlong Performance Institute and Drexel University, (os)’ work explores the marginalized within the marginalized, and alternative communities living alternative lives.

They’ve worked with numerous artistic organizations in Philadelphia, including The Wilma Theater, Taller Puertorriqueño, First Person Arts, Philadelphia Artists’ Collective, Philadelphia Young Playwrights, and Swim Pony Performing Arts. They are currently the Program Manager for the Painted Bride, and a contributing writer for HowlRound Theatre Commons and American Theatre Magazine – three organizations that they are honored to be associated with. They are also a graduate of the Foundry: a playwriting group affiliated with PlayPenn that is guided by the mentorship of R. Eric Thomas and LM Feldman.

Previous projects include From Beneath, It Lurks, a devised play they wrote exploring Lovecraftian horror; Andean Mountains (Montañas Andinas), which was the recipient of FringeArts’ inaugural Camp Fringe residency program and received its world premiere at Taller Puertorriqueño; and Spanish for Estranged Latin Kids, made in collaboration with Cat Ramirez and Mariadela Belle Alvarez. They were a finalist for the Latinx Theatre Commons’ Carnaval of New Latinx Work, and they’ve collaborated with director Blanka Zizka and playwright Christopher Chen on the world premiere production of Passage at the Wilma Theater.

In 2022, they were a finalist for the Terrance McNally Award and received an Illuminate the Arts grant from the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy.

Plays

  • Grrr! by Carl(os) Roa
    Cast: 
    5–8
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: ABSURD LGBTQ, American race relations and racism + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, experimental, farce, political, satire
    Keyword: ABSURD LGBTQ, American race relations and racism, Race and Gender issues, gender dysphoria, absurd sex comedy, intersectionality
    After being a receptacle for white gay nonsense for so long, Juaneco has had it! With their zesty nipples, they go on a journey where they learn to reclaim their power, show up for their friends, and most importantly: show up for themselves. Joined by a mysterious Kodiak bear named Sparky, Grrr! is a spiritual journey disguised as a gay sex romp under the backdrop of the bear community, fraught racial dynamics...
    After being a receptacle for white gay nonsense for so long, Juaneco has had it! With their zesty nipples, they go on a journey where they learn to reclaim their power, show up for their friends, and most importantly: show up for themselves. Joined by a mysterious Kodiak bear named Sparky, Grrr! is a spiritual journey disguised as a gay sex romp under the backdrop of the bear community, fraught racial dynamics in LGBT spaces, and the quest of knowing who you truly are.
  • Pase Lo Que Pase (I Will Always Find You) by Carl(os) Roa
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: drama, experimental + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: Latin America, intergenerational trauma + 4 more
    Genre: drama, experimental, horror, mystery/thriller, political, tragedy
    Keyword: Latin America, intergenerational trauma, Latinx LGBTQ teens, political violence, coping with suicide, bilingual
    Fátima lives in Tegucigalpa, where she must fight for her life every single day. Guillermo lives in Bogotá, where he is told repeatedly that he does not belong. They both find two halves of an ancient, sentient map that compels them to take a journey to meet each other. But what starts out as a mystic quest turns out to be a horrific nightmare. Pase Lo Que Pase explores the question: what does it mean to be terrified of your own culture?
  • Spanish For Estranged Latin Kids by Carl(os) Roa
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 6 more
    ·
    Keyword: third culture, Latinidad + 2 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, drama, experimental, immersive, movement/physical, political, satire
    Keyword: third culture, Latinidad, ancestors, TED Talk
    You are cordially invited to our special seminar: Spanish For Estranged Latin Kids. Destiny y Pancho are very excited to present their culture to you, as they’re highly qualified cultural mavens who know what they’re talking about. Join us as we educate you about some very important concepts regarding the subject of Latin culture, in a perfectly safe environment where nothing will go awry. This seminar on...
    You are cordially invited to our special seminar: Spanish For Estranged Latin Kids. Destiny y Pancho are very excited to present their culture to you, as they’re highly qualified cultural mavens who know what they’re talking about. Join us as we educate you about some very important concepts regarding the subject of Latin culture, in a perfectly safe environment where nothing will go awry. This seminar on Spanish For Estranged Latin Kids promises to be a harmless experience devoid of any difficult questions about Who We Are and Where We Come From.
  • The Brightest Sun by Carl(os) Roa
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    4–6
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: Abstract Expressionism, homelessness + 2 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, experimental, movement/physical, verse
    Keyword: Abstract Expressionism, homelessness, women, mental illness
    The Brightest Sun is a piece of trash. It is also a collection of vignettes depicting the existences of Iris, Judy, and Sunshine. They are members of a clan who are perfectly fine with being invisible, and they’ve been at it for as long as they could remember. Within their acropolis of garbage, the three women grapple with their isolation, fake acid tabs, finding beauty within filth, and most importantly: the...
    The Brightest Sun is a piece of trash. It is also a collection of vignettes depicting the existences of Iris, Judy, and Sunshine. They are members of a clan who are perfectly fine with being invisible, and they’ve been at it for as long as they could remember. Within their acropolis of garbage, the three women grapple with their isolation, fake acid tabs, finding beauty within filth, and most importantly: the sun. Combining elements of both theatre and dance, this play reminds us of who lives underneath our bridges, or in our neighborhoods when we’re not watching.
  • Andean Mountains (Montañas Andinas) by Carl(os) Roa
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: biography, comedy + 5 more
    ·
    Keyword: Latinidad, culture loss + 4 more
    Genre: biography, comedy, drama, experimental, immersive, movement/physical, young audiences
    Keyword: Latinidad, culture loss, third culture, audience engagement, LGBTQ, Latinx
    Andean Mountains is about personal geography: the way we relate to our place of origin versus where we’ve relocated. Living in the realm of not-quite-theatre, the piece is both a Google Street View tour as well as an exploration of culture loss. Featuring a performance by a juicy Colombian bear, audiences digitally globetrot to various locations – from sunny Miami to urban Bogotá to rural Caquetá. By visiting...
    Andean Mountains is about personal geography: the way we relate to our place of origin versus where we’ve relocated. Living in the realm of not-quite-theatre, the piece is both a Google Street View tour as well as an exploration of culture loss. Featuring a performance by a juicy Colombian bear, audiences digitally globetrot to various locations – from sunny Miami to urban Bogotá to rural Caquetá. By visiting these locations on Google Maps and comparing them to more familiar territories, we are left with the realization that we are a combination of all the places we’ve lived, not just where we’re from.