Chris Leyva

Chris Leyva

Chris Leyva uses humor to ask larger questions about our humanity. His plays are grounded in character and heightened in world.

​Leyva’s plays have been commissioned and developed by CATCO is Theatre, CATCO is Kids, CLIMB Theatre, MadLab Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Curtain Players New Play Initiative, Great Plains Theatre Conference, and the Columbus School for Girls, among others. He is a proud...
Chris Leyva uses humor to ask larger questions about our humanity. His plays are grounded in character and heightened in world.

​Leyva’s plays have been commissioned and developed by CATCO is Theatre, CATCO is Kids, CLIMB Theatre, MadLab Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Curtain Players New Play Initiative, Great Plains Theatre Conference, and the Columbus School for Girls, among others. He is a proud collaborator with Hixon Dance and Worthingway Middle School.

He received an M.F.A. from the Playwrights Workshop at The University of Iowa, a B.A. in Directing from Coe College, and is a member of the Dramatists Guild.

Plays

  • Prima Donna
    Irene Adler battles her infamous reputation as "The Woman who outsmarted Sherlock Holmes" and reclaims her story. It's the story of a "nobody" becoming a "somebody" who realizes she was never a "nobody" to begin with. Irene leads us through her rise from poverty to fame as an opera singer, her ill-fated love affair with a prince, and her quest for revenge that puts...
    Irene Adler battles her infamous reputation as "The Woman who outsmarted Sherlock Holmes" and reclaims her story. It's the story of a "nobody" becoming a "somebody" who realizes she was never a "nobody" to begin with. Irene leads us through her rise from poverty to fame as an opera singer, her ill-fated love affair with a prince, and her quest for revenge that puts her in the crosshairs of the legendary Sherlock Holmes. Through the twists and turns of this story, Irene learns to love herself and proves that she is much more than just a side character in someone else’s story. The play explores the themes of disguise, class, gender, the personas we are forced to craft to get ahead, and finding your own self-worth.
  • Cowgirls Don't Ride Zebras
    Penny wants to be the best cowgirl ever. But every cowgirl needs a horse! So, with the help of her best friends, she sets off to find one. Or, the next best thing...
  • Persephone UNCUT
    When her best friend, Eurydice, falls in love and skips town, a bolstered Persephone finally cuts the cord from her over-protective mom. But the friends’ plans soon unravel when they insult the goddess of love, Aphrodite, and land in the underworld.
  • Dinosaur Discovery; A Talk by Dr. Kramer
    Dr. Kramer and his team have discovered a dinosaur skull in a local backyard. Upon closer investigation, the skull appears to be a fresh bone! What does this mean? What will Dr. Kramer’s team do?!
  • A World Without Allergies; A Talk by Dr. Kramer
    Do you suffer from allergies? Do you long to live in a world without them? Dr. Kramer of the Allergy Center Headquarters of Ohio has the answer.
  • Weird Sisters: The Legend of Tatterhood
    Queen Helga must consult a mysterious witch in the woods if she truly wants a child. After making a bargain with the witch, but failing to follow her instructions, Helga has two daughters: Astrid who is beautiful and playful and Tatterhood who is...weird.
  • Books & Bridges
    Escaping to a small town in Iowa to take over a failing bookstore seemed like a good idea to Julia. When she learns someone is vandalizing the bookstore, Julia sees her way out, once and for all.
  • All Grace
    As World War II approaches, Father Couturier priest goes against the Pope’s views that Modern Art doesn’t belong in a church by putting the work of artists such as Matisse, Chagall, and Jacques Lipchitz into a church in the Alps. At the same time, Jacques Lipchitz, as a Jewish sculptor, wrestles going against his faith to create an image of the Virgin Mary for the church.

    "All Grace"...
    As World War II approaches, Father Couturier priest goes against the Pope’s views that Modern Art doesn’t belong in a church by putting the work of artists such as Matisse, Chagall, and Jacques Lipchitz into a church in the Alps. At the same time, Jacques Lipchitz, as a Jewish sculptor, wrestles going against his faith to create an image of the Virgin Mary for the church.

    "All Grace" is about finding the will to keep going, the strength to fight and create through adversity, and how to create your own joy.
  • The Throne of Oz
    Now that the Wizard has fled and Dorothy has disappeared back to Kansas, General Jinjur plans to claim the throne for herself! Tip and his friends join forces with the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, H.M. Woggle-Bug, and Glinda the Good to put the rightful ruler of Oz on the throne.
  • Solamente Una Vez; A Thaw
    In this dark comedy, a young couple on the precipice of marriage, surprise themselves by giving in to their own separate, shocking desires. Can their commitment withstand the temptations of the flesh?