Juan Ramirez, Jr. is an internationally produced, award-winning playwright, monologist, screenwriter, actor, director, filmmaker, producer and poet. Whether writing about larger-than-life characters with relatable problems or relatable characters with larger-than-life problems, his work seeks out truth. If you ever want to learn about yourself, the journey must be as important as the answer.

His latest play Calling Puerto Rico made the Second Round for the Austin Film Festival Playwriting Competition. It was chosen for the Miranda Family Voces Latinx Finalist with Repertorio Español with a reading directed by Cándido Tirado. The play also is a 2020 BAPF (Bay Area Playwrights Festival) Finalist. It is a recipient of the 2019 BRIO (Bronx Recognize Its Own) Award in part with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs for its “…artistic excellence.” The play received its first reading at IATI Theatre directed by Tatiana Pandiani and an excerpt was presented part of Infinite Stories with the NYC Playwriting LatinX Circle. In May 2020, The 24 Hour Plays hosted a reading via Zoom. In 2018, the play made Semi-finalist for the LTC Carnaval of New Latinx work.

The American Dream was selected for the New American Voices Play Reading Series at The Landing Theatre in Houston, Texas. It was part of the inaugural Broadway Bound Theatre Festival performed at the 14th Street Y. The play was also a semi-finalist for the 2016 Stage Left Theatre’s Downstage Left residency.

His theater of the absurd Hip-Hop dramedy Say Less was selected and won Third Place for Best Play part of the 2021 Downtown Urban Arts Festival, performed at the Abrons Art Center’s 1915 Playhouse Theater. One Act Of Kindness is selected and won Third Place for best short play part of The Lab Stage for the 2020 Downtown Urban Arts Festival. Ridin‘ Shotgun made its festival debut and won Best Play in the 2019 Downtown Urban Arts Festival. Sailing Stones made Second Place for Best Short Play as part of the 2018 Downtown Urban Arts Festival and Honor Among Thieves was selected for the 2017 Downtown Urban Arts Festival presented at The Cherry Lane. Walk The Bronx is a 2016 Downtown Urban Theater Festival Finalist.

Stroke Of Madness was part of the inaugural Ingenio Milagro 2017 Play Reading Series in Portland, Oregon. It was also part of the 2016 Cimientos Play Development Program with IATI directed by Victoria Collado. Wall was part of the 2017 Cimientos Play Development Program directed by Eric Parness and also part of the monthly LaTea Reading Series, also directed by Victoria Collado.

Mama Bear and Her Cubs was performed as part of the 2021 Dramatist Guild Footlights program. The Chupacabra Play Cycle #1 of 4: The Ranch, The Chupacabra Play Cycle #2 of 4: The Protest and The Truth Theory also received a reading for the Dramatist Guild Footlights in 2018.

In 2020, Don Juan received a virtual reading with The Quarantine Players, receiving a BroadwayWorld Washington, D.C. nomination for Best Ensemble (Non-Equity) Performance. The play was first produced and performed at Dixon Place, with The PlayPen Collective.

White Knuckle was selected and developed at Chain Theatre’s 2021 Play Lab Series, receiving a two-night virtual reading, directed by G.D. Kimble. One Act Of Kindness was selected and produced as part of the 2021 One Act Festival, making an encore as Audience Choice winner.

The Love Hate Club was selected and performed at the 2021 Broadway Bound Theater Festival at Theater Row, with partnering producers Art Defined and Lehman Stages.

Coquito received a virtual reading part of the Latinx Playwrights Circle 2020 Final Draft Reading Series and American Theater Play Group Summer Reading Series.

A Love Letter To The Bronx, a Bronx epic play, had a virtual production in December 2021. The play rights are released license-free to Bronx participating organizations. This project is awarded and funded by the Bronx Council on the Arts’ 2021 New Work grant.

Awarded the Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre presents Block by Block Artists min-grant, led by Cusi Cram and directed by Cándido Tirado, the Juan Man Show Broadway Of The Bronx was written and performed onsite at The Hub, The Bronx.

His monologue The Sun Shines on Death was performed part of Fernando Vieira’s and Ezequiel Tavares’ Bótate! Performance Series located at the JVS Project Space.

The Customer Voting Service written for and produced by Conch Shell Productions as part of the #BlueLightSeries, focused on the current times of 2020. March By June was written for The Reset Theatre Coalition, presented by Conch Shell Productions, in collaboration with Braata Productions and Kumu Khaua Theatre, to produce works by Writers of Color. The play starred Kailah King and was directed by Ayvaunn Penn. In 2021, Aftershocks: A Tetralogy of Our Times was virtually produced in co-collaboration with Magaly Colimon-Christopher, which included the comedy Sheep, directed by Pat Golden.

Truck Stop Queen was part of the LIC One-Act Festival and published in an anthology with the Secret Theatre. Normalcy, Or, The Toilet Paper Play was selected and included in 2020 The One-Minute Play Festival’s Coronavirus Play Project. Dad & Son at 2013, To Speed Or Not To Speed at 2014 and Hey at 2018 Gi60 One minute play festival in Halifax, UK. The former play is selected and published in One Minute Plays: A Practical Guide To Tiny Theatre, Routledge 2017.

Love Diplomats was produced by the Raíces Theatre Company’s 2016 Desde El Puente. It was also selected for 2016 Short + Sweet International Festival Top 80 in Sydney, Australia and performed at the Top 10 NYU Abu Dhabi Arts Center.

Love In All The Right Places was produced at Ophelia Theatre Group and Manhattan Repertory Company. The latest production was part of Bronx Council on the Arts 2021 Bronx Expressions Spring Performance Series, presented virtually.

There’s A Wolf At The Door was also performed at Manhattan Rep. Pro And Cons made Abstract Sentiment Theater Company’s Block and Talk series in October 2014. It also made 2016 Fall 10 Minute Play Series and 2016 Playwright’s Showcase with Manhattan Repertory Company.

The Safety of Strangers, a one-act festival of his works Borrowed Time, JUMP!, and Admitted was produced with Henry Ovalles at Theatre Row. His one-act play JUMP! was also part of Lehman’s first annual playwright’s festival. At The Corner of Francis and Wolf was produced with The Bronx Repertory Company and Red Light at Lehman College’s SUMMERWORX. American Culture was produced at NYU’s Blink of an Eye one-act festival. Villa Of Life is a NYU 2014 Graduate Screenplay Finalist.

Jimmy’s Tab is a 2011 Princess Grace semi-finalist.

He was part of the first Playwright Sponsored National Winter Playwright’s Retreat in Pagosa Springs, CO with HBMG Foundation where he wrote the first of four plays for his Chupacabra Play Cycle based on the four psychological attitudes for racism.

His theater education credits include 2020 Lehman College Theater Department 4950 Project, where Love Stings was adapted into a short film, by filmmaker Angela Reynoso. At BMCC Theater Department, his play Jump! received a virtual performance, directed by Keenan N. Charles. His one-act debut of One Act Of Kindness, directed by Amy Koke, received a virtual performance and short film performance, as part of Karl O’Brian Williams’ Theatre Class and Page to Stage class, both available on YouTube.

Coquito was selected as part of 2021 Arte Latino Now at Queens University of Charlotte for archiving and highlighting new work, in all disciplines, by Latino/a/x/é artists.

Love Stings was selected and presented at the inaugural 2021 Conch Shell International Film Festival.

His Bronx crime drama TV pilot Sins Of Our Fathers wins 2021 Best Screenplay, part of Revolution Me Films.

The web series #30s, co-written with Cristy Reynoso and Amira Mustapha, makes Top 10 Shorts with Table Read My Screenplay. Development is coming soon.

B:|ch Face, a web series co-written with Cristy Reynoso, is a Second Rounder the 2021 Austin Film Festival.

His short horror film Alone With My Demons was selected and won Best Bronx Film part of 2020 Inwood Art Works’ New York City Quarantine Film Festival. It was also selected for the 3rd Annual Concourse Film Festival, the 2020 Mott Haven Film Festival, the inaugural 2021 Naked Angels “It’s Been A Year” Film Festival and Meta Den’s Queering Film Festival. The film is produced by R&R Production with Cristy Reynoso and stars Angela Reynoso. The short is showcased in a COVID-19 art created website project called COVID Arts and Thoughts.

The short noir film Homme Fatale was produced by R&R Production part of Bronx Film 48 Hour Challenge, presented by the festival on July 25th, 2020, and won the award for Best Use Of Required Elements. It was also selected for the 3rd Annual Concourse Film Festival. The film made its public access debut on Bronxnet.

As a teaching artist, he has taught at juvenile detention facilities, gifted student programs and educational venues, like Poe Park Visitor Center. He works with Art Defined Productions, leading the The Flip The Script Series, teaching various free to the public writing workshops, in partnership with Poets&Writers.

In 2021, Art Defined produced The Flip The Script Series Workshop and Performance: Deep Dive, inviting four playwrights to write and produce their work in a virtual festival presentation. The four plays are published on Amazon in an anthology series. This program was awarded and sponsored by the Bronx Council on The Arts’ 2021 Community Arts and Arts Fund grants.

Selected and awarded the City Artist Corps Grant, partnering with New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), with support from the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) as well as Queens Theatre, the virtual production and workshop Broadway Of The Bronx Monologue Workshop was presented with support from Art Defined.

He is a Dramatists Guild member, a 2020-2021 Dramatists Guild Fellow, Dramatist Guild End of Play Partner, founder of The PlayPen collective, R and R Production with his wife Cristy Reynoso, a NYC LatinX Playwright Circle Member, an ATG PlayLab member, a producing member of The Bronx Repertory Company, a film assessor, a script reader and has taught classes in various art disciplines from improv to screenwriting. He received his B.A. from Lehman College and his MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU Tisch.

You can find his work on Stage Agent, New Play Exchange and Amazon self-publishing. He also has monologues on MonologueBank.

As a screenwriter and TV writer, he has scripts in various genres, from drama to horror to half-hour comedies and one hour dramas.

Coming soon: #30s, a webseries about coming-of-age…again!
Broadway Of The Bronx: A Juan Man Show

The Monologue Catalogue to be available online soon.