Jaymes Sanchez

Xicotencatl II, an indigenous military leader from (the lands that are now called) Mexico, has been reliving his execution at the hands of Spanish colonizers for the last 500 years. When a cynical college student in present-day Texas connects with Xicotencatl II in her dreams, she begins to question everything she thought she knew. As her obsession with the people and events in her dreams grows, her grasp on reality weakens. She begins to wonder if returning to the old gods with an adequate sacrifice could break Xicotencatl's death loop and save her world from the doom she senses lurking around every corner.

In this pseudo-historical dark comedy set in 1459, Tez is captured by the Mexica (more commonly known as the Aztecs) and forced to impersonate a god for a year. Unbeknownst to him, he is participating in a ritual that will result in his brutal sacrifice, a religious ritual that the king uses to inspire the people toward conquest. Tez tries to convince himself that he actually is a god, if only to reduce his debilitating fear of death. As Tez and his babysitter, the king’s niece, develop a bond, they plot their escape from the empire.

The Cucuy, in Mexican-American folklore, eats bad children. But what does it mean to be a good child? For a seven-year-old in the back of a 1990 Ford Aerostar, it means shutting up every now and then. For a successful 30-something, like REY/REYNA, who has a fraught family history and lives far away from home, the answer is more complicated. When the Cucuy shows up and disrupts Rey's life and the very fabric of reality, Rey must prove that they are a good child. But even if they succeed, the ordeal might still consume them.

Bobby believes that the spirit of his dead child lives with the "ghost children" at the legendary haunted train tracks of San Antonio, Texas. His concerned ex-wife, a science Youtuber, a famous psychic medium, a troubled playwright and an ensemble of Ghost children push and pull Bobby between despair and healing as he navigates his crisis of belief, doubt, hope, and grief.

Four young people navigate their conflicting views on climate activism as they participate in a focus group for a blockbuster movie adaptation of an environmentally conscious cartoon from the 90's. The process blurs the line between reality and fiction as the participants become the characters from the film each time a new video clip is played. Will our heroes succumb to the easy narratives driven by corporate consumer culture?? Or will they accept the harsh and complicated reality of climate change??

Commissioned as part of Vanderbilt University's Eco-Grief Project.

Bryan is trying to take a dump before his first ever varsity high school football game, but he's a nervous pooper - and the bathroom of this ancient rural football stadium crams four toilets in one space with no stalls dividing them. As a parade of increasingly implausible visitors intrude on Bryan's efforts, Bryan realizes that he is not only attempting to poop before a football game, but before every major event of his life. If Bryan can't manage to do his business, he fears that his entire life may pass him by before he has a chance to experience it.

In Los Angeles California, 2002, two conservatory-trained, graduate degree-holding Mexican-American actors prepare to audition for minor roles in the upcoming blockbuster film, S.W.A.T. Alex hopes that earning a role in a big movie will launch his career; Cisco is tired of playing Mexican-American gangsters. They use all of their training, skills, and passion on an audition side that gives them one short line each. But it aint easy.

Soda From Water Cups is the story of Joe, an introverted, mixed-race young man coping with the death of his older brother, Julio, at the hands of a police officer. He makes attempts at positive emotional recovery, but he also self-destructively desires revenge. Joe’s revenge plot forces the officer to confront his own biases, but has disastrous consequences. Throughout the play, Joe uses his phone as a remote control to the universe, orchestrating the flow of the story. He brings social media to the stage, plays and replays important moments, and pauses scenes to comment upon the gravity of certain actions. The play explores grief and the damage caused by snap-judgments and it asks whether full recovery from the traumas of urban life is possible in a world where these snap-judgments cause state-sponsored violence.

Who Owns What is the play about the only game show that brings the fun and excitement of gentrification and displacement directly into the living room you no longer occupy! When Eve discovers that her condo has been put up for auction by the bank without her knowledge, she attempts to find some answers. Suddenly, a game show, complete with sound effects, a live TV studio audience, and an obnoxious host erupts in her living room, and the contestants compete for her home right in front of her. Eve must join in, but it's not a game for her; it's her home and her life.

A dark comedy about a high school drama club whose teacher is determined to win the State One-Act Play Competition at all costs. As Mr. Briggs' "acting techniques" become more deranged and violent, the students only seem to buy in more, until the newcomer of the group disrupts the club's fragile equilibrium. This play is a reflection of the abusive and traumatic practices found in too many corners of the theatre education world, and the ways in which it hard-wires young people to believe that pain equals growth.