Francisco Mendoza

Francisco Mendoza

I was born and raised in Mendoza, Argentina – and even as a kid, I was passionate about storytelling, writing stories about dinosaurs and jungle explorers. After moving to Brazil, and graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism, I worked in marketing for different corporations, specializing in social media and branded storytelling. Eventually, I chose to pursue my writing and was offered a fellowship...
I was born and raised in Mendoza, Argentina – and even as a kid, I was passionate about storytelling, writing stories about dinosaurs and jungle explorers. After moving to Brazil, and graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Journalism, I worked in marketing for different corporations, specializing in social media and branded storytelling. Eventually, I chose to pursue my writing and was offered a fellowship at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, for an MFA in Dramatic Writing. At the program, I was cross-trained in play, screen, and television writing, and graduated with an Excellence Award.

I’m now living in Brooklyn and pursuing a cross-medium career that has thus far spanned plays, pilots, screenplays, a full season of a podcast, several short stories, magazine articles, and a few opinion pieces, as well as my first novel. My writing deals with themes of technology and AI, immigration and cultural identity, gender roles, and family trauma.

I’m passionate about opening doors for other artists, and I’ve served as a judge in panels for the New York State Council on the Arts’ Creative Opportunity Fund, Howard Gilman’s NYC Small Theatres Fund, Rattlestick Theater’s Global Forms Festival, the Princess Grace Awards, and The Playwrights Realm/Dyer Harris LLP’s International Theatermakers Award. I’m also the Marketing Manager at The Playwrights Realm, as well as a consultant and educator for Off and Off-Off Broadway companies like Woodshed Collective and Pipeline Theatre.

I’m a co-founder of the Immigrant Theatermakers Advocates initiative and have worked with institutions like The Playwrights Realm, New Dramatists, and the Princess Grace USA Foundation in crafting initiatives and policies that support immigrants and erase xenophobic barriers to entry. I’ve also written publicly about the issue in American Theatre Magazine, The Lak’s blog, and my own newsletter and served as a panelist on the subject for Rattlestick Theater’s Global Gab and the Theatre Communications Group’s National Conference.

Plays

  • Machine Learning
    When his estranged, alcoholic father is diagnosed with liver cancer, computer scientist Jorge dreams up a nursing app to manage the disease in his stead. As the machine's capabilities grow, however, the possibility of leaving it in charge of the treatment becomes more real, forcing Jorge to reckon with his responsibilities as a son and as a creator. Dealing with issues of immigration, legacy, and life...
    When his estranged, alcoholic father is diagnosed with liver cancer, computer scientist Jorge dreams up a nursing app to manage the disease in his stead. As the machine's capabilities grow, however, the possibility of leaving it in charge of the treatment becomes more real, forcing Jorge to reckon with his responsibilities as a son and as a creator. Dealing with issues of immigration, legacy, and life dreams, MACHINE LEARNING explores what it means to be children - and what it means to be parents.
  • Tooth for Tooth
    Inés, a librarian living in 1970s Buenos Aires, during the dark period of Argentina's "Dirty War," grieves the death of her daughter at the hands of the left-wing guerrilla, but is forced to reconsider her loyalty to the dictatorship (and her military husband) when a friend goes missing, and she begins to fear the tales of abduction and torture the government insists on denying may be all too real.
  • Patriarch
    It's 1962, and the Pope is convening the Second Vatican Council, calling on bishops from all around the globe to help build a bridge between the Church and the modern world. Thousands of miles away, in Brooklyn, a priest is also summoning his family to gather in his father's house, to say goodbye before leaving for the Council. The meeting reopens old wounds, and it's not long before the Devil...
    It's 1962, and the Pope is convening the Second Vatican Council, calling on bishops from all around the globe to help build a bridge between the Church and the modern world. Thousands of miles away, in Brooklyn, a priest is also summoning his family to gather in his father's house, to say goodbye before leaving for the Council. The meeting reopens old wounds, and it's not long before the Devil enters the house through its cracks.
  • The Fall of Man
    Two astronauts, a biological woman and a synthetic one, arrive at their destination: a huge closed portal in the middle of a deserted planet. Their mission is to open it. They have no idea how—but they must figure it out, for what's at stake is nothing less than the survival of the human race.
  • Piggyback
    Why is this book club meeting different from every other book club meeting? Because it's the first in-person one after a year of pandemic. Because for the first time, the group is discussing a book written by one of their own. Because one of the members is bringing a mysterious date who's not shy about questioning the club's rules. Or maybe because some weird noises are coming from inside the...
    Why is this book club meeting different from every other book club meeting? Because it's the first in-person one after a year of pandemic. Because for the first time, the group is discussing a book written by one of their own. Because one of the members is bringing a mysterious date who's not shy about questioning the club's rules. Or maybe because some weird noises are coming from inside the walls, and it may or may not be squirrels nesting in there.
  • Executor
    The former Archbishop of Newark dies in retirement, and his nephew, who hadn't spoken to him in years and barely made it in time to say goodbye, is made executor of the will. But what begins as a simple division of assets soon turns into a silent war between interested parties, as the executor slowly learns that his uncle's legacy reaches far beyond his estate, unearthing an inheritance of trauma that...
    The former Archbishop of Newark dies in retirement, and his nephew, who hadn't spoken to him in years and barely made it in time to say goodbye, is made executor of the will. But what begins as a simple division of assets soon turns into a silent war between interested parties, as the executor slowly learns that his uncle's legacy reaches far beyond his estate, unearthing an inheritance of trauma that may be beyond his ability to handle.
  • KinkMates
    Welcome to KinkMates! By choosing our network, you’ve entered a highly selected, thoroughly vetted pool of people like you, who enjoy pushing boundaries and following desires to their most pleasurable expression. We are committed to finding you the most compatible mate (or mates) in this journey, via a rigorous process that allows us to understand your preferences to the most granular level, while guaranteeing...
    Welcome to KinkMates! By choosing our network, you’ve entered a highly selected, thoroughly vetted pool of people like you, who enjoy pushing boundaries and following desires to their most pleasurable expression. We are committed to finding you the most compatible mate (or mates) in this journey, via a rigorous process that allows us to understand your preferences to the most granular level, while guaranteeing your safety and privacy every step of the way*. KinkMates is a safe space, with no place for shame or judgement, so relax, leave any preconceptions behind, and prepare for a one-of-a-kind experience. (*Please read the Terms and Conditions carefully before you start).
  • My Best Friend's Wedding (To a Lesbian, with a Brownstone and a French Bulldog)
    Marriage is a patriarchal institution and love was invented by advertisers to sell chocolate, yet millennial best friends Julián and Mika are still looking for The One. But Julián keeps getting ghosted when people find out he's asexual and Mika keeps falling in love with unavailable girls that break their heart - so why not try being in an open relationship that can fulfill their romantic needs? In this...
    Marriage is a patriarchal institution and love was invented by advertisers to sell chocolate, yet millennial best friends Julián and Mika are still looking for The One. But Julián keeps getting ghosted when people find out he's asexual and Mika keeps falling in love with unavailable girls that break their heart - so why not try being in an open relationship that can fulfill their romantic needs? In this parody of the classic 90's rom-com, a group of friends explores what love can look like in 2019 and how far we've come (or haven't) from outdated relationship tropes.