Gretchen Suarez-Pena

Gretchen Suárez-Peña (she/her) is a Puerto Rican playwright based in Central Florida. She is an MFA candidate in the Dramatic Writing program at Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama (Class of 2024).

She is part of the Conch Shell Productions (NY) Artists Collective of Writers. She frequently works with New Generation Theatrical (FL), Just Write! Lakeland (FL), the Latinx Playwright Circle (NY), and the Latiné Musical Theatre Lab (NY). She is currently the book writer for The Fairy's Tale (music and lyrics by Michael Mott).

Her piece Searching for Abuelo was the first-place winner of the Voices of Women Theatre Festival at Powerstories Theatre (2023). Her show Across the Atlantic opened the 2023 BIPOC Play Reading Series at the Straz Center in Tampa, Florida. Her short play, The...

Gretchen Suárez-Peña (she/her) is a Puerto Rican playwright based in Central Florida. She is an MFA candidate in the Dramatic Writing program at Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama (Class of 2024).

She is part of the Conch Shell Productions (NY) Artists Collective of Writers. She frequently works with New Generation Theatrical (FL), Just Write! Lakeland (FL), the Latinx Playwright Circle (NY), and the Latiné Musical Theatre Lab (NY). She is currently the book writer for The Fairy's Tale (music and lyrics by Michael Mott).

Her piece Searching for Abuelo was the first-place winner of the Voices of Women Theatre Festival at Powerstories Theatre (2023). Her show Across the Atlantic opened the 2023 BIPOC Play Reading Series at the Straz Center in Tampa, Florida. Her short play, The Arithmetic of Memory, has been produced across the country and was published in the Stonecoast Review where it was nominated for a Pushcart Award in Drama (2021). It was the 2023 Gary Garrison National Ten-Minute Play Award winner for the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). Her one act, Wingman, was also recognized by KCACTF as a John Cauble Regional 2 Finalist.

Her musical, Melina: A Steampunk Musical Tragedy was an official selection of the 2020 Atlanta Musical Theatre Festival. Other successes include winning the writer's grant and best play at the 2019 Be Original Festival for her play, Trafficked. Also, winning best full-length play at the 2018 Tampa Bay Theatre Festival for her show Conversations in the Car, and first prize for her short play, Dry Spell, at the 30 by Ninety Theatre’s 2018 Night of One Acts Competition.

She is a proud member of the Dramatist Guild. gretchensuarezpena.com

Scripts

The Saga of Peaches and the Black King

by Gretchen Suarez-Pena

Synopsis

Peaches is a businesswoman, she's married, but her husband has given his blessing for her to seek out a lover since their libidos don't match and his health condition inhibits intimacy. King has always thought Peaches has all the body he could ever want. Friends for a long time, intimacy grows in an irreverent text message thread that spills over to reality.

Peaches is a businesswoman, she's married, but her husband has given his blessing for her to seek out a lover since their libidos don't match and his health condition inhibits intimacy. King has always thought Peaches has all the body he could ever want. Friends for a long time, intimacy grows in an irreverent text message thread that spills over to reality.

Searching for Abuelo

by Gretchen Suarez-Pena

Synopsis

My maternal grandfather died before my mother even graduated from High School. I know very little about him except that he was a bartender, an aspiring actor and writer in New York City, and he really wanted to own a Mercedes Benz. In this one-act solo show, framed in the traditional Puerto Rican musical style of Bomba, I (Gretchen) put myself through the journey of figuring out who he was, who I am, and what to...

My maternal grandfather died before my mother even graduated from High School. I know very little about him except that he was a bartender, an aspiring actor and writer in New York City, and he really wanted to own a Mercedes Benz. In this one-act solo show, framed in the traditional Puerto Rican musical style of Bomba, I (Gretchen) put myself through the journey of figuring out who he was, who I am, and what to do about it.

The Arithmetic of Memory

by Gretchen Suarez-Pena

Synopsis

(FIFTEEN MINUTES) Claudine and Missy remember in their own way. The goal is not to forget.

(FIFTEEN MINUTES) Claudine and Missy remember in their own way. The goal is not to forget.

Watchwomen

by Gretchen Suarez-Pena

Synopsis

(TEN-MINUTES) The watchwomen of Menas keep watch by night at the southern end of town. A messenger breaks their monotony with unbelievable, yet horrifying news.

(TEN-MINUTES) The watchwomen of Menas keep watch by night at the southern end of town. A messenger breaks their monotony with unbelievable, yet horrifying news.

The Child Groom

by Gretchen Suarez-Pena

Synopsis

(TEN-MINUTES) The head council hears the complaints of its citizen. Aquarius comes to plead for his son's life in the matter of his engagement to a wealthy matriarch.

(TEN-MINUTES) The head council hears the complaints of its citizen. Aquarius comes to plead for his son's life in the matter of his engagement to a wealthy matriarch.

Wingman

by Gretchen Suarez-Pena

Synopsis

Dr. Anthony Warren has broken the code to dating: You just have to read a person's mind. This brilliant biochemist has found a way to tap into telepathy. He capitalizes on this by helping awkward nerds woo the mate of their dreams, but what happens when Tony ends up falling for one of his client's love interests?

Dr. Anthony Warren has broken the code to dating: You just have to read a person's mind. This brilliant biochemist has found a way to tap into telepathy. He capitalizes on this by helping awkward nerds woo the mate of their dreams, but what happens when Tony ends up falling for one of his client's love interests?

Checkmate

by Gretchen Suarez-Pena

Synopsis

(TEN-MINUTES) A post-coital game of chess reveals something deeper.

(TEN-MINUTES) A post-coital game of chess reveals something deeper.

Eye Candy

by Gretchen Suarez-Pena

Synopsis

(TEN-MINUTES) Three college-age girls sit by the pool post-final exams. They are checking out the guys at the pool.

(TEN-MINUTES) Three college-age girls sit by the pool post-final exams. They are checking out the guys at the pool.

Shadowed Arrangement

by Gretchen Suarez-Pena

Synopsis

(TEN-MINUTES) After the sudden death of Sergio's wife, he meets with Tremaine, his wife's lover. They both are suffering from their loss.

(TEN-MINUTES) After the sudden death of Sergio's wife, he meets with Tremaine, his wife's lover. They both are suffering from their loss.

Dry Spell

by Gretchen Suarez-Pena

Synopsis

(TEN-MINUTES) A marriage hangs in the balance as a drought and heat wave continues to ravage their hometown.

(TEN-MINUTES) A marriage hangs in the balance as a drought and heat wave continues to ravage their hometown.

El Malecon

by Gretchen Suarez-Pena

Synopsis

(TEN-MINUTES) Arturo and Yesenia are old friends turned lovers at a time when they were both married. Two years later, at Arturo's request, they meet at the iconic Malecon in Havana, Cuba; the place where they first met as teenagers.

(TEN-MINUTES) Arturo and Yesenia are old friends turned lovers at a time when they were both married. Two years later, at Arturo's request, they meet at the iconic Malecon in Havana, Cuba; the place where they first met as teenagers.

Tea Town

by Gretchen Suarez-Pena

Synopsis

(TEN-MINUTES) The town of Chesterfield is slowly changing. A mysterious tea and card game are at the center of the change.

(TEN-MINUTES) The town of Chesterfield is slowly changing. A mysterious tea and card game are at the center of the change.

The Wind is Me

by Gretchen Suarez-Pena

Synopsis

(TEN-MINUTES) A lost romance in a whirlwind of dream recollection.

(TEN-MINUTES) A lost romance in a whirlwind of dream recollection.

Practically Perfect

by Gretchen Suarez-Pena

Synopsis

(TEN-MINUTES) Nannies come and go. They debrief and train to support the families they are on assignment to take care of.

(TEN-MINUTES) Nannies come and go. They debrief and train to support the families they are on assignment to take care of.

Love Letters

by Gretchen Suarez-Pena

Synopsis

(TEN-MINUTES) Bianca is helping her aunt move when she uncovers an exciting yet heartbreaking chapter in her aunt Gia's life.

(TEN-MINUTES) Bianca is helping her aunt move when she uncovers an exciting yet heartbreaking chapter in her aunt Gia's life.

Trafficked: A Story

by Gretchen Suarez-Pena

Synopsis

(FULL-LENGTH) The horrors of human sex trafficking are very real. It is not just a problem in some distant country; it happens in our own backyard. Follow Dr. Ana Saco as she journeys from her office, to her past and tells the world her story and the story of countless others, exposing the underbelly of the illicit sex trafficking industry.

(FULL-LENGTH) The horrors of human sex trafficking are very real. It is not just a problem in some distant country; it happens in our own backyard. Follow Dr. Ana Saco as she journeys from her office, to her past and tells the world her story and the story of countless others, exposing the underbelly of the illicit sex trafficking industry.