Diana Burbano

Diana Burbano

Diana Burbano, a Colombian immigrant, is an Equity actress a playwright and a teaching artist at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, CA. She has created notable roles in the world premieres of The Labors of Hercules at the Laguna Playhouse, El Largo Camino de Hoy at South Coast Repertory and Sweet Peace at Center Theatre in Santa Barbara. Her plays include Picture me Rollin’ (featured at the 35 annual...
Diana Burbano, a Colombian immigrant, is an Equity actress a playwright and a teaching artist at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, CA. She has created notable roles in the world premieres of The Labors of Hercules at the Laguna Playhouse, El Largo Camino de Hoy at South Coast Repertory and Sweet Peace at Center Theatre in Santa Barbara. Her plays include Picture me Rollin’ (featured at the 35 annual William Inge Festival in 2016.) Fabulous Monsters (Festival51 winner, Fullerton College’s 25th Annual Playwrights Festival 2015, the 1st Playwrights Nest Festival at Los Angeles Theatre Center and OC-Centric Playwrights Festival 2015.) Silueta, with Tom and Chris Shelton, (Great Plains Theater Conference, Cygnet Theatre’s Playwrights in Process Festival 2014.) Other works include Libertadoras, Vamping (Monster Box Theatre) and Linda (Frida Kahlo Theatre, Monster Box Theatre) for 365 Women a Year, and the TYA Shakespeare mash-up, Caliban’s Island. She directs, produces, writes and manages Sleep Till Noon Productions and the Gourmet Detective. Diana is one of the original members of the writers circle for Latino Theatre Association/ Los Angeles. She is also a member of The Dramatists Guild and The Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights.

Plays

  • Policarpa by Diana Burbano
    Cast: 
    8
    ·
    Genre: fable/folktale, fantasy + 2 more
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    Keyword: Colombia, sex trafficking + 5 more
    Genre: fable/folktale, fantasy, movement/physical, tragedy
    Keyword: Colombia, sex trafficking, womanhood, Tragedy, women's rights, resistance, magical realism
    In a future Colombia controlled by the very wealthy, the brilliant, mad Ingrid Bolivar collects young women and turns them into weapons. Policarpa, a girl with magical gifts, must resist the allure of becoming a creature of destruction. Can she instead become a savior?
  • Fabulous Monsters by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 5
    ·
    Cast: 
    4–6
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: punk, feminist + 7 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, musical
    Keyword: punk, feminist, queer, rock, latina, Latina Playwrights, Bechdel, Great Roles for Older Actresses, Presente
    When punk rock exploded in L.A., Sally and Lou were there: feminists, Latinas, queens of noise. One went pop, one stayed punk, but sparks from their tumultuous friendship remain. Decades later, can they overcome old wounds, forgive each other, and rock as hard as they ever did? A new work from this South Coast Repertory teaching artist, developed in Latino Theatre Alliance/LA's Playwrights Nest...
    When punk rock exploded in L.A., Sally and Lou were there: feminists, Latinas, queens of noise. One went pop, one stayed punk, but sparks from their tumultuous friendship remain. Decades later, can they overcome old wounds, forgive each other, and rock as hard as they ever did? A new work from this South Coast Repertory teaching artist, developed in Latino Theatre Alliance/LA's Playwrights Nest Festival.
  • Enemy|Flint by Diana Burbano
    Cast: 
    9–15
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, political
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    Keyword: Flint water crisis, Flint + 4 more
    Genre: adaptation, political
    Keyword: Flint water crisis, Flint, social justice, female playwright, theatre for young audiences, Latina Playwrights
    Flint, MI. The water in the town has been poisoned. Thia Stockmann, a bright young medical student, is confronted by her upwardly mobile brother, Pete, about a blog she wrote regarding the poisoning of Flint’s water supply. This brings a lot of unwanted attention to Flint and will have repercussions on the economy. Peter accuses Thia of being selfish and to solve this problem in a more quiet way. In the...
    Flint, MI. The water in the town has been poisoned. Thia Stockmann, a bright young medical student, is confronted by her upwardly mobile brother, Pete, about a blog she wrote regarding the poisoning of Flint’s water supply. This brings a lot of unwanted attention to Flint and will have repercussions on the economy. Peter accuses Thia of being selfish and to solve this problem in a more quiet way. In the media classroom reporters discuss the pros and cons of running Thia’s article bashing the reputation of the government. The group has a change of heart about how valuable it is to expose the government. They realize that printing this article will do more damage to the situation. Angry, Thia decides that she can fight this battle on his own. She calls a meeting at the community college. Thia talks about the contamination of the water but also gets into the town leaders and how they are corrupt as are most of the citizens of Flint. Anger starts to grow. By the end of the meeting the town has rebelled at Thia and have marked her as an enemy of the people. The landlord evicts them from their house, and Thia’s allies get fired for having progressive opinions. Thia stays true to her principles. She decides to accept her fate and become "an enemy of the people" if that is what it takes to do what is right.
  • Silueta by Diana Burbano, Tom Shelton and Chris Shelton by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: art, artists + 8 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: art, artists, latina, hispanic, minimalism, feminist, #protestplays, domestic violence, murder mystery, two hander
    Silueta A new play imagined from a true story. 1985: A sultry New York night. A marital spat. Cuban artist Ana Mendieta plunges 34 stories from her bedroom window to the sidewalk below. A tragic accident? Or murder? Silueta imagines Ana's husband, sculptor Carl Andre, as he might be today, still living in the 34th-floor apartment that he shared with the beautiful, ambitious Ana. He is riddled by...
    Silueta A new play imagined from a true story. 1985: A sultry New York night. A marital spat. Cuban artist Ana Mendieta plunges 34 stories from her bedroom window to the sidewalk below. A tragic accident? Or murder? Silueta imagines Ana's husband, sculptor Carl Andre, as he might be today, still living in the 34th-floor apartment that he shared with the beautiful, ambitious Ana. He is riddled by frustration at the loss of his artistic potency and by a gnawing suspicion about his innocence in Ana's death. The ghost of Ana haunts him relentlessly at the scene of the tragedy. They are both obsessed with the same question, what really happened that fatal night? Silueta is a two-person show based on the true story of Ana Mendieta, who fell to her death in 1985. She was a rising star in the art world. Her husband, Carl Andre, was one of the founders of Minimalism. He was prosecuted for her murder and acquitted. The play explores their volatile relationship. Silueta is a collaboration by Tom Shelton, Chris Shelton and Diana Burbano. Written for Tom and Diana to perform, the play came out of research and improv sessions with Chris, a writer/director.
  • Linda (Monologue for a Latina) by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: Chicana, wonder woman + 6 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: Chicana, wonder woman, identity, comedy, 365 Women a Year, comedic female monologue, female empowerment, Latina Playwrights
    A super bad ass story of finding your inner hero.
  • Caliban's Island (Theatre for Young Audiences) by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, adventure + 2 more
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    Keyword: Shakespeare, TYA + 8 more
    Genre: adaptation, adventure, fantasy, young audiences
    Keyword: Shakespeare, TYA, theatre for young audiences, grief, magic, Fantasy, acceptance, siblings, tolerance, forgiveness
    "Characters from Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT and THE TEMPSEST intertwine when a set of twins is shipwrecked on an island. As the siblings race to reunite, they encounter a young girl with magical powers, a deceptively cute fairy, and a horned monster with a heart of gold. CALIBAN'S ISLAND explores the struggle between wishes, dreams and wisdom. Bring the entire family to this witty, whimsical...
    "Characters from Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT and THE TEMPSEST intertwine when a set of twins is shipwrecked on an island. As the siblings race to reunite, they encounter a young girl with magical powers, a deceptively cute fairy, and a horned monster with a heart of gold. CALIBAN'S ISLAND explores the struggle between wishes, dreams and wisdom. Bring the entire family to this witty, whimsical celebration of language and life. Part PETER AND THE STARCATCHER, part Shakespeare, Burbano writes with a unique voice all her own." -- Headwaters: Creede Rep's New Play Program
  • The Strange Education of Marina Santiago-Scripps by Diana Burbano, Tom Shelton And Chris Shelton by Diana Burbano
    Cast: 
    3–4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, fable/folktale
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    Keyword: La Jolla, Ellen Browning Scripps + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, fable/folktale
    Keyword: La Jolla, Ellen Browning Scripps, Sea Lions, overdevelopment, latina, Oceanography, sharks, seals
    A young woman meets her heroine, while doing battle with seal, sea lions and developers in La Jolla, CA.
  • Picture Me Rollin' (one act) by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    5–8
    ·
    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: drunk driving, death and dying + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: drunk driving, death and dying, coma, Tupac, grief
    A young man is hit by a drunk driver. He lies in a coma as his family struggles to cope with the new reality.
  • The Tower (5 minute) by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, political + 1 more
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    Keyword: Trump, Melania + 5 more
    Genre: dark comedy, political, satire
    Keyword: Trump, Melania, immigration, women's rights, Mexican, Sex slavery, misogyny
    A beautiful Slovenian ex-model confronts her son's tutor and faces questions about her place in the world.
  • Libertadoras, the tale of Jonatas, Natan and Manuelita Saenz (One act) by Diana Burbano
    Cast: 
    3–10
    ·
    Genre: biography, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: latina, Colombia + 6 more
    Genre: biography, drama, period
    Keyword: latina, Colombia, slavery, Simon Bolivar, 365 Women A Year Playwriting Project, Afro-carribean, college or high school actors, feminist
    The true story of Manuelita Saenz, liberatrix of Colombia. As told by her extraordinary friend the enslaved soldier Jonatas, mimic and storyteller.
  • Silueta por Diana Burbano, Tom Shelton y Chris Shelton by Diana Burbano
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: biography, mystery/thriller + 1 more
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    Keyword: misterio, español + 4 more
    Genre: biography, mystery/thriller, translation
    Keyword: misterio, español, Cuba, crimen sin resolver, Arté, Nueva York
    versión en Español
  • The Ride (monologue for mature actress) by Diana Burbano
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: AIDS ride, bicycles + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: AIDS ride, bicycles, comedy, Short, LGBTQ
    An older woman learns to live again while on the AIDS ride.
  • Vamping by Diana Burbano
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: Silent Film, 365 Women a Year + 1 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: Silent Film, 365 Women a Year, female monologue
    A young goth girl explains her fascination with Theda Bara.
  • Fabulous Monsters Deep Cuts monologues by Diana Burbano
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: punk, monologue + 3 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: punk, monologue, Great Roles for Older Actresses, Latina Playwrights, Presente
    Monologues for Woman 40's-50's #fabulousmonsters Slade aka Sally Rogers is a hard living, seen it all punk rocker from the 70’s, alive, sober and cynical as hell. 40’s-50’s
  • Myrtis by Diana Burbano
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: 365 Women a Year, Athens + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: 365 Women a Year, Athens, Typhoid, plague, science, dna
    A professor teaches her student facial reconstruction. Written for 365 Women a Year.
  • Finding Neoplasms by Diana Burbano
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: cancer, children + 1 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: cancer, children, science
    A child with cancer seeks to lighten the burden for his family