Diana Burbano

Diana Burbano

Diana Burbano was named as part of the Los Angeles Times’ “La Vanguardia” 2022. She is a Colombian immigrant, a playwright, an Equity actor, and a teaching artist. Diana’s play Ghosts of Bogotá premiered at Alter Theatre in 2020 just before the pandemic shut down. Ghosts was produced at the Actors Theatre of Charlotte in 2022. Sapience opened at Moxie Theatre in San Diego in 2022. Fabulous Monsters, a Latinx...
Diana Burbano was named as part of the Los Angeles Times’ “La Vanguardia” 2022. She is a Colombian immigrant, a playwright, an Equity actor, and a teaching artist. Diana’s play Ghosts of Bogotá premiered at Alter Theatre in 2020 just before the pandemic shut down. Ghosts was produced at the Actors Theatre of Charlotte in 2022. Sapience opened at Moxie Theatre in San Diego in 2022. Fabulous Monsters, a Latinx Punk Rock play premiered at The Public Theatre of San Antonio, featuring the music of FEA in 2023.
She was in the Geffen’s Writers Lab in 20-21 and has commissions with Center Theatre Group, Artists Repertory Theatre, Breath of Fire Latina Theatre Ensemble, HERO Theatre, and Livermore Shakespeare Festival. Residencies include Marfa Live Arts, Milagro Ingenio, Workshop Theatre Lab at Echo Theatre, and the Mercury Company for Artists Repertory.
As an actor, Diana played Amalia in Jose Cruz Gonzales' American Mariachi at South Coast Repertory and Arizona Theatre Company, Marisela in Isaac Gomez’s La Ruta at Artists Repertory, and Izzy in the world premiere of Julie Hébert’s Drunk at the Base of the Bohdi Tree for Mile High Theatre. You can also see her as Viv the Punk in the cult musical Isle of Lesbos.
Diana has been awarded the Advance Gender Equity in the Arts grant 2022, the Bay Area Rella Lossy Award, the Long Beach Arts Council Professional Artist Grant 2019, 2020, and was a 2021 Jane Chambers Awardee for excellence in Feminist Playwriting.
She currently represents Southern California on the Dramatists Guild council. www.dianaburbano.com
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-11-03/diana-burbano-la-vanguardia

Plays

  • Beheading Columbus by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    4–5
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: Latinidad, Sisters + 6 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: Latinidad, Sisters, Race, Colorism, Christopher Columbus, colonization, DNA testing, sperm donor
    Beheading Columbus follows two sisters down a trail of DNA deception and makes them face race and colorism in the Latinx community and in their own family. Lana is white passing, Susi isn’t, and that's been a point of conflict their whole life. Through DNA testing they discover that Lana has a white father. The DNA test also reveals that Susi, who is mixed race, has the genes for the Alzheimers that is...
    Beheading Columbus follows two sisters down a trail of DNA deception and makes them face race and colorism in the Latinx community and in their own family. Lana is white passing, Susi isn’t, and that's been a point of conflict their whole life. Through DNA testing they discover that Lana has a white father. The DNA test also reveals that Susi, who is mixed race, has the genes for the Alzheimers that is destroying their mother. Add to that, they discover that the previously unknown other father is a fertility doctor who has sired at least 40 mixed race children. Through love and a massive sense of humor, the sisters work at decolonizing themselves from the inside out.
  • As Girls Go by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    8–9
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, comedy + 3 more
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    Keyword: gender roles, pop princess + 8 more
    Genre: adaptation, comedy, commedia dell'arte, translation, verse
    Keyword: gender roles, pop princess, Don Juan, mistaken identity, Sex, love, and rock and roll, mariachi, commedia, sword fights
    Leona is a pop icon, trapped in her role and betrayed by the men in her life. She escapes by becoming Leo, a brooding rocker, and sets out to take revenge on the men who exploited her.
    A modern verse play based on Ana Caro's Spanish Golden Age classic Amor, Agravio y Mujer, As Girls Go replaces the Spanish court with Latine Pop Stars in Hollywood, California, and plays with gender roles, sexuality...
    Leona is a pop icon, trapped in her role and betrayed by the men in her life. She escapes by becoming Leo, a brooding rocker, and sets out to take revenge on the men who exploited her.
    A modern verse play based on Ana Caro's Spanish Golden Age classic Amor, Agravio y Mujer, As Girls Go replaces the Spanish court with Latine Pop Stars in Hollywood, California, and plays with gender roles, sexuality, and #metoo while dismantling the myth of Don Juan and his brand of toxic masculinity.
  • Sapience by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 20
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    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
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    Keyword: science, autism + 3 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: science, autism, great apes, primatology, neurodiversity
    Elsa is a primatologist with a secret that’s easier to bear when she’s at work with Wookie, the orangutan she’s training to speak. Her worlds collide when her nephew AJ, a teenager who is nonverbal and on the autism spectrum, forms a relationship with Wookie. Sapience is a ground-breaking and imaginative new play about how we communicate and seek to be understood.
  • Fabulous Monsters by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 27
    ·
    Cast: 
    5–8
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: punk, feminist + 6 more
    Genre: dark comedy, drama, musical
    Keyword: punk, feminist, queer, rock and roll, Linda Ronstadt, Joan Jett, Fea, The Kilroys
    *Kilroys' List 2020* *Featured in Steppenwolf's "The Mix" Music by FEA
    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, they try overcome old wounds, forgive each other, and rock as hard as they ever did.

    A new work from this...
    *Kilroys' List 2020* *Featured in Steppenwolf's "The Mix" Music by FEA
    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, they try 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.
  • The Vertical City by Diana Burbano
    Cast: 
    2–7
    ·
    Genre: adventure, dark comedy + 5 more
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    Keyword: climate change, futurism + 5 more
    Genre: adventure, dark comedy, drama, fantasy, political, radio drama, science fiction
    Keyword: climate change, futurism, radio play, science fiction, sci-fi, adventure, audio drama
    The Vertical City, an audio drama, is a character study set in a future-Portland built to survive the effects of climate change and imagines how technology might evolve society at the end of the 21st century, both for better and worse.
  • Immunity by Diana Burbano
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: COVID, vaccines + 4 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, political
    Keyword: COVID, vaccines, immunity, misinformation, science, research
    A 2023 MACH 33 Festival finalist, IMMUNITY follows a diverse team of scientists working to solve a global crisis. At the start of the global pandemic, a team at a nationally renowned science Laboratory are put together as a Think Tank to find creative solutions to the urgent needs of the global community. The team is diverse, both in specialties as well as in nationality, race, and upbringing. The inevitable...
    A 2023 MACH 33 Festival finalist, IMMUNITY follows a diverse team of scientists working to solve a global crisis. At the start of the global pandemic, a team at a nationally renowned science Laboratory are put together as a Think Tank to find creative solutions to the urgent needs of the global community. The team is diverse, both in specialties as well as in nationality, race, and upbringing. The inevitable conflict arises. The scientists, living through the pandemic themselves, are sometimes overwhelmed by the needs in their own lives, but their focus and talents are driven to solve the crises as they arise.
  • Gargoyles by Diana Burbano
    Cast: 
    5–8
    ·
    Genre: period
    ·
    Keyword: romance, World War I + 3 more
    Genre: period
    Keyword: romance, World War I, Plastic Surgery, History, Latinx
    Mother, a retired silent film star, moves herself and her teenage daughter to an isolated tropical island. Their calm existence is upended when an English soldier moves into their village. Mother soon discovers that, because of who they are, she and the soldier both feel like monsters. She then has to choose between her fear, and the promise of an unconventional love.
  • Goddess, Unchained by Diana Burbano
    Cast: 
    5–6
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama + 2 more
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    Keyword: imprisonment, carceral systems + 1 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama, fable/folktale, political
    Keyword: imprisonment, carceral systems, women in prison
    In 2021 Lower Depth Theatre began developing the third play in our “Cycle of Violence” Commission Series with LA based playwright, Diana Burbano. This full-length play examines incarceration & women in prison through magical realism and the perspective of an imprisoned goddess. The process began in virtual Zoom boxes where it stayed for 12 months. In 2022 we finally gathered in person to workshop Diana...
    In 2021 Lower Depth Theatre began developing the third play in our “Cycle of Violence” Commission Series with LA based playwright, Diana Burbano. This full-length play examines incarceration & women in prison through magical realism and the perspective of an imprisoned goddess. The process began in virtual Zoom boxes where it stayed for 12 months. In 2022 we finally gathered in person to workshop Diana's new play, “Working Title: Goddess, Unchained” at A Noise Within Theatre as part of their Noise Now program.
  • Policarpa: Apocalypse Sur Amerikka by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 11
    ·
    Cast: 
    6–8
    ·
    Genre: drama, fable/folktale + 5 more
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    Keyword: Colombia, pandemic + 7 more
    Genre: drama, fable/folktale, fantasy, movement/physical, political, science fiction, tragedy
    Keyword: Colombia, pandemic, women's rights, resistance, virus, Latin America, sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, futurism
    In the near future, an inexplicable plague infests La Gran Colombia. Ingrid Bolivar--the brilliant, mad ex-wife of Colombia's leader--is the only one who knows that the plague is carried by young women of the streets, whom she adopts and uses as weapons against the government. Policarpa, a girl with magical gifts, is supposed to be Ingrid's secret apocalyptic weapon. But when Policarpa falls in love...
    In the near future, an inexplicable plague infests La Gran Colombia. Ingrid Bolivar--the brilliant, mad ex-wife of Colombia's leader--is the only one who knows that the plague is carried by young women of the streets, whom she adopts and uses as weapons against the government. Policarpa, a girl with magical gifts, is supposed to be Ingrid's secret apocalyptic weapon. But when Policarpa falls in love with a top government official, she resists becoming an instrument of destruction and instead seeks to become a savior through sacrifice.

    Rooted in traditional Latin American magical realism, the nightmare magic science fiction world of Policarpa exists in a neither here-or-there.

    Policarpa has been developed at The Drama League's Rough Draft series, Theatricum Botanicum Seedlings, Oregon Shakespeare Festival Black Swan Lab Latinx Play Project, and Milagro Theatre’s Ingenio play reading series. It received an Honorable Mention for the Jane Chambers Playwriting Award.

    It received an Honorable Mention, Association for Theatre in Higher Education’s 2017 Jane Chambers Playwriting Award and was a semi-finalist for the Eugene O’Neill Playwrights Festival 2018 and a finalist for the Bay Area Playwrights Foundation Festival 2018.
  • Silueta by Diana Burbano, Tom Shelton and Chris Shelton by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 12
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: biography, drama + 3 more
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    Keyword: Art and Artists, latina + 6 more
    Genre: biography, drama, mystery/thriller, radio drama, tragedy
    Keyword: Art and Artists, latina, Latinx, feminist, domestic violence, metoo, Ana Mendieta, cubana
    SILUETA is a two-person play inspired by the true story of Ana Mendieta, a Cuban-American performance artist, and sculptor, whose life ended in a harrowing 34-story fall from the SoHo apartment she shared with her husband, Minimalist sculptor, Carl Andre. Ana, 36 at the time of her death in 1985, was a rising star in the SoHo art scene, known for her signature siluetas–provocative impressions of her naked body...
    SILUETA is a two-person play inspired by the true story of Ana Mendieta, a Cuban-American performance artist, and sculptor, whose life ended in a harrowing 34-story fall from the SoHo apartment she shared with her husband, Minimalist sculptor, Carl Andre. Ana, 36 at the time of her death in 1985, was a rising star in the SoHo art scene, known for her signature siluetas–provocative impressions of her naked body in blood, earth, fire, and other manifestations of nature. Carl, already famous as a founding father of geometric, building-block Minimalism, was past the peak of his career. It was a marriage of opposing artistic temperaments, fueled by ferocious ego and ambition on the part of both. Due to the emotional violence of their relationship and Carlʼs enigmatic behavior following Anaʼs death, he was accused and tried for her murder. Although Carl was eventually acquitted, the incident polarized the art world and became a cause célèbre for feminists, many of whom still believe in Carlʼs guilt. Although there is much speculation about what happened that terrible night, only Carl, now an old man still living in that same 34th-floor apartment, knows. Or does he? Silueta imagines an elderly Carl, desperate to recover artistic potency, but blocked by a past he is unwilling to remember and face. He is haunted by the passionately ʻrealʼ ghost of Ana, equally desperate to discover the truth of her death and, more importantly, the truth of her life and Carlʼs love.
  • Ghosts of Bogotá by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 11
    ·
    Cast: 
    5–7
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
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    Keyword: sexual trauma, immigration + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Keyword: sexual trauma, immigration, child sexual abuse, reclaiming our bodies, religion
    Diana Burbano’s GHOSTS OF BOGOTÁ is the story of three siblings, now late 20s to late 30s, who return to their parents’ birth country when their grandfather dies. GHOSTS is a universal story about family secrets, told through a very specific Latinx lens, and a story about that unique immigrant experience of never feeling fully at home in any country that can claim you.
  • Caliban's Island by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, adventure + 3 more
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    Keyword: Shakespeare, grief + 5 more
    Genre: adaptation, adventure, drama, fantasy, young audiences
    Keyword: Shakespeare, grief, magic, siblings, tolerance, Non-Binary, gender neutral
    "Characters from Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT and THE TEMPEST 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 TEMPEST 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
  • Essentials by Diana Burbano
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: coronavirus, essential workers + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, young audiences
    Keyword: coronavirus, essential workers, Mexican, Latinx, COVID, tya
    The spring/summer of 2020, a big-box grocery store in Santa Ana, Orange County, CA.
    Three young essential workers, forced to grow up fast during the pandemic, fight racism as well as the virus.
  • Enemy|Flint by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    9–15
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, political
    ·
    Keyword: Flint water crisis, Flint + 4 more
    Genre: adaptation, political
    Keyword: Flint water crisis, Flint, social justice, illness, Politics, adaptation
    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.
    ...
    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.
  • Fénix by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama, political
    ·
    Keyword: domestic violence, metoo + 4 more
    Genre: drama, political
    Keyword: domestic violence, metoo, Latinx, Violence against women, survivor, Colombia
    After acid is thrown in a young woman's face, a Phoenix (Fenix) rises.
    A Colombian woman and acid attack survivor who successfully campaigned for a law targeting perpetrators of acid attacks in her country tells her story.
  • Death's Defeat by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 10
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama, young audiences
    ·
    Keyword: gun control, Santa Fe + 6 more
    Genre: drama, young audiences
    Keyword: gun control, Santa Fe, TX, magic, teenagers, school shooting, Harry Potter, Hope
    3 young teens land in a magical world, due to a violent act in the real one.
    Dedicated to Kimberly Vaughn Hart.
  • Dreaming by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: military, dreams + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: military, dreams, daca, Latinx, mother and daughter
    DREAMING is an intimate and poignant look into the lives of a mother and daughter, both hoping for a secure and better future in America. The daughter, of Mexican immigrant parents, was brought here as a child, is now a DACA member and faces the threat of US deportation. Her mother, without a husband and lack of money, has returned to Mexico, hoping to return to the States one day, under better circumstances.
  • Salat al-Janazah by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: gun control, enough + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: gun control, enough, Pakistan, Santa Fe TX, school shooting
    A mourner remembers her cousin, a Pakistani girl, who lost her life while on an exchange program.
  • Rounds Per Second by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 12
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: gun control, guns + 2 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: gun control, guns, mass shooting, ump qua
    A gunman has opened fire on a college campus. Now someone has to clean it up.
  • Linda (Monologue for a Latina) by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 6
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: Chicana, wonder woman + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: Chicana, wonder woman, identity, 365 Women A Year Playwriting Project, female empowerment
    A young woman discovers to her delight and astonishment that her 2 childhood heroines are as Mexican as she is.
  • Picture Me Rollin' (one act) by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    5–8
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: drunk driving, death + 7 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: drunk driving, death, coma, Tupac, grief, family, brain injury, hospitals, based on a true story
    A young man is hit by a drunk driver. He lies in a coma as his family and Tupac struggles to help him cope with his new reality.
  • Silueta por Diana Burbano, Tom Shelton y Chris Shelton by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: biography, mystery/thriller + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: misterio, español + 4 more
    Genre: biography, mystery/thriller, translation
    Keyword: misterio, español, Cuba, crimen sin resolver, Nueva York, metoo
    Un drama nuevo imaginado de una historia verdadera.
    Traduccion de Emiro Burbano
    En 1985, Una noche cálida y húmeda en Nueva York. Una pelea entre esposos. La artista Cubana Ana Mendieta cae 34 pisos desde la ventana de su apartamento a la calle. Quizás un accidente trágico,? un asesinato,?
    Silueta se imagina al esposo de Ana el escultor Carl André Como si estuviera viviendo hoy, en el...
    Un drama nuevo imaginado de una historia verdadera.
    Traduccion de Emiro Burbano
    En 1985, Una noche cálida y húmeda en Nueva York. Una pelea entre esposos. La artista Cubana Ana Mendieta cae 34 pisos desde la ventana de su apartamento a la calle. Quizás un accidente trágico,? un asesinato,?
    Silueta se imagina al esposo de Ana el escultor Carl André Como si estuviera viviendo hoy, en el apartamento del piso 34 que compartía con la hermosa y ambiciosa Ana. El está frustrado con la pérdida de su valor artístico y la sospecha que todavía persiste de la muerte de Ana no fue tan inocente como parece. El fantasma de Ana sigue sin descanso en el sitio mismo de la tragedia. Tienen ambos, una terrible obsesión con la misma pregunta, de lo que pasó en esa noche fatal.
    Silueta es un drama de dos personas basado en la historia verídica de Ana Mendieta que cayó a su muerte en 1985. Era una estrella joven y luminosa en el mundo del arte de esa época. Su esposo, André era uno de los fundadores del minimalismo. El fue juzgado por el asesinato y fue declarado no culpable. El drama explora su volátil relación personal.
    La versión inglesa de silueta fue un drama de taller técnico seleccionado por 2013 Great Plains Theater Conference Y fue finalista (1-12) en el Ashand New Play Festival 2014. Fue Uno de cuatro dramas escogidos en el Cygnet Theatre/Playwright’s in Process festival 2014 Y leído en el escenario en San Diego.
  • The Strange Education of Marina Santiago-Scripps by Diana Burbano, Tom Shelton And Chris Shelton by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    3–4
    ·
    Genre: comedy, fable/folktale + 1 more
    ·
    Keyword: La Jolla, Ellen Browning Scripps + 6 more
    Genre: comedy, fable/folktale, radio drama
    Keyword: La Jolla, Ellen Browning Scripps, Sea Lions, overdevelopment, latina, Oceanography, sharks, seal
    A young woman meets her heroine, while doing battle with seal, sea lions and developers in La Jolla, CA.
  • Libertadoras, the tale of Jonatas, Natan and Manuelita Saenz by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    1–10
    ·
    Genre: biography, drama + 2 more
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    Keyword: latina, Colombia + 6 more
    Genre: biography, drama, period, radio drama
    Keyword: latina, Colombia, slavery, Simon Bolivar, 365 Women A Year Playwriting Project, afro-latinx, feminist, radio play
    The true story of the liberation of Colombia. As told by the enslaved female soldier Jonatas, mimic and storyteller.
  • Marie Dressler- Good Gal by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 8
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: biography, radio drama
    ·
    Keyword: marie Dressler, Silent Film + 4 more
    Genre: biography, radio drama
    Keyword: marie Dressler, Silent Film, monologue, 365 Women A Year Playwriting Project, Zip Code Plays, radio play
    Marie is dying, but has no regrets.
  • Abandoned Way Out West by Diana Burbano
    Cast: 
    10–15
    ·
    Genre: adventure, young audiences
    ·
    Keyword: Western, Wild West + 1 more
    Genre: adventure, young audiences
    Keyword: Western, Wild West, Deaf
    Aquilina is a clever, courageous, and imaginative girl who leads a group of orphans in a recently abandoned wild west town. Will the railroad town disappear completely? Will Aquilina and her crew be sent to orphanages around the country? Join us to find the missing deed and solve the mystery of their town’s original founders!
  • Gun Nut by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: gun control, gun violence + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy
    Keyword: gun control, gun violence, NRA
    Jeopardy, a fight and a missing testicle does not mean you get to tear my gun from my cold dead hands.
  • Fancy by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: immigration, metoo + 5 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: immigration, metoo, military, resistance, women's rights, asylum, refugee crisis
    An woman is about to be executed for her work freeing young victims of sexual slavery. Her younger counterpart comes to rescue her, but is faced with a woman who prefers martyrdom to life.
  • The Rally by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, tragedy
    ·
    Keyword: Charlottesville, White Supremacy + 1 more
    Genre: drama, tragedy
    Keyword: Charlottesville, White Supremacy, KKK
    The tragedy in Charlottesville served to open a scar in America. The white supremacist movement has come out of their hidden corners and darkened basements, helped along by their leader in Washington. This in and of itself is frightening, but I hold out hope. There is also a strong and vocal resistance movement who have put their bodies on the line to defy those who would take this country into the dark ages....
    The tragedy in Charlottesville served to open a scar in America. The white supremacist movement has come out of their hidden corners and darkened basements, helped along by their leader in Washington. This in and of itself is frightening, but I hold out hope. There is also a strong and vocal resistance movement who have put their bodies on the line to defy those who would take this country into the dark ages. There has been loss, and likely will be more, but their defiance will serve as a beacon for others to come and stand against the darkness.

    We MUST continue to be decent, and outspoken, and to protect each other, in spite of the evil that is trying to overwhelm our compassion.
  • The Pen by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: drama, fantasy
    ·
    Keyword: immigration, The Wall + 5 more
    Genre: drama, fantasy
    Keyword: immigration, The Wall, resistance, Latinx, migrant caravan, asylum, Politics
    Three young Latinas are swept up in ICE raids. Citizenship won't save them. Only an act of sacrifice will.
  • The Ring by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 13
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: Giffords, shooting + 3 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Giffords, shooting, marriage, fiance, Arizona
    A young woman tries to consign her engagement ring after the violent death of her fiancé.
  • Not Your White Christmas by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: christmas, Latinx + 2 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: christmas, Latinx, Xmas, holiday
    Jaqui has invited her boyfriend Martin (half Black, half White, all liberal.) to Christmas at her Latinx MAGA lovin' family's house in Mequon, Wisconsin.
  • Playing Games by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: middle school, divorce + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: middle school, divorce, video games, kids, funny
    Two step siblings come to a tiny truce over a video game.
  • Almost Fairy Time by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: middle school, Shakespeare + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: middle school, Shakespeare, funny, fairy tale, kids
    Four little Shakespearean fairies try to figure out how to get the old man out of his rut.
  • Beauty Kweens by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: Sisters, middle school + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: Sisters, middle school, beauty pageant, Harley Quinn, funny
    Little Miss Junior Orange County is a fierce competition as three girls vie for the crown. The battle is heated until hey discover they have much more in common than dumb grown up standards of beauty.
  • Vamping by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 5
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    Cast: 
    1
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    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: Silent Film, 365 Women A Year Playwriting Project
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: Silent Film, 365 Women A Year Playwriting Project
    A young goth girl explains her fascination with Theda Bara.
  • The Ride (monologue for mature actress) by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 6
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    Cast: 
    1
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    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: bicycles, LGBTQ
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: bicycles, LGBTQ
    An older woman learns to live again while on the AIDS ride.
  • Finding Neoplasms by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy, drama
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    Keyword: cancer, children + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: cancer, children, science, zoom
    A child with cancer seeks to lighten his burden
  • The Tower (5 minute) by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 11
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: dark comedy, political + 1 more
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    Keyword: Donald Trump, Melania + 5 more
    Genre: dark comedy, political, satire
    Keyword: Donald Trump, Melania, immigration, women's rights, Mexican, sexual slavery, misogyny
    A beautiful Slovenian ex-model confronts her son's tutor and faces questions about her place in the world.
  • Fabulous Monsters Deep Cuts monologues by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 5
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    Cast: 
    1
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    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    ·
    Keyword: punk rock
    Genre: dark comedy, drama
    Keyword: punk rock
    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
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: 365 Women A Year Playwriting Project, Athens + 4 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: 365 Women A Year Playwriting Project, Athens, Typhoid, plague, science, dna
    A professor teaches her student facial reconstruction.
    Written for 365 Women a Year.
  • Linda en Español by Diana Burbano
    Cast: 
    1
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    Genre: comedy, political + 2 more
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    Keyword: Latinx, español + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, political, translation, young audiences
    Keyword: Latinx, español, Chicana, Latinidad, wonder woman
    Una joven descubreque sus 2 heroínas infantiles son tan mexicanas como ella.
  • A DRAG QUEEN SCORNED: SYLVIA RIVERA by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic
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    Keyword: Stonewall, LGBTQ + 5 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic
    Keyword: Stonewall, LGBTQ, drag queen, erasure, gay liberation, Latinx, genderqueer
    Sylvia Rivera sets the record straight on Stonewall, the gay liberation movement and the erasure of queer people of color and members of the LGBTQ community who do not conform to gender norms or typical gender categories. From her own words.
  • Perfect Number by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 7
    ·
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama, fantasy
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    Keyword: homeless people, octopus + 4 more
    Genre: drama, fantasy
    Keyword: homeless people, octopus, Mental Health, math, homelessness, sea
    A woman without a home makes friends with a philosophical octopus on Venice Beach.
  • Montañas de Molehills by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: monologue, skiing + 4 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: monologue, skiing, bilingual, comedy, racism, Sex
    Pobre Ri has crushes on white boys and they do things like trying to teach them how to ski.
  • Wilding by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: comedy
    ·
    Keyword: Quarantine, cruise ship + 1 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: Quarantine, cruise ship, Covid-19
    A quarantine monologue about a tourist stuck on a cruise ship. It's a small world after all.
  • Zoomerlandia by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 2
    ·
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, zoom
    ·
    Keyword: zoom, essential workers + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, zoom
    Keyword: zoom, essential workers, 2020
    Zoomerlandia is a short play by Diana Burbano written for online viewing. It explores the lives of three recent college graduates as they navigate the risks and joys of a complicated 2020 summer.
  • Vanessa by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic
    ·
    Keyword: defund the police, I can't breathe + 3 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic
    Keyword: defund the police, I can't breathe, Death by Police, Violence against women, say her name
    A monologue about the murder of Vanessa Marquez at the hands of the South Pasadena police officers. The officers were exonerated. Vanessa's mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit after failing to receive justice. #defundthepolice
  • Tamora by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: drama, political + 1 more
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    Keyword: based on Shakespeare, iambic pentameter + 6 more
    Genre: drama, political, verse
    Keyword: based on Shakespeare, iambic pentameter, feminist, rape, revenge, female warrior, Politics, Latinx
    A prequel to Titus Andronicus. Tamora sets in motion the events of the play by killing Titus' son.
  • Sin Made Flesh by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: drama
    ·
    Keyword: Sex, metoo + 2 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: Sex, metoo, aging, Hollywood
    An elderly sex symbol takes a young man to her room. The secrets she tells him aren't the ones she wanted to hear
  • Trisomy by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 3
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama
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    Keyword: abortion, forced birth + 5 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama
    Keyword: abortion, forced birth, older mom, Tennessee, reproductive right, roe vs wade, Supreme Court
    A woman’s wanted child is dying inside her, but the state she lives in has outlawed abortion. A monologue from “The Abortion Chronicles”
  • Fortunate Son by Diana Burbano
    Recommendations: 1
    ·
    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama
    ·
    Keyword: chicano, veterano + 3 more
    Genre: docudrama/historic, drama
    Keyword: chicano, veterano, Veteran, war, voting rights
    A short monologue para un veterano, based on truth. Written and honoring Tom Sandoval.
  • Lluvia by Diana Burbano
    Cast: 
    5
    ·
    Genre: adaptation, tragedy
    ·
    Keyword: femininity, Colonizers + 8 more
    Genre: adaptation, tragedy
    Keyword: femininity, Colonizers, Amazon, sexual politics, Missionary, religious dogma, Sadie Thompson, lust, repression, BIPOC characters
    A modern female-driven take on Somerset Maugham's Rain, Lluvia is about a group of travelers stranded in the Amazons. Mendoza, an arrogant and self-righteous Christian missionary, attempts to reform Saidi Torres, a young woman he mistakenly assumes is a prostitute. The missionary eventually spends several days alone with the woman, "cleansing her soul of sin." The ending is surprising, violent,...
    A modern female-driven take on Somerset Maugham's Rain, Lluvia is about a group of travelers stranded in the Amazons. Mendoza, an arrogant and self-righteous Christian missionary, attempts to reform Saidi Torres, a young woman he mistakenly assumes is a prostitute. The missionary eventually spends several days alone with the woman, "cleansing her soul of sin." The ending is surprising, violent, and ambiguous. Who fooled who?
    Written for the Odyssey's Writers Group, 2023