Ramon Esquivel

The lives of sisters SHANIA and ROSIE and their cousin BILLY-SWEET change when a mysterious meteorite gives them super powers. Their newfound powers are immediately tested when they encounter the EARTHCHOMPER, a formidable foe with a destructive agenda to capture the meteorite. Adopting the names PRONGHORN, GOSHAWK, and PAINTED TURTLE, our heroes unite to confront the danger of mindless destruction of the earth. Strengthened by their unique abilities and familial bond, Fallenstar: The Watchoverers shows how ordinary individuals can do extraordinary things, and that true strength and power comes from within.

Watching for Sasquatch is a play (that is a series of plays) about characters who encounter the legendary sasquatch — whether they are searching or not. Their stories reflect beliefs about, attitudes towards, and relationships with the natural world.

Chapter 1: A DAY OUT WITH AUNTIE
QUINN, about to start their first year of college, goes birdwatching in Redwood National Park (California) with their AUNTIE as a last hurrah before leaving home for school. Auntie explains how the consistency of birdwatching got them through dark times and led to some unexpected delights, like seeing a rare bird that happens to be perched on a sasquatch.

Chapter 2: THE SASKATCHEWAN SASKWATCHERS CLUB
The President (PREZ) and Vice-President (VEEP) of The Saskatchewan Saskwatchers Club blame each other for no other club members attending the annual trip to Hope, British Columbia to search for their club’s namesake. They consider disbanding until a surprise guest visits. Yup! It’s the sasquatch.

Chapter 3: MOUNTAIN DOOM
Best pals SAGE and CORY are camping with their families near Olympic National Park (Washington). Their parents just called for lights out but the two kids are too jacked up on Mountain Dew to fall asleep. They tell each other spooky stories, and soon their fun turns to fear when they hear rustling sounds outside. Could it be the sasquatch?

Chapter 4: PELTS!
The ghosts of two 19th Century trappers, CLEM and OREM, have haunted the Rogue River Valley (Oregon) where they over-hunted beaver nearly to the point of extinction. Bitter and ashamed over a century later, they reflect on what led them to their fateful confrontation with forest guardian, the sasquatch.

Chapter 5: 2,000 MILES
LENCHA,a lechuza (Owl Lady) and CHUCHI, a chupacabra (Goat Vampire), both creatures from Mexican folkore and old friends, are surprised to run into each other on the grey ocean beaches of Washington State, far from their homes in the Rio Grande Valley. Light-hearted banter turns to fury when they discover they have both traveled over 2,000 miles only to be stood up by the same date: the sasquatch.

Chapter 6: CIRCLE OF PROTECTION
GOREY, PAXON, and ZEEBO are three banana slugs living in the Fraser River Valley of British Columbia. They test their magic, faith, and courage in the presence of their god, the sasquatch.

Chapter 9: INITIATION
LOONA, the Moon, and great trees SEQUOIA and REDWOOD prepare young tree SAPLINGS to meet their protector, the sasquatch, who is not long for this world.

Ezequiel "ZEQ" Zapata is annoyed to be spending their 17th birthday working at The Pop, a burger joint in a rural town. Coworkers LOLO, JC, and bestie PANCHITA try to cheer up ZEQ, but The Pop is slammed. Then a bus carrying a school choir pulls up, and ZEQ spots dreamy DANILO for the first time. Time moves slowly. Music plays. Fingers touch in a bag of tater tots. Electricity. ZEQ and Danilo share dreams of pop stardom. Danilo writes songs, so he and ZEQ exchange TikToks and make plans to duet later. ZEQ is certain that fame, fortune, and love are within reach. But there is one problem: ZEQ doesn't sing or dance well. Like, at all. What happens when dreams meet reality? How do we navigate romance when we're still figuring out friendship?

For Ayo, Eshana, Hyun, and Tlaloc, discovering each other among the waters, forests, and mountains of the Pacific Northwest offers glimpses of the lives they yearn to live, and the hope that together all things are possible. But are they? As expectations of culture, family, society, and religion threaten to pull them apart, four friends struggle to hold their fragile world together, even as the earth breaks apart.

Six storytellers meet in secret to convene The Shahrazad Society. Taking their name from one of the first heroines in literature, the society's mission is to read banned books and share other stories forbidden to them by authorities at their school. Their first selection is The Thousand and One Nights. Each tale begins as an oral narrative before evolving into a theatrical staging (plays within plays), with the other society members assuming all roles. NOTE: Both full-length (100 min) and abridged (70 min) versions are available.

Selena begins the evening's meeting with a tale: "The Story of the Fisherwoman and the Djinni" A fisherwoman faces an angry djinni. Her cunning allows her to outwit the all-powerful, but not all-knowing, djinni.

Tara and Reinko ask about the society's namesake, Shahrazad. Malika tells that story: "The Story of Shahrazad and the One Thousand and One Nights" - King Shahryar, betrayed by his first queen, marries and murders a new queen each night. To save others, Shahrazad marries the king and enthralls him with stories until the sun rises on each new day.

Dominica tells the story of Marjanah, the true heroine of one of Shahrazad's most famous stories: "The Story of Marjanah and Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves." Ali-Baba learns where thieves have hidden their treasure. When Ali-Baba's life is in danger, his friend Marjanah deduces the thieves' plan for revenge, and saves him. [Note: The abridged version cuts this tale.]

The young people adapt the traditional stories to reflect their own realities, fears, and hopes for a different world. Selena tells her version of the best known of Shahrazad's tales: "The Story of Badroulbadour, Ala ad-Din, and the Magic Lamp." Ala ad-Din, betrayed by a magician named Mustafa, uses the djinnis of a magical lamp and ring to win the heart of Princess Badroulbadour. When Mustafa seeks revenge, it is Badroulbadour's experience and wisdom that saves the day.

At the end of the night, each society member vows to find new, taboo, banned, or forbidden stories they can "make their own," in spite of the danger they are in. The play ends with the promise of another evening of storytelling — another evening of freedom.

Two people, Kai and Halen, meet on the Aurora Bridge in Seattle in the middle of the night. Kai has come here to end their life by suicide, and Halen tries to stop the attempt. We learn that Halen ended their life in the same spot two years earlier, and has reappeared now to support Kai in a time of crisis. This play employs magical realism in an ultimately uplifting story about depression, grief, metaphysics, and the transcendent nature of love.

After her going away party, MARIANA (18) has second thoughts about leaving tomorrow for college on the other side of the country. Besides the distance from family and friends, she doubts her career path. Who ever heard of a Puerto Rican girl from Queens becoming a marine biologist? With her flight only hours away, Mariana hatches a plan with her bestie ADAM (18) to share an apartment in the city and do a gap year instead. Their friend, HARI (16), always looked up to Mariana and is stunned that she is giving up on her college dream so suddenly. They turn to Mariana's cousin, SIERRA (23), for advice. A recent college graduate herself, Sierra understands Mariana's apprehension because her own college years were a struggle. Without support from her best friend, she likely would have dropped out. Sierra's honesty and vulnerability gives additional weight to Mariana's choice. Will she stay or will she go?