Angelo Parra

Angelo Parra ( born June 2, 1948 in New York) is an American playwright.

Life

Parra was born in Manhattan and grew up in the Bronx. After completing his bachelor's degree in Communication Arts at Fordham University, he worked as a reporter / photographer, in public relations, as a freelance writer and a lecturer in journalism and public relations at New York University. Parra also has a master's degree in Political Science from the New School in New York and an MFA in Theatre seal of Brooklyn College.

In 1986, he turned to the theater. For his first song, which was also listed, "Casino", he received in 1989 a grant from the New York Foundation for the Arts ( NYFA ) and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, among other prizes.

His most famous work, "The Devil's Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith ", was praised by critics and selected by the New York Daily News as one of the " Top 10 Off-Broadway experience " of 2001. It also was appointed by the " Broward / Palm Beach New Times ' " Best Solo Show "and Parra was awarded a second scholarship from the NYFA ( 2000). Except in New York, the piece in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington ( DC), in Palm Beach, in Hartford (Connecticut), in Memphis, on Cape Cod and at the Edinburgh International Festival was staged.

Another piece, the prices has won, the hospital drama " Journey of the Heart" (originally "A Heart of Flesh" ). It was awarded the 1998 prize of the Jewel Box Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre Prize and the " David James Ellis National Play Award ". For his drama "Song of the Coquí " he got the Chicano / Latino Literary Award of the University of California ( Irvine ) and the "American Dream " award from Repertorio Español in New York.

Parra is a member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop and the Dramatists Guild of America, the union of the playwright. He was a participant at the Sewanee Writers Conference in 2000 and taught drama at SUNY Rockland Community College. He is currently Board President of Penguin Repertory Company.

His other pieces are:

  • " Percy T. Penguin Comes to America" ​​, a children's musical
  • " Anansi the Spider Learns his Lesson", also a play for children
  • " Canvases "
  • "The Price of Honor "
  • " Prickasaurus "
  • " The Slope "
  • "Warm Flesch "
  • "A Waltz Without Turns"
  • "Midnight Kiss"
  • " What is it With Me? "
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