Dominic Orlando
Jerome Fellowships 2009 // Core Writers 2009 // Core Writers 2008 // Core Writers 2010 // Core Writers 2011
A former McKnight Fellow, Dominic Orlando was awarded his second Jerome Fellowship in 2009, and was commissioned by Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Nautilus Music-Theater, Teatro del Pueblo, BVT Children’s Theatre, The Red Eye Collaboration, and Actor’s Theatre of Louisville. He is a co-creator of Fissures(lost & found) which premiered at the 2010 Humana Festival of New American Plays.
In New York, he has worked with New York Theatre Workshop, HERE, the Samuel Beckett on Theatre Row (off-broadway), and the New York International Fringe, among others. Regionally, the Guthrie Theater (commission), The Jungle Theater, The Aurora Theatre Company, Crowded Fire Theater, Kitchen Dog Theater (multi-year), Stage Left Theater, the National New Play Network, and the Bay Area Playwrights Festival (multi-year). Internationally, the Tokyo Festival for the Arts, the Prague International Fringe, The Edinburgh Fringe and the Pasinger/Fabrik Theater in Munich. He is a four-time Fellow to the MacDowell Colony and a founding producer of the Workhaus Playwrights’ Collective, company-in-residence at The Playwrights’ Center.
Other residencies include Yaddo, The Edward Albee Foundation (multi-year), Ucross, The Djerassi Resident Artists Program, The William Inge Center for the Arts, and The Atlantic Center for the Arts (a residency with Paula Vogel). Published: Nevermore and The Flow, Playscripts, inc; Dramatics Magazine (multi-year), San Francisco Magazine (multi-year). He is a Core Writer and board member of the Playwrights' Center.
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Search for published plays by Dominic Orlando...
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The Measures
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The Measures is a tricky piece. In the course of five scenes which at first may seem only vaguely connected it tells the story of a young Writer's love for her emotionally disturbed Brother, an unfinished house, an unfinished play, the endless battle between their Parents, and how this strange brew informs not only the Writer's work, but her politics, her relationships, the very structure of her life. But it tells this story indirectly, through inference, allowing the audience to make these connections through what is (hopefully) an entertaining puzzle. The solution to this puzzle reveals a meditation on the various structures that comprise our world, from the intimacies of family, to the collaborations and compromises of the work place, to the outer political world and the ongoing question of who sets the rules we live by and why.
A Short Play About Globalization
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In this black, black comedy, a young FBI Agent travels to Mexico to find his missing sister, a journalist investigating the faceless industrial plans lining the US border. Since the mid-1990's, young women have been disappearing from these plants--some turn up, raped and murdered, but hundreds remain unaccounted for.
When his sister disappears as well, young Agent Frisbee heads down to Ciudad Juarez to investigate. What he finds instead is that changing the economic rules of human relationships may also change what it means to be human--a journey that takes him from the sleazy world of border politics to the glittering stages of "American Idol".
Episode One
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16 year-old Adam Parker has decided that his comic books have more to teach him about the world than high school--so he becomes a supervillain, enlisting the aid of the newly dis- graced Reverend Stanley (and his teenage girlfriend)--together the trio holds their small town hostage for a fortune in diamonds-- seed money for Adam's ultimate plans of world domination. Can the prettiest girl in school and the Captain of the football team save the day?
Juan Gelion Dances for The Sun
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Juan Gelion Dances for The Sun is a play with music about a Latino peasant who may be The Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
Juan abandons a promising career in the priesthood and disappears into the rainforest. The play begins with his return nearly two years later, and his conflicts with local police and the Catholic Church as he preaches, heals and gathers his disciples.
Meanwhile, in The United States, a group of powerful conservative Christians works to create The Kingdom of Jesus Christ on Earth through political activism. Their newest member, Arn Darby, the charismatic young Governor of Arizona, may even have a shot at The White House.
As Juan flees to the USA to continue his ministry, Governor Darby rises in power and influence ...
A Short Play About 9/11
DescriptionPRESENTED BY WORKHAUS COLLECTIVE
A Short Play About 9/11 follows three characters: a hilarious talk show host on the verge of being fired after a monologue of 9/11 jokes; a Russian bio-chemist whose frequent appearances as a terrorism expert are marred by his inability to stay sober; and a young woman who realizes the agonized face on all those "Missing" posters may be her own. The play charts their struggle to resume a normal life, and the surprising role humor and art play in the healing process. Oh, and it's funny.
For more information, including specific dates and times, visit workhauscollective.org.
Poster design by Jacob Stoltz
Danny Casolaro Died For You
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Based on a true story--about the playwright's cousin, a freelance reporter investigating high level corruption in The Reagan/Bush Justice Department. A year into the story, he was found dead in a cheap motel room--his arms slashed a dozen times. The authorities called it suicide, but a host of conspiracy theorists--and The House Judiciary Committee--disagree. What was the truth Danny died trying expose, and what does his strange journey say about the political world we live in now?
All That Is Solid Melts Into Air
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Mourning the death of her sister and mother, international businesswoman Claudia Hopewell throws herself into a desperate search for the secret of eternal life, pushing the boundaries of science and spirituality to their limit. Meanwhile, the world around her inches toward war, and members of her own family conspire to wrest the company from her control. A visionary look into the future—of technology, war, death, family, and love.
The Barbary Coast
DescriptionThis new work by Core Writer Dominic Orlando dramatizes the vast and colorful criminal underworld that blossomed during the Gold Rush in San Francisco, from 1849 to the early 1900's.
