Photos by Sarah Vasquez
12th ANNUAL ONE ACT PLAYS PERFORMANCE
Marfa Live Arts presents 12th Annual One Act Plays
Wednesday, April 19th
7:00pm at Crowley Theater in Marfa
Marfa Live Arts presents the 12 th Annual One-Act plays on Wednesday, April 19th at
the Crowley Theater in Marfa. This year’s selection of award-winning plays has been written by
Freshman Piper Donaldson, Sophomore Jack Marquez, Junior Amber Hinojos, and Senior Janelly
Pereira during the 2023 Marfa Live Arts Playwriting Workshop under the tutelage of playwright
Raul Garza. The words of the student playwrights will be brought to life and performed onstage
by regional thespians including: Jerram Rojo, Fatima Anaza, Belen Garcia, Rachel Tate, Olivia
Pertuso, Dillon Orr, John Aguero, Sabine Blaese, Evan Louison, Christie Alexander, Abby Boyd,
Lily Aguero, Oscar Aguero and Caitlynn Almance.
According to the winners of the competition, their plays being picked to be performed were a
surprise. “I didn’t think I was going to win,” Donaldson said of her play, “Colors,” which she said
was inspired by a video she watched in elementary school of an American icon. “We watched
this video about Helen Keller and how she learned sign language and it always stuck with me.
Sometimes I get memories of it, and I thought, what if I wrote a play about an artist who’s
blind?” Marquez’s play titled “OK”, according to the student playwright, “is a story of an
unrequited crush.” Hinojos’ work, “Ice Cold,” she said, was inspired by a story told to her by her
grandmother. And the idea for Pereira’s play, “Future Kids of America” came about after a
fellow student interviewed her about time travel. “I said if I could go back, I’d go back to the 80s
and be my mom’s best friend,” she said.
For Garza, who ran the Marfa Live Arts workshop, the students have shown great promise as
playwrights. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to have worked with MHS students. My role was
to offer tools to help the writers ‘get out of their own way. I’m proud that the students – and
the winning writers in particular – showcased the ability to write from the heart without filters
or barriers.” Garza is also excited for the upcoming performances that will demonstrate the
students’ newfound writing abilities. “They created plays that transform everyday experiences
into moments of transformation,” he said. “Audiences will be wowed by their boldness and
imagination.”
The Marfa Live Arts One-Act Plays is at 7pm on April 19 th , and made possible by support from
the Marfa Education Foundation. The community is invited to attend this free event.