The word theatre comes from the Greeks. It means the seeing place. It is the place people come to see the truth about life and the social situation.
Stella Adler
Stella Adler
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La Potencia, rehearsal at 59e59 LAByrinth Theater Company Barn Series
"We found the play gripping, keeping us on pins and needles wondering how things would turn out for Roberta while also having us grapple with the questions raised regarding how much one is willing to sacrifice to make a fresh start." Cleveland Playhouse
"This play is engaging right off the bat and has an intriguing concept. The characters are distinct, and Roberta specifically is a great, developed character we can’t help but be invested in. The momentum of this piece is strong, and the stakes are consistent, keeping the audience engaged." Florida Studio Theatre
The Traci Reyes Syndrome - LAByrinth Theater Company Barn Series at 59e59 Theaters
LITCouncil in association with The Tank. Title: Race Uncut Directed by Rebecca Martinez
Lester Collins Takes Five - Downtown Urban Arts Festival 2020
"Full Moon Inside a Red Sky" presented as part of BrooklynOne productions New Works Reading series at Dimensions On Stage, directed by Michael Lo Porto, 2013, NYC
*In Da Boogie Down presented as part of Urban Theater Company"s R.A.W. (Real. Aggressive. Writing) Series at Chicago's Batey Urbano, 2013 *2012 Metlife Foundation "Nuestra Voces" Playwrighting finalist nominee
*Midnight Mass presented as part of The Breath of Fire Latina Theatre Ensemble's First annual New Works Festival, Santa Ana California 2008 *2006 - Metlife Foundation "Nuestra Voces" National Playwrights' Competition runner up "Best Play" award
Scene from W.A.C. Iraq: A Work-in-Progress
2008 The Breath of Fire Latina Theatre Ensemble,
Santa Ana California directed by Jose Casas
2008 The Breath of Fire Latina Theatre Ensemble,
Santa Ana California directed by Jose Casas
W.A.C. Iraq: A Work-in-Progress
"The great evil in this play isn’t a nation or a policy, but war itself. Nieves skillfully avoids turning a divisive, emotionally charged subject into overt propaganda, focusing instead on the struggles and hopes of his female protagonists. While most of the women are American G.I.s or their family members, the two most intriguing are anything but: a devout Iraqi Muslim who questions America’s involvement in Iraq, and another devout Muslim, a Kurd, who has agreed to become a U.S. soldier in order to jump-start her devastated life. These are seldom-told, intensely fascinating stories and the highlights of the piece." OC Weekly
"The great evil in this play isn’t a nation or a policy, but war itself. Nieves skillfully avoids turning a divisive, emotionally charged subject into overt propaganda, focusing instead on the struggles and hopes of his female protagonists. While most of the women are American G.I.s or their family members, the two most intriguing are anything but: a devout Iraqi Muslim who questions America’s involvement in Iraq, and another devout Muslim, a Kurd, who has agreed to become a U.S. soldier in order to jump-start her devastated life. These are seldom-told, intensely fascinating stories and the highlights of the piece." OC Weekly
Scene from By the Dawn's Early Light: Los Embrujados 2011 Apple Core Theatre Company directed by Walter J. Hoffman
"As Los Embrujados, begins we are greeted with the sounds of a newscast playing over, immediately we try to discern if it is the announcements of the two towers, however it seems to be rather just newscasts from that Tuesday morning. And what Nieves does so well is allowing us to sit in on the everyday of two immigrant brothers, Arturo and Miguel, as well their restaurant co-workers Aamir and Nadia; all of them unknowing what will occur in less than an hour. While watching, one can’t help looking for signs or hints to the impending events, but what I found myself thinking more about was how the events of that momentous day will, and did, disrupt the lives of people like this, people living in New York City by absolute choice, people working long hours for very little, people perhaps more excited to be in this country than most longtime citizens even remember. " New York Theatre Review
"As Los Embrujados, begins we are greeted with the sounds of a newscast playing over, immediately we try to discern if it is the announcements of the two towers, however it seems to be rather just newscasts from that Tuesday morning. And what Nieves does so well is allowing us to sit in on the everyday of two immigrant brothers, Arturo and Miguel, as well their restaurant co-workers Aamir and Nadia; all of them unknowing what will occur in less than an hour. While watching, one can’t help looking for signs or hints to the impending events, but what I found myself thinking more about was how the events of that momentous day will, and did, disrupt the lives of people like this, people living in New York City by absolute choice, people working long hours for very little, people perhaps more excited to be in this country than most longtime citizens even remember. " New York Theatre Review
Scene from By the Dawn's Early Light: Midnight Mass
2011 Apple Core Theatre Company directed by Walter J. Hoffman
"Midnight Mass, brings its focus to the afterwards of 9/11 where we watch several characters all impacted by the events in various, but similar ways. All of them uniquely hurt and often angry at everything from the country, or each other, to their God above. It remains relevant to watch how the lives of the working class were torn this way by the attacks." New York Theatre Review
2011 Apple Core Theatre Company directed by Walter J. Hoffman
"Midnight Mass, brings its focus to the afterwards of 9/11 where we watch several characters all impacted by the events in various, but similar ways. All of them uniquely hurt and often angry at everything from the country, or each other, to their God above. It remains relevant to watch how the lives of the working class were torn this way by the attacks." New York Theatre Review
By the Dawn's Early Light: Los Embrujados & Midnight Mass
"The real strength in what Nieves and company are doing here is allowing us to view the events of September 11th from the perspective of characters who live along the bottom and are trying not only to cope with their losses but doing so from a disadvantaged lot in life." New York Theatre Review
"The real strength in what Nieves and company are doing here is allowing us to view the events of September 11th from the perspective of characters who live along the bottom and are trying not only to cope with their losses but doing so from a disadvantaged lot in life." New York Theatre Review
*Voices from the Front
*Brooklyn Arts Council’s NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Award, NYC 2006. Directed by Padraic Lillis, Illustration by Linda Wulkan
*Brooklyn Arts Council’s NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Award, NYC 2006. Directed by Padraic Lillis, Illustration by Linda Wulkan
"By The Dawn's Early Light: Midnight Mass & Los Embrujados" West Coast premiere/Working Artist Lab at The Missing Piece Theatre, Burbank, CA 2012 directed by Hector Rodriguez
Undertow
2012 Downtown Urban Theatre Festivals' Tenth Anniversary at HERE/NYC directed by Walter Hoffman
2012 Downtown Urban Theatre Festivals' Tenth Anniversary at HERE/NYC directed by Walter Hoffman
AfterLoss
2010 Downtown Urban Theatre Festival at Theatre for
a New City directed by David Jackson
Pinero Resurrected
2010 Downtown Urban Theatre Festival at Theatre for a New City directed by Mel Nieves
2010 Downtown Urban Theatre Festival at Theatre for
a New City directed by David Jackson
Pinero Resurrected
2010 Downtown Urban Theatre Festival at Theatre for a New City directed by Mel Nieves
Solo Man Watusi
2009 Downtown Urban Theatre Festival at HERE/NYC directed by David Jackson
2009 Downtown Urban Theatre Festival at HERE/NYC directed by David Jackson
W.A.C. Iraq (One Act Version)
2008 Downtown Urban Theatre Festival at Cherry Lane Theatre directed by Taibi Magar
2008 Downtown Urban Theatre Festival at Cherry Lane Theatre directed by Taibi Magar
*Tours of Duty
2005 Downtown Urban Theatre Festival at Cherry Lane Theatre/NYC directed by Padraic Lillis *Co-winner "Best Short Play."
2005 Downtown Urban Theatre Festival at Cherry Lane Theatre/NYC directed by Padraic Lillis *Co-winner "Best Short Play."
Karen & Tomas: I Touch Myself
2006 Downtown Urban Theatre Festival at Cherry Lane Theatre/NYC , directed by Padraic Lillis
2006 Downtown Urban Theatre Festival at Cherry Lane Theatre/NYC , directed by Padraic Lillis
"Night Screams" BrooklynOne Productions Vince Mazza One Act Festival 2013, dir. Shira Segal
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IN DA BOOGIE DOWN
Written by Mel Nieves
Original poetry by Craig "Mums" Grant
Directed/Co-developed by Paula Pizzi-Black
Barefoot Theatre Company's Barenaked Reading Series 2014 at West Beth Community Room, NYC
Between a Hotdog and a Hard Place
Written by Mel Nieves
Directed by Frank Solorzano
Barefoot Theatre Company LA BareNaked Reading series 2014 at Art of Acting Studio, Hollywood, CA
Written by Mel Nieves
Directed by Frank Solorzano
Barefoot Theatre Company LA BareNaked Reading series 2014 at Art of Acting Studio, Hollywood, CA
Rochester Latino Theatre company stage reading presentation of "W.A.C. Iraq", 2014, Rochester NY, Directed by Jose C R. Casado
"W.A.C. Iraq" presented by the Rochester Latino Theatre company as part of the 2014 Rochester Fringe Festival, Rochester, NY, Dir. Jose Casado
"Rochester Latino Theatre Company's "W.A.C. Iraq" takes a complicated subject and presents it in a simple, powerful way. This tribute to Latina women in the Armed Forces who have served in Iraq honors their contributions, details their sacrifices, and asks some disturbing questions about a country that gives poor women opportunities in the military and often takes them away when they return from service. The format is a dialogue between a distraught G.I. (Jay O'Leary) and a kindly operator in a military base call center (Denise Herrera), interrupted by a monologue from a proudly patriotic young Latina soldier (Wednesday Mann), and concluded with a powerful, paradoxical monologue accompanying pictures of Latina soldiers in Iraq. It may not sound like much on paper, but it is affecting and effectively performed, particularly by O'Leary."
Rochester City Paper
"Rochester Latino Theatre Company's "W.A.C. Iraq" takes a complicated subject and presents it in a simple, powerful way. This tribute to Latina women in the Armed Forces who have served in Iraq honors their contributions, details their sacrifices, and asks some disturbing questions about a country that gives poor women opportunities in the military and often takes them away when they return from service. The format is a dialogue between a distraught G.I. (Jay O'Leary) and a kindly operator in a military base call center (Denise Herrera), interrupted by a monologue from a proudly patriotic young Latina soldier (Wednesday Mann), and concluded with a powerful, paradoxical monologue accompanying pictures of Latina soldiers in Iraq. It may not sound like much on paper, but it is affecting and effectively performed, particularly by O'Leary."
Rochester City Paper
2014 Barefoot Theatre Company's BareNaked LA Reading series
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2014 Barefoot Theatre company's 15 Anniversary GALA presentation of "Between a Hot Dog and a Hard Place"
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Readings of "W.A.C. Iraq" and "Los Embrujados" directed by Maggie Low
2015 Downtown Urban Theatre Festival at HERE, NYC *"Between a Hot Dog and a Hard Place", directed by Shira-Lee Shalit - *Best Short Play award Downtown Urban Theatre Festival
2015 San Diego Repertory Company's Amigo's Del Rep presentation of "In Da Boogie Down", directed by Vanessa J. Mendoza
*In Da Boogie Down
Repertorio Espanol
Directed by Paula Pizzi-Black
Original Poetry Craig "Mums" Grant
Original music Andre Fratto
Stage Manager Farin Rebecca Loeb
Featuring Jasmine Cephas Jones, Victor Almanzar, Blanca Camacho, Kevin Prowse, Jose Joaquin Perez, Peter Collier, Peter Hirsch *2012 Metlife Foundation "Nuestra Voces" Playwrighting finalist
2016 Downtown Urban Theatre Festival at HERE, NYC "Cost of Exposure" directed by Courtney Wetzel
The Spirit, The Body & The Blood, 2016 LAByrinth Theatre Company Barn Series Festival of New Plays at Bank Street Theatre, NYC, Directed by Jenna Worsham
The Spirit, The Body & The Blood", 2015 Actors Studio, NYC, Directed by Frank Solorzano
Frederick Douglass and The Fallen Angels, 2016 Actors Studio, NYC directed by Shira-Lee Shalit
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Frederick Douglass and The Fallen Angels at Cherry lane Theatre/LAByrinth Theater Company Barn Series 2018
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