Misfit, America
written by Nelson Diaz-Marcano
Directed by Rebecca Aparicio
Workshop Lab Reading of MISFIT, AMERICA by Nelson Diaz-Marcano on Thursday, May 28 at 3pm
Houghton Hall Arts Community
22 East 30th Street (between 5th and Madison Avenues).
Blending the mythic pulse of the land and its spirit with the stark landscape of the American Western, Misfit, America follows a diverse community led by an unlikely couple as they are forced to protect a Native American teen from the men who once shaped their lives. But before they can fight, they must make peace with their past and learn to trust the future and each other. Living on the outskirts of the last free place in America, this community must decide to give everything, or run.
with
Sean McIntyre*
Carmen Alvarez
Esteban Andres Cruz*
Daniela Gonzalez y Perez
Brandon Meeks*
Cristina Pitter*
Danny Borba* - Stage directions
*Equity Member appearing with permission of Actors’ Equity Association without benefit of an Equity contract in this Off-Off Broadway production.
Nelson Diaz-Marcano is a Puerto Rican playwright, advocate, and community leader based in New York City. His work has been produced Off-Broadway and regionally in Chicago, Dallas, Connecticut, and beyond. He creates bold, history-rooted stories that explore identity, community, and memory, using the past as a way to better understand who we are today. In addition to his writing, he serves as Literary Director of the Latinx Playwrights Circle, where he supports the development of new work and champions underrepresented voices in theater.
Rebecca Aparicio (she/her/ella) is a Cuban American, bilingual director and writer of socially driven work. Recent Directing: Las Borinqueñas (EST, 6 Hola Award nom.) Jardín Salvaje (GALA Hispanic Theatre), Beastgirl (Kennedy Center-Helen Hayes Nom), In Pieces (Joe’s Pub), and Songs for Slutty Girls (Parkside). She also served as Asst. Director on Hell’s Kitchen on Broadway and First National Tour. Awards: 2024 Barbara Whitman SDC Award, Roundabout Directing Group, MTC Directing Fellowship. She is a member of Latinx Playwrights Circle, Board Member Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, and Artist Ambassador with NYCLU. RebeccaAparicio.com
Sean McIntyre is a New York based theater-maker/educator. He has worked on and off-broadway, teaches at multiple universities, and spends an inordinate amount of time talking to himself in his voiceover booth. He is a teaching artist with Rehabilitation Through the Arts, and is currently directing a production of EVERYBODY by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins at Green Haven Correctional Facility.
Carmen Alvarez is a Mexican-Japanese actress and dramaturg from San Francisco. She is a graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where she earned her BFA in Drama from the Meisner Studio, and a member of INTAR Theater’s Unit 52 Class of 2025. Stage credits include Lupe Vélez in With Deepest Regrets, Lupe Vélez at INTAR and Niña in Todas las mariposas negras mueren en el mar at IATI. Film credits include Dissonance, directed by Kalani Angel, and They’re Here for You, directed by Justin Wang
Esteban Andres Cruz was born in Berwyn and raised in Cicero, IL and is thrilled to be working with Rebecca (finally), Nelson and this incredible cast! Currently making their Broadway debut, originating the role of Leon (Liz Eden) in Dog Day Afternoon by Stephen Adly Guirgis and acting alongside Jon Bernthal and John Ortiz. Off-Broadway: Halfway Bitches Go Straight to Heaven by Stephen Adly Guirgis (Drama Desk Award nomination-Best Featured Actor), Cornelia Street by Tony winner Simon Stephens at The Atlantic Theatre Company, Bathhouse.pptx by Jesus I Valles (Yale Drama Prize Winner) and all three world premieres. Esteban performed at Lincoln Center in the Greensboro Massacre Musical by Cesar Alvarez, The Potluck (directed by Sarah Benson). They have performed at many theatres in Chicago, including: Steppenwolf, Writers' Theater, Victory Gardens, Factory Theater, 16th Street, Lyric Opera (as Puck) and many others. West Coast: Pasadena Playhouse, Celebration Theater, Cygnet Theater and Sacred Fools. Regionally: T.A.T.C., Peninsula Players, St. Louis Rep, Milwaukee Rep and Miami New Drama. They made their debut as a solo director with the critically acclaimed revival of Jesus Hopped the A Train. Almost 20 years prior, Esteban starred as Angel Cruz in the same play and won the Jeff Award for their performance. As a dancer, Esteban is a 3rd Generation Graham dancer, studying under Eileen Cropley (Paul Taylor’s partner in the Taylor Company). Esteban was a company member with RTG Dance in Chicago for 7 years (Rachel Thorne Germond-AD, Klein-Mahler technique). Esteban is a graduate of The School at Steppenwolf, iO (formerly Improv Olympic) and the Annoyance Theatre. They are a company member with A Red Orchid Theatre in Chicago and co-Founder of The VIVERO, a playwrights’ foundation dedicated to excellence in Latiné dramatic literature. They are a 2018 TCG National Fox Acting Fellow Award Winner and also received the After Dark Award for Best Choreography. Select film: Spa Night (Cassavetti Best Feature), Valley of Bones, The Thin Line, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas and Rattled. TV credits: Chicago Fire, Awkward, Easy, Idiot Sitter, The Bridge, You're The Worst and South Side.
Daniela Gonzalez y Perez (they/them) is a queer actor, playwright, and filmmaker from Brooklyn, NY. Currently in post-prod. of their debut short film in their Revolution Trilogy, ESPERANZA Y YO, filmed in Puerto Rico. They were recently part of Pipeline Theatre Company’s PlayLab, Clubbed Thumb’s Early-Career Writer’s Group, LAByrinth Intensive Ensemble, and The Latinx Playwrights Circle’s Intensive Mentorship. Writing creds include LEARNING HOW TO SQUIRT (Pipeline Theatre Company, First Call x Media Luna, Cosmic Cherry Festival), HORNY LITTLE TREE FROGS (Ya Tu Sabes Monologue Slam by Nosotros x NBC), ALIEN STRIPPERS (The 24-Hour Plays), and TINKERBELL & THE LOST GIRL (Fucked-Up Play Fest!). Acting creds include INTAR Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Joe’s Pub w/ Hurray for the Riff Raff, Rattlestick Theater, The Tank, and Gallery Players. They hold a BFA in Acting from Brooklyn College, are a member of INTAR’s Unit 52 and The Latinx Playwrights Circle, and a teaching artist for Manhattan Theatre Club.
Brandon Meeks is a New York performing artist, writer, and fight director delighted to be a part of Misfit, America. Regional Theatre: Dracula, The Breasts of Tiresias, Dracula: A Radio Play (Actors Theatre of Louisville); The Matchmaker (People's Light and Theatre). Other Theatre: Hamlet, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Macbeth, Henry VIII, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, King John (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival); The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Dragons Love Tacos, Frankenstein (StageOne); Byhalia, Mississippi (off the WALL); RED (Bunbury Theatre); A Christmas Carol (Kane Memorial Chapel). Film / TV: Liz Here Now, Shirley, Olives.
Cristina Pitter (they/she/respect) is a queer multi-spirit afro-indigenous artist, abolitionist, and alchemist who wants to compost all genocidal empires and plant liberation seeds in the fertile soil. They also have the best laugh ever. SERIOUSLY. Follow their antics at cristinapitter.com