SYNOPSIS:
An unlikely attraction blossoms between poetry professor Carolina and her talented student Benjamin, but Carolina can’t overlook the age difference in good conscience. Spanning twenty years, December tells the story of two Texans connecting over literature and music in Minnesota. This lyrical meditation on love, poetry, and timing is written by Texas playwright Marisela Trevino Orta, best known for The River Bride.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Hearing that it can take 10 years before you see any real traction in your playwriting career was a huge relief. Just because you’re 3 years in and don’t have a production doesn’t mean you’re failing at this. I used my 10 years to deepen my craft. I wrote a new play every year, I read plays, went to see plays, and met so many other artists. Those 10 years were foundational for my current career.
Was there a play that inspired you to start writing?
It wasn’t a play. It was a theatre company. El Teatro Jornalero. I joined as a poet who was inspired by the visuals of their movement exercises. I watched them co-create/devise a piece of political theatre over the course of a year. After that year, I got curious about playwriting.
Before I sit down to write I always…
Put on music.
