Jazmyn Arroyo and Janelle Zapata have taken a great step… Step1 Theatre Project. These two courageous women have built a powerful brand in just a short time. Step 1’s mission is endorse and encourage artistic freedom. Money doesn’t stop them from bringing bold, meaningful productions to interested audiences. Female-centric in terms of authors – ethnic authors, by the way, J & J open a very necessary door to the theatre to a very necessary voice.

Their entry in this year’s Planet Connections Festivity is a perfect example:
The Plays of Desi Moreno-Penson come to Planet Connections thanks to Step 1 Theatre Project. 

Snipped/Cut/Tied: Una Noche de Magia Performing June 16 @ 7:00 PM, June 18 @ 2:30 PM, June 21 @ 9:30 PM, June 24 @ 5:45 PM, June 26 @ 7:15 PM, July 1 @ 3:45 PM at this year’s Planet Connections Theater Festivity

The festival runs JUNE 12 – JULY 9 AT THE CLEMENTE, 107 SUFFOLK STREET, NYC.
https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/27385

Nuyorican playwright Desi Moreno-Penson boldly presents a world of magical realism for the next generation. In her three short plays, Genesister, Let Mezaluca Buy Your Car, and Dead Wives Dance the Mambo, the audience is immersed in a world of novella, film noir, and menacing mamboleros styles.  “Snipped/Cut/Tied: Una Noche de Magia” takes the audience through a surrealist universe immersed in both levity and a scintillating darkness.

Desi Moreno-Penson’s plays have been developed and produced at Ensemble Studio Theater, INTAR, Perishable Theater (Providence, RI), Henry Street Settlement, SPF-Summer Play Festival, The Downtown Urban Theater Festival @the Cherry Lane, Urban Theatre Company (Chicago), among others.

So Jaz, what drives YOU? 

What inspires you as an artist?
What inspires me as an artist is that each individual human being has a unique interpretation of the world around them–so no matter how many works of art exist out there, there is always room for as many new unique interpretations as there are artists to present them. I enjoy looking at pieces and thinking, how can we apply our own unique voice and vision to this?

Why independent theater?
I love indie theatre because there’s a wide, diverse network of artists who choose to take artistic risks and push the envelope in their pieces. The reality is that many artists present their work knowing there won’t be much of a financial return for their efforts–but the piece, to them, is important, needs to be presented, and/or is something that makes them feel passionate. In our big, colorful, eclectic theatre scene, there’s something for everyone–and that deserves to be celebrated.