dramaturg. playwright. intersectional scholar.
Dramaturgy Samples
a Dramaturgical Deep-Dive into the Oldest Play in the Americas
The legend of Apu Ollantay dates back to the time of the Inca Empire.
It is the last surviving Pre-Columbian drama in the world, and its preservation is an obscure history which has gone untold: most strikingly, the fact that its most well-known iteration (published today in more than 10 languages) may be the subject of forgery and colonial erasure of Indigenous history.
This presentation examines primary and secondary sources (including codexes, manuscripts, and dissertations in both Spanish and English) to uncover the covert history behind the Inca play Apu Ollantay.
Presented as part of a Capstone Project under the direction of Christen Mandracchia, PhD.
Questions on Best Practices and Community Engagement
Electricidad is an adaptation of Electra by Sophocles, which playwright Luis Alfaro adapted from conversations with an incarcerated teen girl with a history of gang violence. The resulting work is a groundbreaking play featuring an all-Latinx cast, written in a unique dialect of "Spanglish"– however, retrospection regarding its execution and real-time audience reception has rarely been done.
This packet features sociopolitical context and research into the world of the play, the history of cholo culture in LA, and questions regarding the depiction of Latino characters and cholo culture in Electricidad.
Presented as a Capstone Project for Dramaturgy Practicum at the University of the Arts.
In February 2024, Tyler stepped into the role of Community Outreach Dramaturg for Philadelphia Theatre Company's production of Cost of Living by Martyna Majok. This is part of a new initiative by PTC to extend roles to disabled creatives in Philly to contribute to the convo about disability representation onstage.
Watch an excerpt of a community-night talkback, where they led a discussion alongside Disabled advocate Katie Samson of ArtReach.
Investigating a True Story Lost to Time
In modern-day Peru, the nickname “Felipillo” is applied to others as a synonym for "political traitor" - similar to "Benedict Arnold" in the US. But how did he earn this reputation? Based on the true account of an Indigenous Quechua servant who translated for Spanish conquistadors in the Inca Empire, this is an examination of Felipillo's posthumous legacy, the real-life historical figure as detailed in primary sources, attempting to carve a narrative from the footnotes left behind.
Felipillo Premiered at The University of the Arts Spring Showcase, May 2023
(Click to view PDF)