Biography
Mando Alvarado is a playwright, screenwriter and an actor from South Texas. His first feature film, Cruzando, which he co-wrote and co-directed with Michael Ray Escamilla has was won praise and accolades and has screened at such notable festivals as the HBO New York International Latino Film Festival, Newport Beach International Film Festival, London Latino International Film Festival. Cruzando was distributed by Vanguard Cinema and is available on DVD.
His plays Sangre, an adaptation of Blood Wedding, and A King of Infinite Space, and adaptation of Hamlet mashed up with the music of Pearl Jam, premiered in Central Park's SummerStage and The Here Art Center. He also wrote the book for the Yellow Brick Road, a bilingual musical adaptation of the Wizard of Oz for Theaterworks USA which received is critically acclaimed Off-Broadway premiere at the Lortel Theater in July 2011. His play Post No Bills received its Off-Broadway premiere at Rattlestick Playwright's Theater in November 2009. His play Splitting Mama was selected to participate at the Black Swan Lab at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He is a contributing writer for Theater 167's You Are Now the Owner of This Suitcase. He also participated in the Freight Project where he developed his play (O)n THE 5:31 which was commissioned for Rising Phoenix Rep's Cino Nights at the Seventh Street Small Stage. His play, Rear Exit, was presented at INTAR's NewWorks Lab in an evening of shorts entitled One Night in the Valley and was presented as a part of The Atlantic Theater's Latino Theater Festival. His translation of Yamaha 300 for The Lark's Mexico/US Exchange Program received a staged reading at The Goodman's Latino Theater Festival. His play Throat was developed at The Field ArtWard Bound Residency Program and was produced by Allison Prouty at the 45th St Theater. Throat completed a three-city tour to Washington, DC, McAllen, TX, and Minneapolis, MN; it had an additional run at INTAR's NewWorks Lab.
His plays have received developmental support from Rattlestick Playwright's Theater, The Kennedy Center, INTAR, The Lark, Naked Angels, Mixed Company, Sonnet Rep, The Shalimar, Theater Alliance, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and The Round House Theater.
His play Basilica will be produced at the Cherry Lane by Rattlestick Playwright's Theater and had a developmental production at STC in McAllen, TX in May of 2011. Basilica is slated for their 2012 - 2013 season. Basilica also received a week long workshop at The Black and Latino Playwright Conference in San Marcos. He was a finalist for the Ellen Steward Artist Award at La MaMa. He is a member of Rising Phoenix Rep, alum of INTAR's Hispanic-Playwright-in-Residence Laboratory 2006 - 2008 and a graduate of North Carolina School of the Arts.
