New Plays Festival: IVERA - Arts Initiative at Columbia University

About the Festival

Columbia University School of the Arts presents an expanded festival of new plays written by Columbia MFA Playwriting Students. The esteemed faculty who have nurtured these students, including Tony, Pulitzer, and Obie Award winners such as James Ijames, Rebecca Taichman, Sarah DeLappe, Steve Martin, Will Eno, Karey Kirkpatrick and David Henry Hwang invite you to experience these innovative new playwrights.

Event Details

A love letter to Puerto Rican womanhood and a condemnation of medical racism. After Ivera falls into a coma due to doctors’ negligence during the birth of her first child, she grapples with not only the impending loss of herself, but the decay of everyone around her. From her hospital room, she relives her happiest moments, and comes face-to-face with her saddest ones.

Location

Lenfest Center for the Arts
615 W 129th St
New York, NY

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About The Performance

IVERA is a love letter to Puerto Rican womanhood and a condemnation of medical racism. After Ivera falls into a coma due to doctors’ negligence during the birth of her first child, she grapples with not only the impending loss of herself, but the decay of everyone around her. From her hospital room, she relives her happiest moments, and comes face-to-face with her saddest ones. As the veil between worlds begins to lift, Ivera, caught somewhere in-between, soon realizes her perfect, vibrant, passionate life wasn’t as beautiful as she always thought it was.

About the Playwright

Antonia Cruz-Kent (she/her) is a Nuyorican-Jewish playwright and actor. She is in her final year at Columbia University’s MFA Playwriting program (Grad. 2024), and is a graduate of the CalArts BFA Acting program (2021). She is a company member of Hero Theatre. She is also a member of IATI Theater’s 2024 Cimientos Playwriting cohort. While at Columbia, she had the pleasure of being mentored by the amazing Rebecca Taichman, and served as the assistant to trailblazer Larissa FastHorse on the Broadway debut of The Thanksgiving Play. Her playwriting credits include Isolina and Hamburgerpillow in the Bronx (The 24 Hour Plays @ INTAR), esperaré (Columbia University), and Adriel’s Bones (48 hours in…EL BRONX! @ Pregones/PRTT & Harlem9). She wrote her first play at age 4. It involved a grocery store parking lot, murder, and a tenacious stuffed animal. @antoniacruzkent

For more information about this performance, please visit the event website.

Image: Lenfest Center for the Arts