Cuban-American playwright Nilo Cruz, whose play “Anna in the Tropics,” won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2003, has been named the Hearst Theater Lab Initiative Distinguished Visiting Playwright-in-Residence at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.
Cruz, who will hold this role for the 2019–20 academic year, follows Paula Vogel in the position.
“Nilo’s inspiring and groundbreaking plays are very much in harmony with our vison and mission at UCLA TFT as the ‘storytelling school,’ and with the goals of our Hearst Foundation Theater Lab Initiative,” said Teri Schwartz, dean of UCLA TFT. “We are confident that Nilo will add immeasurably to the life of our school by generously sharing his brilliance and artistry with our amazing students.”
In addition to the Pulitzer for “Anna in the Tropics” — a Depression-era tale about migrant Cubans working in a cigar factory in Tampa, Florida — Cruz also received a Tony Award nomination. The immigrant experience is a common theme in many of Cruz's plays and he has become known for his ability to successfully weave strains of magic realism and other literary traditions into his works.
His plays include “Dancing on Her Knees,” “A Park in Our House,” “Two Sisters and a Piano,” “A Bicycle Country” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,” as well as translations of “Doña Rosita the Spinster,” “The House of Bernarda Alba,” and “¡Ay, Carmela!”
The Hearst Theater Lab Initiative is made possible by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation, which gave $250,000 to UCLA TFT.
Read the full news release.
