Play Reading & Discussion
Dec. 15th @ 7:30PM

This fall, The Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre launched a new fellowship program to support emerging playwrights and selected Linda Paola Varela as our inaugural Fellow for a four-month residency. The program, which will select a BIPOC playwright each fall and an LGBTQIA+ playwright each spring, is designed to address the lack of representation for communities that have been historically marginalized or excluded both on the page and on the stage. There is a dearth of positively representative work written for audiences of all ages. We encourage Fellows to create plays that appeal to young audiences and adults alike through engaging, emotionally-resonant storytelling.

This fellowship looks at both the individual and the big picture of performing arts. It supports a promising playwright by pairing them with mentorship by leading artists, and in so doing aids the larger agenda of expanding the body of work by diverse voices. For this fellowship, Linda worked closely with nationally-recognized and lauded playwright and dramaturg Elaine Romero.

On the evening of Dec. 15, we will hear the culmination of Linda’s work over the past few months: a reading of her new short play, Crowning Glory, directed by Matt Denney, followed by a discussion with Linda, Elaine, and the artists who performed the reading. The talk will be facilitated by Associate Producer Raulie Martinez.

For Scoundrels ages 14+

Featuring:
Linda Paola Varela, Elaine Romero, Matt Denney, & Raulie Martinez

Showtime:
READING & DISCUSSION: Dec. 15th at 7:30pm -9pm
STREAMING: Available anytime Dec. 21st through Jan. 4th

Audience: Best enjoyed by Scoundrels ages 14+.  

Regular Ticket Prices
Pay-what-you-can Live Event ($10 recommended donation)
Streaming Event ($10 per device)

Questions? Call our Box Office at +1 520-448-3300. 

This event is supported by the David S. & Norma R. Lewis Foundation and the Community Foundation of Southern Arizona.

Linda Paola Varela

Tucson-based artist Linda Paola Varela was selected as the playwright for the Fall 2021 BIPOC Emerging Playwright Fellowship. Originally from Cananea, Mexico, Linda, a University of Arizona student, theatre artist, and filmmaker focuses on writing, directing, and acting, and aims to create artistic pieces that deal with topics relevant to her identities as a Latina woman, an immigrant, and an artist. Her approach to detailed storytelling within these themes traverses cultural, lingual, and generational lines, a fit with the Scoundrel & Scamp’s core mission to serve diverse audiences.

Linda is a recipient of the Creative Achievement Award at the School of Theatre, Film & Television where she was unanimously nominated by faculty for excellence in creativity, high achievement, and passion for the arts. Her work has been featured in the University of Arizona showcases "What's Up Docs?" and "Magic Hour" and her 2020 documentary "Daughter of Eve" was chosen as an official selection of Festival Fotogenia 2021 in Mexico City.

Elaine Romero

Award-winning playwright Elaine Romero has had her plays presented at the Alley Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Kennedy Center, across the U.S. and abroad. Her war tetralogy includes Revoluciones (Latino Theatre Company with Foro Shakespeare/Mexico), Graveyard of Empires (Blue Ink Playwriting Award, 16th St. Theatre/World Premiere), A Work of Art (Chicago Dramatists/Goodman Theatre, World Premiere), and When Reason Sleeps. Recent commissions: Ford’s Theatre (Modern Slave), Arizona Theatre Company (Title IX), Goodman Theatre (Playwright’s Unit, A Work of Art). This past season included Revoluciones, Like Heaven (Arizona Repertory Theatre), Undocumented (Cal State Dominguez Hills), and Bloody River (Union College). Title IX was featured at the 2017 Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference. Romero is a member of the Latinx Theatre Commons Steering Committee, a Playwright-in-Residence at ATC, and an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona. 

The Scoundrel and Scamp Theatre, in collaboration with the Arizona Theatre Company and Winding Road Theater Ensemble, was a founding member of RomeroFest, a digital project that included the collaboration of 17 companies in the U.S. and Mexico presenting 20 of Romero's work.

Her war pentalogy includes Graveyard of Empires (Blue Ink Playwriting Award), A Work of Art, developed as part of the Goodman Theatre Playwright’s Unit, and the upcoming Rain of Ruin. Graveyard of Empires (16th Street Theatre) and A Work of Art (Chicago Dramatists/Goodman Theatre) premiered in Chicago, and Revoluciones (LATC). At Headlands Center for the Arts, Martinez in Taos (Arizona Theatre Company), Elaine began the final play of the project, When Reason Sleeps. 

Modern Slave was featured at the 2017 Seven Devils Playwrights Conference. It received readings at ACT (Seattle), Victory Gardens (Chicago) and the Road Theatre (LA). 

Publishers: Samuel French, Playscripts, Smith & Kraus, Simon and Schuster, and Vintage Books. Barrio Hollywood was the first play, in Samuel French’s 175-year history, published in both English and Spanish acting editions. 

Elaine is an Affiliate Writer at the Playwrights’ Center and a long-time member of the Dramatists Guild for which she serves as Southwest Regional Rep. She holds her MFA from UC Davis. She previously taught at Northwestern University UW-Madison. Elaine is Playwright-in-Residence at Arizona Theatre Company and a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists. Her pilot, Killing Beauty, was a finalist for the Orchard Project’s TV Episodic Lab. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona in the School of Theatre, Film, and Television.