Karen Zacarías is an American playwright. She is known for her play ''Mariela in the Desert''. It was the winner of the National Latino Playwriting Award and a finalist for other prizes. ''Mariela in the Desert'' was debuted at the

Goodman Theatre Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of the Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. Part of its present theater complex occupies the ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. Zacarías is the founder of the Young Playwrights' Theater located in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Early life

Zacarías received her Bachelors in Arts from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

in 1991 and then went on to pursue her Masters in Creative Writing at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

in 1995. Zacarías comes from an artistic family from Mexico. Her grandfather,

Miguel Zacarías Miguel Zacarías Nogaim (19 March 1905 – 20 April 2006) was a Mexican film director, producer, and writer. Career Zacarías began directing for film in 1933. Even from his early career he developed a reputation for recognizing new acting ...

, was a movie director and writer during the

Golden Age of Mexican cinema The Golden Age of Mexican Cinema (Spanish: la Época de Oro del Cine Mexicano), spanning the 1930s to 1950s, was a prolific era during which Mexico emerged as the leading film producer in Latin America. Filmmakers during this period tackled themes ...

in the 1930s and 1940s. Zacarías initially resisted pursuing an artistic career. She said:

Career

She was the first playwright-in-residence at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. She has written several plays, including ''The Book Club Play'', ''Legacy of Light'', ''Mariela in the Desert'', ''The Sins of

Sor Juana Sor or SOR may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * School of Rock, 2003 film starring Jack Black * Shades of Rhythm, a British based rave music group * Son of Rambow, 2008 film starring Bill Milner and Will Poulter * Sor, Serdar Ortaç ...

'', ''The Sun Also Rises'' and adaptations of plays such as '' How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents'', ''Just Like Us'' and others. Theaters that have showcased her plays include the Kennedy Center, Arena Stage,

, Round House Theatre,

Denver Center for the Performing Arts The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) is an organization in Denver, Colorado which provides a showcase for live theatre, a nurturing ground for new plays, a preferred stop on the Broadway touring circuit, acting classes for the communi ...

Alliance Theatre The Alliance Theatre is a theater company in Atlanta, Georgia. It is part of the Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center. The company, originally the Atlanta Municipal Theatre, staged its first production (''King Arthur'') at the Alliance in 1968. The ...

, Imagination Stage (

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park is a regional theatre in the United States. It was founded in 1959 by college student Gerald Covell and was one of the first regional theatres in the United States. Located in Eden Park, the first play tha ...

Oregon Shakespeare Festival The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is a regional Repertory, repertory theatre in Ashland, Oregon, United States, founded in 1935 by Angus L. Bowmer. The Festival now offers matinee and evening performances of a wide range of classic and conte ...

, GALA Hispanic Theatre,

Berkshire Theatre Festival The Berkshire Theatre Festival is one of the oldest professional performing arts venues in the Berkshires, celebrating 100 years of theatre in 2028. History The main building of the Berkshire Theatre Festival was originally the Stockbridge Casin ...

South Coast Repertory South Coast Repertory (SCR) is a professional theatre company located in Costa Mesa, California. South Coast Repertory was founded in 1964. It has three stages and presents plays from all eras. SCR producers new plays, Theatre for Young Audiences ...

La Jolla Playhouse La Jolla Playhouse is a nonprofit professional theater on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. History La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under the ...

Cleveland Play House Cleveland Play House (CPH) is a professional regional theater company located in Cleveland, Ohio. It was founded in 1915 and built its own noted theater complex in 1927. Currently the company performs at the Allen Theatre in Playhouse Square ...

, San Jose Repertory Theatre, GEVA Theater, Horizon Theater, People's Light and Theatre, Walnut Street Theater, Arden Theater, Milagro Theater, Teatro Vista, and Aurora Theater. Zacarías was invited by the

White House Historical Association The White House Historical Association, founded in 1961 through efforts of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, is a private, nonprofit organization that works to preserve the history of the White House and make its history more accessible to the publ ...

and the

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

to write a family play about the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

. She included young people in the process and her script was converted into a book published by Scholastic. It included a foreword by First Lady

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama ( Robinson; born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, being married to Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United Stat ...

. The book was called ''Chasing George Washington'' and the musical premiered at The Kennedy Center for Performing Arts and was followed by a national tour. Zacarías established and founded the Young Playwrights' Theater in 1995. She began by volunteering and teaching playwriting classes to children in D.C. classrooms, and they grew so popular that she turned it into a 501c3 nonprofit organization by 1997. She is also the founder of the Latino Theatre Commons. She has been inspired by works from Maria Ines Fornes,

Caryl Churchill Caryl Lesley Churchill (born 3 September 1938) is a British playwright known for dramatising the abuses of power, for her use of non- naturalistic techniques, and for her exploration of sexual politics and feminist themes.

Sarah Ruhl Sarah Ruhl (born January 24, 1974) is an American playwright, poet, professor, and essayist. Among her most popular plays are ''Eurydice'' (2003), '' The Clean House'' (2004), and '' In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play)'' (2009). She has been ...

Lisa Loomer Lisa Loomer (born 1950) is an American playwright and screenwriter who has also worked as an actress and stand-up comic. She is best known for her play ''The Waiting Room'' (1994), in which three women from different time periods meet in a modern ...

Lisa Kron Elizabeth S. "Lisa" Kron (born May 20, 1961) is an American actress and playwright. She is best known for writing the lyrics and book for the musical '' Fun Home'', for which she won both the Tony Award for Best Original Score and the Tony Awar ...

and

Julia Cho Julia Cho (born July 5, 1975) is an American playwright and television writer. In March 2020 she was awarded the Windham-Campbell Literature Prize. Select full length plays ''99 Histories'' (2002) ''99 Histories'' is a drama portraying the ...

. Writing for young people is very important for Zacarías. She says: "I love writing for young people. You can't find a more honest and challenging audience on the planet. My strongest playwriting lessons have come in trying to create stories that will resonate with young people—it is a rewarding, hilarious and heartbreaking endeavor to create plays in which kids really see themselves on stage."

Personal life

She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, Rett Snotherly, and their three children.

Awards

''The Sins of Sor Juana'' was the winner of the Charles MacArthur Award for outstanding new play at D.C.'s 2000

Helen Hayes Award The Helen Hayes Awards are theater awards recognizing excellence in professional theater in the Washington, D.C. area since 1983. The awards are named in tribute of Helen Hayes, who is also known as the "First Lady of American Theatre." They are ...

s. This play has been widely produced, thus Zacarías translated it for a Spanish-language production in April at D.C.'s GALA Hispanic Theatre. Young Playwrights' Theater won the 2010 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award from the

President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) was an advisory committee to the President of the United States on cultural issues. It works directly with the White House and the three primary cultural agencies: the National End ...

. YPT received the Washington Post 2014 Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management. Her other awards include: * New Voices Award * 2010 Steinberg Citation-Best New Play * Paul Aneillo Award * Francesca Primus Prize for an Emerging Woman Theater Artist * National Latino Play Award * Finalist, Susan Blackburn * 2000 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play (Sins of Sor Juana) * 2018 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Original Play or Musical Adaptation (Ella Enchanted) * In 2022, Zacarías was named by

Carnegie Corporation of New York The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Since its founding, the Carnegie Corporation has endowed or othe ...

as an honoree of the

Great Immigrants Award The Great Immigrants Award is an annual initiative by the Carnegie Corporation of New York to honor naturalized citizens of the United States who have made significant contributions to American society, democracy, and culture. Established in 200 ...

Works

* ''The Sins of Sor Juana'' (1999) * ''Mariela in the Desert'' (2005) * ''How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents'' (2008) * ''The Book Club Play'' (2009) * '' Legacy of Light'' (2009) * ''Just Like Us'' (2013) ** Adapted from Helen Thorpe's 2009 book of the same name, it premiered in 2013 at The Stage Theatre in Denver, Colorado. * ''Our War'' (2014) ** Zacarías contributed one of 25 vignettes. * ''Destiny of Desire: A Brechtian Telenovela'' (2015) ** Premiered in 2015 at Arena Stage directed by Jose Luis Valenzuela and under his directorship went on to the

and

. * ''Into the Beautiful North'' (2016) ** Inspired by

Luis Alberto Urrea Luis Alberto Urrea (born August 20, 1955 in Tijuana, Mexico) is a Mexican-American poet, novelist, and essayist. Life Luis Urrea is the son of Alberto Urrea Murray, of Rosario, Sinaloa, Mexico and Phyllis Dashiell, born in Staten Island, New Y ...

's 2009

book A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...

of the same name, it premiered in 2016 at Miracle Theatre in Portland, Oregon and has toured around the U.S. * ''Native Gardens'' (2019) * ''The Copper Children'' (2020) ** Premiered in 2020 at the

. * ''The Age of Innocence'' (2024) ** Commissioned and world premiered by San Diego's

Old Globe Theatre The Old Globe is a professional theatre company in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. It produces about 15 plays and musicals annually in summer and winter seasons. Plays are performed in three separate theatres in the complex, which is collec ...

TYA musicals

Zacarías' musicals with composer Deborah Wicks La Puma include: * ''OLIVÉRio: A Brazilian Twist'' (Kennedy Center) * ''Ella Enchanted'' (First Stage Milwaukee/Adventure Theatre MTC) * ''Jane of the Jungle'' (South Coast Repertory) * ''Frida Libre'' (La Jolla Playhouse) * ''Looking for Roberto Clemente'' (Imagination Stage) * ''Chasing George Washington: A White House Adventure'' (Kennedy Center) * ''Einstein is a Dummy'' (Alliance Theatre) * ''Cinderella Eats Rice and Beans'' (Imagination Stage) * ''Ferdinand the Bull'' (Imagination Stage) * ''The Magical Piñata'' (Imagination Stage)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zacarias, Karen 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 1969 births Stanford University alumni Boston University College of Arts and Sciences alumni American writers of Mexican descent Writers from Washington, D.C. Living people 20th-century American women writers Hispanic and Latino American dramatists and playwrights Mexican emigrants to the United States 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights 21st-century American women writers American women dramatists and playwrights