Quiara Alegría Hudes
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Quiara Alegría Hudes (born January 1, 1977) is an American playwright, producer, lyricist and essayist. She is best known for writing the
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, ...
for the
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
'' In the Heights'' (2007), and screenplay for its film adaptation. Hudes' first play in her ''Elliot Trilogy'', '' Elliot, a Soldier's Fugue'' was a finalist for the 2007
Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were a ...
. She received the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for '' Water by the Spoonful'', her second play in that trilogy.


Early life and education

Hudes was born in 1977 in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
, to a
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
father and a Puerto Rican mother. They raised her in West Philadelphia, where she began writing and composing music as a child. She studied at the Mary Louise Curtis Branch of Settlement Music School, taking piano lessons with Dolly Krasnopolsky. Hudes has said that, although she is of "Puerto Rican and Jewish blood", she was "raised by two Puerto Rican parents." Her birth parents separated and her step-father was a Puerto Rican entrepreneur. Hudes graduated from Central High School in Philadelphia, and then studied music composition at
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
as a first generation college student, where she earned her BA degree in 1999. She subsequently completed graduate work at
Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...
, where she received an MFA in playwriting in 2004. She is a resident writer at New Dramatists and a previous Page 73 Playwriting Fellow. In 2012, Hudes was a visiting playwright at
Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...
in
Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles (25.749504 km) south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. Middletown is the largest city in the L ...
. She returned in 2014, serving as the Shapiro Distinguished Professor of Writing and Theater until 2017.


Career

The original
Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
production of ''In the Heights'' received the Lucille Lortel Award and
Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town news ...
for Best Musical. It was named Best Musical by '' New York'' magazine, Best of 2007 by ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', and the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors HOLA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting. In 2010, she was named a Fellow by
United States Artists United States Artists (USA) is a national arts funding organization based in Chicago. USA is dedicated to supporting living artists and cultural practitioners across the United States by granting unrestricted awards. Mission The organization' ...
. Hudes's first
children's book Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...
, ''In My Neighborhood'', was published by Arthur Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc, in 2010. On October 27, 2011, Hudes was the first Latina woman to be inducted into Central High School's Alumni Hall of Fame. In October 2016, a new musical she wrote along with singer/songwriter Erin McKeown titled '' Miss You Like Hell'' opened at the La Jolla Playhouse, directed by Lear deBessonet and starring Daphne Rubin-Vega.


Plays and musicals


''Yemaya's Belly''

Hudes' first play, ''Yemaya's Belly'', received the 2003 Clauder Competition for New England Playwriting, the Paula Vogel Award in Playwriting, and the Kennedy Center/ACTF Latina Playwriting Award. It had productions at Miracle Theatre (2004), and the Portland Stage Company (2005) and Signature Theatre (2005).


'' Elliot, a Soldier's Fugue''

''Elliot, a Soldier's Fugue'' was a
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
finalist in 2007. The play premiered at Page 73 Productions at the Off-Broadway Culture Project in 2006,Hoban, Phoebe
"Theater Review. 3 Generations of Soldiers' Stories in a Melancholy Key"
''The New York Times'', February 7, 2006
and ran at the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia in 2006. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' reviewer wrote that the play was a "rare and rewarding thing: a theater work that succeeds on every level, while creating something new." It was planned as the first play in a trilogy.


''26 Miles''

Her play ''26 Miles'' received its world premiere at The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta in March 2009, directed by Kent Gash.


''Barrio Grrrrl!''

Her children's musical ''Barrio Grrrrl!'' appeared at The Kennedy Center in 2009.


''In the Heights''

Hudes collaborated with Lin-Manuel Miranda on this Broadway musical; she wrote the book and he composed the music and lyrics. It won the 2008
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
for Best Musical and was a finalist for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Hudes also wrote the screenplay for the
film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...
of the same title, which premiered in 2021.


''Water by the Spoonful''

In 2012, her play ''Water by the Spoonful'', which returns to the characters in Elliot, won the Pulitzer Prize after its premiere at the Hartford Stage Company. In this play Hudes attempts to bring two worlds together through technology and reality. ''Water by the Spoonful'' consists of multiple scenes that take place in an online chat room and in the real world with face-to-face interaction. As the play develops, Hudes brings the two worlds together by creating turning points in the play along with connecting characters from different worlds to each other in different ways.


''The Happiest Song Plays Last''

''The Happiest Song Plays Last,'' the third in the Elliot trilogy, received its world premiere at the
Goodman Theater Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago, Illinois, Chicago's Chicago Loop, Loop. A major part of the Theater in Chicago, Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organizatio ...
in Chicago on April 13, 2013. It was produced Off-Broadway at Second Stage in March 2014. When the production moved to
Second Stage Theatre Second Stage Theater is a non-profit theater company that presents work by living American writers both on and off Broadway. It is based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, and is affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Founded in 1979 ...
, the production team included Ruben Santiago-Hudson as director, Michael Carnahan as set designer, Karen Perry as costume designer, Rui Rita as lighting designer, and Leon Rothenberg as sound designer.


''Lulu's Golden Shoes''

''Lulu's Golden Shoes'' was produced by Flashpoint Theater Company in Philadelphia in 2015.


''The Good Peaches''

Originally performed by 56 orchestral musicians, three actors, and eight dancers, ''The Good Peaches'' is a "girl versus nature musical play." It was performed in April 2016 at the Cleveland Play House.


''Daphne's Dive''

''Daphne’s Dive'' premiered Off-Broadway at the Signature Theater on May 16, 2016, directed by Thomas Kail and featuring Samira Wiley, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Vanessa Aspillaga and Carlos Gomez.


''Miss You Like Hell''

Hudes wrote the book and Erin McKeown the music for the musical, ''Miss You Like Hell'', which premiered at La Jolla Playhouse in fall of 2016. Called "An immigration musical for the new Trump era" by the ''LA Times'', the play is about a mother and daughter traveling across the country for seven days and addressing their fractured relationship.


''Vivo''

Hudes was the screenwriter for Lin-Manuel Miranda's animated musical movie '' Vivo'', released on
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
on August 6, 2021.


Filmography


See also

* List of Puerto Rican writers *
List of Puerto Ricans This is a list of notable people from Puerto Rico which includes people who were born in Puerto Rico (Borinquen) and people who are of full or partial Puerto Rican people, Puerto Rican descent. Puerto Rican citizens are included, as the governm ...
* Puerto Rican literature * Jewish immigration to Puerto Rico * Latino theater in the United States


References


External links

*
"Water by the Spoonful" Interview in ''Guernica'', July 2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hudes, Quiara Alegria Living people 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights 21st-century American women writers 1977 births American musicians of Puerto Rican descent American people of Jewish descent American women academics American women dramatists and playwrights Sony Pictures Animation people Brown University alumni Central High School (Philadelphia) alumni Date of birth missing (living people) Hispanic and Latino American dramatists and playwrights Pulitzer Prize for Drama winners Wesleyan University faculty Writers from Philadelphia Yale University alumni