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Home › About Us › Faculty & Staff › Elaine Romero

Elaine Romero

Associate Professor, School of Theatre, Film and Television

Marshall Bldg, Room 232
520-621-5899

MFA University of California, Davis; BA Linfield College

Playwright Elaine Romero once passed out ham sandwiches with Mother Teresa in Paris. She loves to write in coffee shops and claims that most of her plays “begin as a sort of haunting.”

Elaine’s trilogy U.S. at War: Three Plays includes Graveyard of Empires, A Work of Art, and the upcoming Rain of Ruin. Graveyard of Empires, the first installment of the U.S. at War, won the American Blues Theater’s Blue Ink! Playwriting Award and received its World Premiere at 16th Street Theater under the direction of Kevin Christopher Fox. Chicago Dramatists in association with the Goodman Theatre, produced the World Premiere of A Work of Art under the direction of Goodman’s Associate Artist, Henry Godinez. The play was developed as part of the Goodman Theatre’s Playwrights Unit led by dramaturg Tanya Palmer. Modern Slave received a staged-reading at Victory Gardens Theater, directed by Erica Weiss.

Elaine is working as the head playwright for Barrio Stories for Borderlands Theater with funding for herself and her collaborator, Professor Lydia Otera, from the University of Arizona’s Confluence Center for Creative Inquiry. The play will receive its World Premiere in Spring 2016.

Ponzi and Walk into the Sea were also presented at the Goodman. Ponzi (Edgerton Fund for New American Play Award) premiered at Kitchen Dog Theater. Her trilogy about the Arizona/Mexican border includes Wetback and Mother of Exiles (commissioned and produced by Cornell University). With the Arizona Theatre Company, Elaine has been awarded an NEA grant to oversee Voices of a New America, an ambitious project to include Latino in every aspect of the company. The grant provides funds for Elaine to write the third and final play of her border trilogy.

Something Rare and Wonderful received its World Premiere at the Alley Theatre. Barrio Hollywood was performed at Orlando Shakespeare Theater (OST; Spanish translation) and premiered in Spanish at Aurora Theatre in Lawrenceville, GA. Acting editions of Barrio Hollywood in separate English and Spanish are published by Samuel French. Elaine was the first author in Samuel French’s 175-year history to be published in Spanish. The play also appears in Vaqueeros, Calacas, and Hollywood (Bilingual Review Press). Other productions include Borderlands Theater, Miracle Theatre, and New Theatre. Revolutions premiered in Spanish at the Panama National Theatre and in English at Manhattan Theatre Source.

Some commissions include Ford’s Theatre (Modern Slave), Kennedy Center for Performing Arts (Xochi: Jaguar Princess), Theatre Seven of Chicago (These People), Alley Theatre, Cornell University (Mother of Exiles), Arkansas Repertory Theatre (Sun, Stone, and Shadows), Kitchen Dog Theater Company/NNPN Commission (Ponzi), InterAct Theatre Company (The Dalai Lama is Not Welcome Here), and Magic Theatre/Sloan Science & Technology Grant (Walk into the Sea).  She has participated in the Sundance Playwrights’ Retreat, Playwrights’ Center’s New Plays on Campus Program, and Arkansas Repertory’s Voices at the River.

Elaine participated in the National Hispanic Media Coalition’s Television Writer’s Program, NBC’s Writers on the Verge Program, and CBS Diversity Institute’s Writer’s Mentorship Program. She received the Arizona Commission on the Arts Playwriting Fellowship, TCG/Pew National Theatre Artist in Residence grant, the NEA/TCG Theatre Residency Program for Playwrights grant.  Other awards include: Los Angeles Film School Scholarship, Sprenger-Lang New History Play Contest, Tennessee Williams One-Act Play Award, and The Chicano/Latino Literary Award.

Some of Elaine’s other plays include iCuranderas! Serpents of the Clouds, Alicia, Like Heaven, If Susan Smith Could Talk, Majestic County, Secret Things, The Fat-Free Chicana and the Snow Cap Queen, Before Death Comes for the Archbishop, Day of Our Dead, Undercurrents have been developed/produced at such theatres as Actors Theatre of Louisville, Magic Theatre, Ford Amphitheatre, New Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company, Curious Theatre Company, Bloomington Playwrights Project, Kitchen Dog Theater, Urban Stages, INTAR, the Playwrights’ Center, Women’s Project and Productions, the Working Theater, the Lark Theatre, Invisible Theatre, San Diego Repertory Theatre, Borderlands Theater, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, and Miracle Theatre.

Publishers include: Samuel French, Vintage Books, Playscripts, Smith and Kraus, Heinemann Press, University of Iowa Press, UA Press, Simon and Schuster, Applause Books, and Bedford/St. Martin’s Press. Upcoming publications include an essay entitled, “The Power of Space” in (Re)Positioning the Latina/o Americas: Theatrical Histories and Cartographies of Power. Southern Illinois University Press, a contribution in Michael Wright’s Playwriting at Work and Play,and the play, Xochi: Jaguar Princess in Palabras Del Cielo: A Critical Anthology of Latina/o TYA Plays & Playwrights with Dramatic Publishing. Walking Home will be published abroad.

Elaine has been a Guest Artist at the Mark Taper Forum, Denver Center Theatre Company, and South Coast Repertory. Playwright-in-Residence at the Arizona Theatre Company, Elaine co-chaired the National Association of Independent Producers’ National Conference. She participated in the Hermitage Artist Retreat, ENVISION Retreat, and the Orchard Project. Wetback received readings nationwid and was included in 30/30. Revolutions premiered at Manhattan Theatre Source. The short version of Rain of Ruin was produced in Sydney, Australia and appeared on Australian television. A Simple Snow won the InspiraTO Festival/Toronto.

Elaine was a 2012-2013 Carl Djerassi Fellow at UW-Madison under the generous support of the late Carl J. Djerassi. Recent premieres include Secret Things with Camino Real Productions in New Mexico, and, These People with Theatre Seven of Chicago. Elaine serves on the Board of the National Association of Independent Producers. She is a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists.

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New voices and new visions from a world, interrupted. The Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre and TFTV present a devised work written in collaboration with Theatre Studies students from The University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film & Television. In From the Fishbowl, visual theatre creator Wolfe Bowart directs a cast of performers who glide magically and seamlessly between stage and screens.

Join members of the creative team for a premiere screening and artist talkback about creating new theatre in a socially distanced world on April 1, 2021 at 6pm.

FROM THE FISHBOWL will be streaming online April 1 - 18, 2021 through The Scoundrel & Scamp. Tickets are $11 per device and can be purchased here: am.ticketmaster.com/arizonaarts/fromthefishbowl.
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1 week ago

New voices and new visions from a world, interrupted. The Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre and TFTV present a devised work written in collaboration with Theatre Studies students from The University of Arizona School of Theatre, Film & Television. In From the Fishbowl, visual theatre creator Wolfe Bowart directs a cast of performers who glide magically and seamlessly between stage and screens.

Join members of the creative team for a premiere screening and artist talkback about creating new theatre in a socially distanced world on April 1, 2021 at 6pm. 

FROM THE FISHBOWL will be streaming online April 1 - 18, 2021 through The Scoundrel & Scamp. Tickets are $11 per device and can be purchased here: https://am.ticketmaster.com/arizonaarts/fromthefishbowl.
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TFTV student filmmaker Andy Zhao’s film "Asian and American" is featured in the annual documentary showcase What’s Up, Docs?, streaming digitally for the first time through The Loft Cinema. This year’s lineup features 15 short documentaries made by TFTV students, and focuses heavily on Tucson and some of their own personal experiences.

Zhao, a Film & Television junior, decided to focus on a topic that he has known since childhood. In his film "Asian and American", the “and” between identifiers acknowledges the cultural tightrope walked by Asian-Americans. Especially during adolescence, people of color experience a push toward Americanization that causes an obscuring of the self and disconnect from one’s heritage. Zhao explores this phenomenon in his latest documentary through profiles of three young Asian-American individuals that have experienced a similar separation from their roots. Shoon Shojima, Sandy Trieu, and Matthew Potwardowski share their stories of growing up Asian in America. The profiles include their struggles with masculinity, identity, and conformity and the ways in which they have begun to reconnect and remain in touch with their culture.

"Asian and American" is one of fifteen documentaries in What’s Up, Docs? streaming for free through The Loft Cinema at: youtu.be/1Hgm2Nu7aew

Read more at Arizona Daily Wildcat: www.wildcat.arizona.edu/article/2021/02/o-asian-and-american
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OPINION: Discussing cultural disconnect with student filmmaker Andy Zhao

www.wildcat.arizona.edu

Asian-Americans face discrimination throughout real-life encounters and representation on media every day. “Asian and American” by University of Arizona student Andy Nguyen Zhao addresses these struggles, and is being showcased at the What's Up, Docs? film festival.

2 weeks ago

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Nice piece on Andy's excellent film, Selena Kuikahi! Check out this op-ed in today's NYT. www.nytimes.com/2021/02/21/opinion/anti-asian-violence.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Ho...

The Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre presents FROZEN FLUID, the lauded new work by rising playwright and TFTV alum Fly Jamerson. TFTV Instructor Claire Mannle directs alum Emily Fuchs and current student Zoe Keeter alongside Em Bowen and Steve McKee. Raulie Martinez, an alum of TFTV's Design & Technical Production division, serves as video designer and associate producer.

This Antarctic gender non-conforming creation myth tells the stories of three scientists amid a melting tundra. FROZEN FLUID is a meditative exploration of gender, faith, and climate change.

Join a special online showing and artist talkback on Saturday, February 20th at 1pm or stream online February 14-27.

Tickets are $11 per device with donations encouraged: scoundrelandscamp.org/frozen-fluid
... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago

The Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre presents FROZEN FLUID, the lauded new work by rising playwright and TFTV alum Fly Jamerson. TFTV Instructor Claire Mannle directs alum Emily Fuchs and current student Zoe Keeter alongside Em Bowen and Steve McKee. Raulie Martinez, an alum of TFTVs Design & Technical Production division, serves as video designer and associate producer.

This Antarctic gender non-conforming creation myth tells the stories of three scientists amid a melting tundra. FROZEN FLUID is a meditative exploration of gender, faith, and climate change.

Join a special online showing and artist talkback on Saturday, February 20th at 1pm or stream online February 14-27.

Tickets are $11 per device with donations encouraged:  https://scoundrelandscamp.org/frozen-fluid
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☺️👋🐻⬇️🤸

Solution Number Two, one of the short documentaries currently making its premiere as part of What's Up, Docs?, recently featured in a story for UA News. The documentary by TFTV filmmakers John Taylor and Carter Hayek chronicles the university's efforts to track campus spread of coronavirus by testing wastewater from student dorms. Taylor and Hayek sat down with microbiologist Dr. Ian Pepper, Director of the University's Water and Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center, who discussed the groundbreaking work which helped stop at least one COVID-19 outbreak during the first week of fall classes.

Solution Number Two is one of fifteen documentaries in What's Up, Docs streaming for free through The Loft Cinema from February 4-17, 2021. Stream now at: youtu.be/1Hgm2Nu7aew
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Student-Produced Documentary Chronicles UArizona Success Taming COVID-19 Through Wastewater

news.arizona.edu

"Solution Number Two," a short documentary produced by students in the School of Theatre, Film and Television, premiered last week and is available to stream through Feb. 17.

2 weeks ago

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TOMORROW: Join TFTV Director Andy Belser's 'Aging and the Arts - Posture and Balance' session!

This ‘Aging and the Arts’ series will demonstrate awareness through movement with mental and physical exercises from the Feldenkrais Method, led by Andy Belser, certified Feldenkrais instructor and director of the School of Theatre, Film and Television at the University of Arizona College of Fine Arts.

You can register to attend any of the sessions at the following link: arizona.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CjuUCwpFQ0OxLVFM1nNb8A
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3 weeks ago

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Winter in Tucson...

This photo was taken over the weekend by Justine Collins, Assistant to the Director here at TFTV. We are so lucky to have amazing faculty and staff who share their talents and passions with us!
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3 weeks ago

Winter in Tucson...

This photo was taken over the weekend by Justine Collins, Assistant to the Director here at TFTV. We are so lucky to have amazing faculty and staff who share their talents and passions with us!
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Hey, Justine! Great photo! Hope you are doing well!

My picture is better than that.

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School Of Theatre, Film & Television

Theatre

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