DQTini festival
Launched at the beginning of the pandemic, DQTinis or one-page plays, are e-blasted every Friday to our ever-growing mailing list, comprised of supporters, theatre lovers, and industry professionals. For nearly two years, our DQTinis have been written almost exclusively by DQT’s member-playwrights, but now the opportunity to participate is being made to playwrights near and far! Our goal is to showcase playwrights from all 50 states by the end of 2023.
Featured one-page plays:
The Heartless, Brainless Virus Envies You by noemi de la puente
Back To School September 2050 by noemi de la puente
Silent Spring by noemi de la puente
I Love Your Mug by maria elena torres
A House Guest by maria elena torres
Two Beautiful People by maria elena torres
lorena jusino
india stachyra
maria elena torres
is the founding artistic director of dramatic question theatre (dqt), where she has co-produced word menagerie: an evening of monologues (2009); the ballad of him & her (2009); firehouse (2010); bill – a rake’s tale (2012); the maltinsky cycle: play one (2012); cowl girl (2013); the pet play (2018); and, in the Night everyone is equal (2019).
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Ms. Torres’ work focuses on bringing history to life. Her plays include three men on a base, which looks at the relationship between jackie robinson and branch rickey; wallenberg, a play about a meeting, in 1944, between raoul wallenberg and adolph eichmann; two plays which explore the truth of richard III's character and career; and a cycle of plays about Diderot and his quest to bring access to knowledge to as many people he could reach. Her plays have been produced by the puerto rican traveling theatre, the theatre for the new city, soho playhouse, the julia borges latino cultural center, and hb studios. She is working on the latest installment of the maltinsky cycle, a series of plays about her mother's eastern european jewish family, its escape from the pale of settlement and its assimilation into the United States. To that end, sarah rifka’s secret was developed in dqt's inaugural american woman lab and will be presented in june 2020 at theatrelab, NYC. A champion of new works by under-represented voices, Ms. torres spearheaded and co-facilitated the playwrights/ directors lab (2010) and groundUp (2014), two of dqt’s major play development projects. She’s a brooklyn native and graduate of brooklyn college, where she developed her first play under the guidance of jack gelber. Ms. Torres is a former member and director of the puerto rican traveling theatre’s professional playwrights unit, a member of the hb studios playwrights unit, and a member of the dramatists guild.
noemi de la puente
is an actress, playwright, librettist, lyricists, and founding member of the dramatic question theatre.
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She received her MFA in theatre arts from the university of iowa (patricia roberts harris scholarship), as well as a master of science in engineering from princeton university, and a bachelor of science in engineering from the california institute of technology. Ms.de la puente’s solo show, fountain of youth, was premiered in new york city by the dramatic question theatre. Her debut musical, manuel vs. the statue of liberty, was first developed in dqt’s 2010 playwrights/directors lab at the theatre for the new city and subsequently presented as a reading at the 2014 new york musical festival, where it received the developmental reading series award. At the 2015 festival, manuel was nominated for best musical and won a special award for social relevance and impact. manuel vs. the statue of liberty was a finalist for the 2016 O’neill national music theatre conference. Most recently, dqt presented the pet play as a workshop production. Generic hispanic was produced by the puerto rican traveling theatre and was a finalist for the 2012 multistages new works contest. Her other playwriting credits include the revenge of suicide jack, lightning strikes twice, and promesa. Ms. de la puente’s honors and awards include artist grants from the yip harburg foundation, the anna sosenko assist trust, the hola award for outstanding achievement in ensemble acting, and the patricia roberts harris scholarship from the university of iowa. Ms. de la puente is formerly a member of the puerto rican traveling theatre’s professional playwrights unit, a member of the musical theatre factory writers group, and a member of the dramatists guild of america. Ms. de la puente is also a fierce environmental activist and community advocate. She works with the new jersey environmental lobby; an organization dedicated to bringing the best environmental practices from around the country to the state. Ms. de la puente also volunteers at the trenton digital initiative, collecting used computers to refurbish and gift to under resourced elementary schools. She is an active member of the princeton graduate alumni association, serving as the co-chair of the community service committee.