Fest Fast Facts

• We first teamed up as collaborators back in 2009 with TheatreWorksUSA, working on a Latine adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, and from day one, it was instant creative chemistry! That projects parked a working relationship (and friendship) that’s led us through several exciting collaborations. One of our favorites was reviving El Otro Oz with TheatreWorks in 2020. It was during workshops for that production that we started dreaming about a brand-new show—something that would resonate with audiences both young and old, and that would bring Latine characters to life on stage in a way we hadn’t quite seen before.
• As fathers, we’re both at a moment in life where thoughts of legacy and mortality sneak into the room more often than they used to. Little Red Riding Hood has always been a story about growing up, about the thin line between danger and discovery, and about transformation. Our version reflects that, but through a Latine lens, full of warmth and wonder and a little bit of mystery.
• The story of ROJA was born out of dozens of late-night texts, the kind that come in just as you’re about to fall asleep… and then keep you wide awake with new ideas. We wanted ROJA to feel like an old fairytale passed down through generations, rooted in the beauty, music, and folklore of Mexico, so we set our version of Little Red Riding Hood in Northern Mexico, at the edge of the desert, where instead of a big bad wolf, our story centers around a mythical coyote.
• At first, our coyote was more of a threat looming over ROJA and her mother. But the more we wrote, the more he revealed himself as something deeper. In Mestizo folklore, the coyote is often a trickster, a shapeshifter, sometimes mischievous, but always tethered to the human spirit. He became a spiritual guide of sorts—wise, funny, unpredictable, and utterly irresistible to write.
• From the start, we envisioned ROJA as a highly theatrical piece that might include a live band onstage, stripped down from any pretense and full of heart. We wanted it to feel like sitting around a campfire with friends, telling a story that’s been waiting to be told. That meant actors shifting roles, music as narrative, and a story that could scale to fit an intimate classroom or a grand theater stage.
• We didn’t set out to write something political, but in today’s world, the simple act of telling joyful, magical stories about Latine characters is a kind of resistance. There’s so much more to Mexico than what makes the news. There’s beauty, resilience, laughter, and a rich cultural history that deserves to be celebrated. ROJA is our love letter to that joy, and we can’t wait to share it.
• We have had the wonderful fortune of working with some pretty amazing organizations so far including Forestburgh Playhouse, where we originally developed the piece, and the Rhinebeck Writer’s Retreat, where we continued its development. We were most recently awarded a $20,000 grant through the Pipeline Arts Foundation to aid with the development of this piece, and we are looking for producing partners and organizations who would be interested in helping us bring ROJA to life for all kinds of audiences