May 22nd, 2023 | By Maya Malan-Gonzalez

The scene is Sacramento. It’s hot, but for someone living in California and experiencing the wettest of winters and springs, the heat is very welcomed.

I roll into Sacramento with my partner Lakin and Sirius our pug on April 27th. Alex has been in a 12 hour board meeting! Just kidding, it was actually only 4 hours- but still, so long! We grab a delicious bite at the hotel restaurant with Milagro Theatre’s Executive Director, Jose Gonzalez (also, coincidentally my father) and after a very fun dinner, we head to bed excitedly awaiting day 1 of the National New Play Network convening: New Plays New Ways.

*Alex Meda catching the brilliant Lesli Ishii exhausted after a 12 hour board eeting*

There was technically a little pachanga going on that first night, but as I am increasingly aging, I am sad to say friends, I went back to my hotel room to get some zzz’s in.

I’ve been attending the NNPN convenings for a few years now as an ambassador for Milagro, but what made this convening excitingly special was the fact that Studio Luna joined as a core a member in 2021, meaning this year my name tag would represent both Luna and Milagro. Aaaaaaand, this was Alex’s first convening- and there is just something truly refreshing when you get to watch someone experience something for the first time.

Friday kicked off with a buzzing energy as Alex showed up to my room in the morning bearing so many goodies- treats a plenty from the cafe, not to mention an iced latte to get me well…. Buzzing! Today is not just the first day of the convening… it is also my… drumroll please- Birthday!

*Alex Meda, Maya Malan-Gonzalez, & Jose Gonzalez getting cheesed up to pitch some new plays*

Orientation ignites an in person pitch session. In some ways, this is like New Play speed dating. Basically, everyone takes turns pitching new plays as folks scribble notes about which plays actually excite them, or could speak to their audiences. If you didn’t know, NNPN is obsessed with world premieres of new plays. And in response to theaters who only wanted to produce world premieres and after the world premier of a play, the life of that new play would be shelved- NNPN gave life to the Rolling World Premiere Program. In which as few as three and as many as well, like a lot of companies join together to produce multiple premiere productions.

My first full length play, A Xmas Cuento Remix was a Rolling World Premier with Milagro, The Cleveland Public and 16th Street (RIP)— and as Alex directed the Milagro production, it was technically her first NNPN experience.

So here’s how it works: There are pitch sessions and pitch packets. Any member theater can pitch a show; they give a little synopsis, cast breakdown and share if they are producing it and when. Rules have changed over time, but essentially if three companies are excited about the script and want to produce the play, bingo-bango you got a roll! Three productions in (generally) three different cities, with three different casts and creative teams- or more, if you get more companies who want to produce the play within a certain time frame.

We pitched Elektra Problematika by Emilio Williams- so keep checking back in to see what updates we have for that electric show!

The day continued on with happy hour snacks, a slightly forgettable key note and an engaging discussion with Jamil Jude from True Colors Theatre, Raymond Bobgan from Cleveland Public Theatre, Lesli Ishii from Perseverance Theatre, and Lyndsay Burch from B Street Theatre (where the convening was being hosted).

The day wrapped up with a playwrights slam, which I’m sorry to say dear reader, once again to say- this Birthday lady was not feeling like sitting in a theater on her birthday- so I bailed, went to dinner and spent the evening getting silly and not being sober.

*Saturday Morning panel: New Ideas in Action*

Saturday was jam packed, we started with a panel followed by two really inspiring sessions. The first was led by none other than Alexandra Meda. The title was “Success Stories” so as you might imagine the energy was vibrant in the room as those in the room were sharing good vibe stories about their work. This for me was a truly welcoming energy, as so often in conferences I feel like I’m in conversation that are focused upon improving the field by discussing all the hardships and failures we face- which don't get me wrong, is also important, but it was really refreshing to be in a room discussing success.

*Maya & Alex enjoying a selfie during the Visioning session*

This session was followed by a Visioning session, led by Lesli Ishii and Raymond Boobgan- perhaps I’m biased, but the energy Alex left us with was perfect for entering the next session. Folks moved around the room, talking with new folks they hadn’t met before. Groups met and discussed prompts and creativity began blossoming as report outs began to utilize poetry and rhyme.

Following these sessions we hosted a Theatres of color dinner. I say we, because my father, Jose Gonzalez was the one who said, “we should have a theatres of color meet”..... Then the ball was handed to Alex and myself to essentially choose the time, location, make the reservation, and tell everyone about it. Friends, if you are attending a conference or convening and there is no gathering of Theatres of color or artists of color, you can make your own! There was no elaborate agenda for this meet, it was simply an opportunity for some of us to come together and share a good meal while we get to know each other a little better.

The day finished up with reading excerpts of a handful of plays. There were so many really deep and beautiful plays, so here were some of my favorites: Common by Marie Beath Badian, Quotables by Idris Goodwin, and Yu-che-wah-kenh (bitter) by Vickie Ramirez. Visit NPX to learn more about them and their work.

There was of course, a final party on Saturday night, which beautiful reader, if you’ve caught a theme from me, I didn’t barely attended- but I was at least there for like a few minutes! While walking Sirius I did swing by to grab some pizza- thank you NNPN, that was some VERY TASTY pizza!

Now that was technically the end of the convening for me. The next morning there were some committee meetings, which I didn't attend, but I did swing by to grab a couple breakfast burritos for the road trip back to LA- they were perfection. The NNPN team also did an impeccable job for the whole weekend having a mountain of snacks for participants- all the nuts you can imagine, chips, fruit snacks, apple sauce- they really made sure no one would be starving- and I really made sure to grab a couple of snacks every time I passed by the snack table. Y’all, all I can say is my road trip back to LA was well stocked with goodies.

It was a full weekend and a big congrats to the whole NNPN team: Nan, RP & Rose, but especially to our ensemble member Monica Montoya for all the work she did to make this convening possible.

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