New works by Caribbean Diaspora & Caribbean Writers

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ART THAT AWAKENS

New works by Caribbean Diaspora & Caribbean Writers

we are...Conch Shell Productions

OUR MISSION

At Conch Shell Productions (CSP), our mission is to infuse new Caribbean Diaspora & Caribbean voices into the American theater and film industry. To do so, we create a space to develop, workshop and produce new plays and screenplays.

We believe that art can and should provoke social change. Our productions create an opportunity for diverse audiences to explore and celebrate the unique culturally diverse voices of our community of artists.

Our seasons include both readings and full productions of new short and full-length plays, as well as our annual film festival -Conch Shell International Film Fest. Our theatre presentations include Hear Her Call Caribbean-American Women's Theater Festival, Conch Shell New Works Series, Reset Series and #Bluelightseries.

Conch Shell Productions is a Queens, New York-based, fiscally sponsored organization, and a member of the Alliance of Residence Theatres/NY.

Founder/Producing Artistic Director

Magaly Colimon-Christopher is a first-generation Haitian-American actress/playwright/director/producer. She writes new works from a viewpoint heavily influenced by research and the stories her family members shared about the complexities and wonders of Haitian culture and history. She founded Conch Shell Productions to support/showcase new works by Caribbean Diaspora & Caribbean artists who have an expanded view of reality and a passion for innovative story telling.

A native New Yorker, she received a B.A. from Columbia University, an MBA from Binghamton University, and an MFA in Acting from Yale School of Drama. Magaly is a member of SAG/AFTRA, AEA, The Actors Center, The Dramatist Guild, The Actors Studio Playwrights & Directors' Unit. She is a two-time O'Neill National Playwright Conference Semi-Finalist.

Magaly plays "Antoinette Pierre" in Netflix original series GRAND ARMY

To learn more about Magaly, visit www.magalycolimon.com

2022 ARTIST COLLECTIVE

DEVELOPING NEW PLAYS/SCREENPLAYS

This year we have convened an Artist Collective of Caribbean Diaspora multi-hyphenate writers.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

The CSP artist collective members include Tanya Perez (Puerto Rican American), Evan Parke (Jamaican American), Magaly Colimon-Christopher (Haitian American), Andres Pina (Dominican American), and Gretchen Suarez-Pena (Puerto Rican American).

SHARING NEW IDEAS, UNIQUE VOICES

The members will meet monthly to share and discuss new works. Guest dramaturgs and playwrights will join our collective to share insights about the craft. Members will have the option of a private reading of their new work (not part of the New Works Series) or a public live or online reading of a work-in-progress (as part of the CS New Works Reading Series 2022).

ABOUT OUR MEMBERS

Evan Parke is an actor, writer, producer, minister and media entrepreneur with over 24 years of experience in the entertainment industry. He has been a principal performer in over a dozen feature films, hundreds of episodes of television as well as Broadway, Off-broadway and regional theaters productions. Evan is the founder of Arimathea Media Capital Inc., a media content company that highlights the voices and perspectives of people on the margins, people of color and people of faith in content that appeals to the global marketplace. www.arimatheamedia.com IG @evantheconqueror FB @evan.parke

Tanya Perez is an actress, writer & activist currently living in NYC. Notable TV and film credits include Orange Is the New Black, Jessica Jones, Blue Bloods, Madam Secretary & Hal Hartley's Ned Rifle opposite Parker Posey. Comedy content creation has brought her web series Itty P & DJ Model-T nominations for two StayTuned TV-ITVF awards for Best Comedy and Best Actress in a Comedy, her comedy short, Peep Show, was an official selection at the 2018 Women in Comedy HBO Insider Competition, her short, Veronica, won 2018 Best Actress at Story Mode Shorts Festival, Best Screenplay & Best Actress at Outlanta Con and Best Latinx short at IndieFest. She has received an Audioverse Award nomination in writing in Cocotazo’s CAT festival. She has received an Audioverse Award nomination in writing in Cocotazo’s CAT festival. Proud member of NYWIF, Brown Girls Doc Mafia, SAGAFTRA & Actors Equity. www.tanyaperez.nyc IG @tanyaperezrulez FB @tanyaperezisawesome

Rivka Rivera is a Jew-Yo-Rican actor, playwright, and filmmaker creating work that explores the intersection of grief, capitalism, and human behavior. She is an alum of Carnegie Mellon University and LaGuardia HS. To learn more visit: www.RivkaRivera.com

IG @therivkarivera FB @rivkarivera

Gretchen Suárez-Peña is a Puerto Rican playwright based in Central Florida. Successes include winning best play at the Be Original Festival 2019 (Trafficked) and best play at the 2018 Tampa Bay Theatre Festival (Conversations in the Car). Her short play, The Arithmetic of Memory, was produced in New York, Rockford, and Florida. www.gretchensuarezpena.com FB @playsbygretchen

csP's growing community

DIVERSE PLAYWRIGHTS & FILMMAKERS OF THE CARIBBEAN DIASPORA & caribbean

To date, Conch Shell Productions' HEAR HER CALL, #BLUELIGHTSERIES, AND CSP NEW WORKS SERIES has showcased plays by Caribbean Diaspora playwrights from Haiti, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, St. Kitts/Nevis, Cuba, Guyana, Bahamas, and Trinidad & Tobago. Our Conch Shell International Film Fest has allowed us to create a platform for both Caribbean and Caribbean Diaspora directors and screenwriters from Haiti, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Martinique, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Dominica, Puerto Rica, and Barbados.

artists COMMITTED TO OUR MISSION

Over the years, CSP's community of creative and production team members has grown. We treasure contributions of talented actors, stage managers, production managers, dramaturgs, industry experts moderating panels, directors, project manager, designers, volunteers, and interns who have contributed to the success of our events. Our event pages are proof positive that it "takes a village" to achieve the goals of Conch Shell Productions.

COLLABORATors & PARTNERS

Partnering with arts organizations - MILTON G. BASSIN PAC at York College, HB STUDIO, KUMU KAHUA THEATRE, BRAATA PRODUCTIONS, TRILLVISION, BOWIE ENTERPRISES, CAFA, CARIBBEAN TALES FILM FESTIVAL and key collaborators like Literary manager/dramaturg Sergei Burbank (editor of our Conch Shell Press publication We're Not Neutral) has been integral to our success. We will continue seeking opportunities to partner with like-minded companies and artists committed to producing/ presenting BIPOC voices. This is one of the ways Conch Shell Productions achieves our mission to create & showcase art that awakens and inspires social change.