Alina Collins Maldonado
I am a Queer, Mexican and Irish, multi-disciplinary artist from Alexandria, VA, dedicated to telling authentic stories through performance. My work focuses on creating spaces where communities can heal, connect, and deepen their understanding of one another. Some of my original works include my one-woman shows, What to Expect When You’re La Virgen, developed during my time as a 2022 Clarice Smith Artist-in-Residence, and No Salgas Con El Pelo Mojado, created as a 2021 NextLOOK Artist. I am a recipient of The WhereWithal Research Grant in 2023 where I further researched intergenerational mother daughter relationships and traditions across diverse races and ethnicities through interviews. I am deeply passionate about documentary theater, performance interwoven with live music, and I love exploring new ways to push the boundaries of how audiences experience this art form.
What To Expect When You're La Virgen
Written and performed by Alina Collins Maldonado
Maria wakes on her birthday, December 12th, to discover she is the new Virgen de Guadalupe. She immediately questions whether she is cut out for the job after receiving overwhelming prayers from Latina mothers and daughters. How can she help them understand their worth when she begins questioning her own? This one-woman show continues Collins Maldonado's previous work, No Salgas Con El Pelo Mojado, inspired by actual interviews and workshops with Latina women over the last two years. Transforming into each interviewee, the piece will examine identity, cultural expectations, and traditions passed down through generations.
This one-woman show was developed during the 2022 Artist Residency at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
Staged reading at The Kogod Theater, October 9th, 2022.
Directed by Yesenia Iglesias
Projection design by Nitsan Scharf
Storytelling Consultant, Jasmine Coles
Music by Elena Lacayo
Stage Directions read by Nat Corvoisier
Board operator, Evan Thanicatt
NO SALGAS CON EL PELO MOJADO
created and performed by Alina Collins Maldonado
Through a series of actual interviews centering the relationship between Latina mothers and their daughters, No Salgas Con El Pelo Mojado offers a bilingual, intimate portrayal of the Latina experience as seen through its matriarchs. Bringing the words to life of multiple interviewees, this filmed theater piece explores the unanswered questions of identity and cultural expectations passed down through generations. Featuring musical performances by Sharalys Silva and Elena Lacayo. Storytelling Consultant, Jasmine Eileen Coles. Costume and Set Design by Moyenda Kulemeka. Cinematography and Editing by Terry Hunt.
NextLOOK 2021
In partnership with Joe's Movement Emporium and The Clarice, NextLOOK supports the development of new music, plays, dance and other experiences by regionally-based performing artists.
