Mando Alvarado is an American playwright, screenwriter and actor
originally from Pharr, Texas. At age nine, his father died. He grew up
with two younger brothers and describes himself as a bully towards
them in their younger years. He first got involved with theater in
middle school, when his Drama teacher told him he would need to take a
role in a production to pass the class. Alvarado's first play-writing
experience was a monologue inspired by Luis Valdez's Zoot Suit,
particularly Edward James Olmos' character El Pachuco. His first
full-length play was written after he first moved to New York City,
while he worked a temp-job in Midtown. After a reading with Raúl
Castillo in a Lower East Side bar, Alvarado decided focus his career
on writing.Alvarado is a graduate of the University of North Carolina
School of the Arts, as well as a member of Rising Phoenix Rep, alum of
INTAR's Hispanic-Playwright-in-Residence Laboratory 2006 â€" 2008 and
a member of Company of Angels writer's group. During his residency,
Alvarado wrote two plays, both of which premiered off-Broadway: Post
No Bills, which premiered at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in
2009 and Basilica which premiered at the Cherry Lane Theater in 2013.
In between these two works, Alvarado's play Sangre premiered in 2011
at NYC Summerstages. In 2015, Alvarado premiered Parachute Men at the
Latina/o Theatre Commons' Carnaval of New Latina/o Work, which was
hosted by The Theatre School at DePaul University. He described
Parachute Men as something "really personal" to him, written about
himself and his brothers and "'a kind of asking for forgiveness' play
that deals with manhood and the lack of motherly love." Although the
play was inspired by his own history, Alvarado felt his characters
needed to, "live and breathe on their own," not reflect the
personalities of himself or his brothers. While Alvarado considers
himself Mexican-American, he does not see his work as addressing
Mexican American or Chicano issues. Instead, he sees his writing as
addressing family issues and believes that his work, in a vacuum,
speaks to the American experience broadly.Alvarado has also worked in
film and television, appearing in shows such as Law and Order, The
Sopranos and Nurse Jackie. Additionally, he has written for FX's
series Tyrant, receiving credit for the teleplay of Season 2 episode
Desert Storm. His 2009 film Cruzando, which he co-wrote, directed,
produced and starred in, was screened at the HBO New York
International Latino Film Festival, Newport Beach International Film
Festival, and London Latino International Film Festival. Further,
Cruzando was awarded at the Mexican International Film Festival, San
Antonio Film Festival and Seattle True Independent Film Festival.
Cruzando is the story of 26 year old Manny, a resident of Monterrey,
Mexico and father to be, who embarks on a journey to see his father
for the last time before he is to be executed in Texas.Alvarado is a
father and currently lives in Los Angeles. Although writing has taken
a backseat to parenting, he tries to write at least an hour a day.
originally from Pharr, Texas. At age nine, his father died. He grew up
with two younger brothers and describes himself as a bully towards
them in their younger years. He first got involved with theater in
middle school, when his Drama teacher told him he would need to take a
role in a production to pass the class. Alvarado's first play-writing
experience was a monologue inspired by Luis Valdez's Zoot Suit,
particularly Edward James Olmos' character El Pachuco. His first
full-length play was written after he first moved to New York City,
while he worked a temp-job in Midtown. After a reading with Raúl
Castillo in a Lower East Side bar, Alvarado decided focus his career
on writing.Alvarado is a graduate of the University of North Carolina
School of the Arts, as well as a member of Rising Phoenix Rep, alum of
INTAR's Hispanic-Playwright-in-Residence Laboratory 2006 â€" 2008 and
a member of Company of Angels writer's group. During his residency,
Alvarado wrote two plays, both of which premiered off-Broadway: Post
No Bills, which premiered at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in
2009 and Basilica which premiered at the Cherry Lane Theater in 2013.
In between these two works, Alvarado's play Sangre premiered in 2011
at NYC Summerstages. In 2015, Alvarado premiered Parachute Men at the
Latina/o Theatre Commons' Carnaval of New Latina/o Work, which was
hosted by The Theatre School at DePaul University. He described
Parachute Men as something "really personal" to him, written about
himself and his brothers and "'a kind of asking for forgiveness' play
that deals with manhood and the lack of motherly love." Although the
play was inspired by his own history, Alvarado felt his characters
needed to, "live and breathe on their own," not reflect the
personalities of himself or his brothers. While Alvarado considers
himself Mexican-American, he does not see his work as addressing
Mexican American or Chicano issues. Instead, he sees his writing as
addressing family issues and believes that his work, in a vacuum,
speaks to the American experience broadly.Alvarado has also worked in
film and television, appearing in shows such as Law and Order, The
Sopranos and Nurse Jackie. Additionally, he has written for FX's
series Tyrant, receiving credit for the teleplay of Season 2 episode
Desert Storm. His 2009 film Cruzando, which he co-wrote, directed,
produced and starred in, was screened at the HBO New York
International Latino Film Festival, Newport Beach International Film
Festival, and London Latino International Film Festival. Further,
Cruzando was awarded at the Mexican International Film Festival, San
Antonio Film Festival and Seattle True Independent Film Festival.
Cruzando is the story of 26 year old Manny, a resident of Monterrey,
Mexico and father to be, who embarks on a journey to see his father
for the last time before he is to be executed in Texas.Alvarado is a
father and currently lives in Los Angeles. Although writing has taken
a backseat to parenting, he tries to write at least an hour a day.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.