Review Fix Exclusive Fresh Fruit Festival Coverage: Nelson Diaz-Marcano Talks “The Diplomats”

Review Fix chats with playwright Nelson Diaz-Marcano who discusses the production and its appearance at this year’s Fresh Fruit Festival.

About the Production:

Performance schedule: Wednesday, July 12 at 7:00 pm; Saturday, July 15 4 at 2:30 pm; Sunday, July 16 at 6PM

The Fresh Fruit 15th Anniversary Season begins, at The Wild Project, 195 East 3rd Street, tickets.

November 2016 seems sooo long ago. Annie was thrilled to see her dear friend, Carlos, during his first visit back to NYC since moving to Florida… and he hasn’t changed a bit!

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Nelson Diaz-Marcano: Insane. No joke, this is not me trying to be funny. With my current show “The Diplomats,” it just poured out. I thought about a 10 minute play and it worked because my friend Rebecca Aparicio was looking for shows to include in a project. I had started working on this one already, so I thought to say yes and would submit the script after I finished. Then it wasn’t 10 minutes anymore, it was 20… then it was a one act. Next thing I know I’m 65 pages deep and needed to send the Resister Project a play. I sent an old script that felt relevant to their opportunity, and finished this play. In contrast, the last play was incredibly structured, even using index cards to keep the beats visible as I wrote the scenes. Usually, I think about a play and bother my wife with questions about its details for a few months before sitting down and then obsessing about every little beat. Then in around a week a new draft is born. That’s when the fun starts.

Review Fix: What makes this different or special?

Diaz-Marcano: What I think works and helps is that my process is flexible to how I feel. I tried to lock myself down to processes for years, bought books, talked to other playwrights, etc., till one day, as I tried once again to use the index card structuring, I came to the realization that I just wanted to sit down and free write. I just planned the next scenes as I went. Completely different than the play I wrote before, yet it worked! So instead of sticking to a formula, I decided to just listen to the story and to trust myself. I do not know if it’s that different or special than other playwrights’. Their processes seem to be as unique to them as mine is unique to me.

Review Fix: What did you learn about yourself through this process?

Diaz-Marcano: That everything is out there to learn and teach, not to follow as a religion and keep to yourself. There’s a varied selection of books that talk about the different processes; artists talking about the best way to sell a script, or videos showing how to construct a story. There are dozens of classes taught by great writers in this city as well. A lot of great writers even just reside here and will give you their time of day. None of their words should be the end all be all. Take a little bit of each and find yourself within.  This is how you learn your own style and evolve.

Review Fix: How does it feel to be a part of something like this?

Diaz-Marcano: Amazing. I’m from Puerto Rico, so English is not my first language. To have my plays be produced by festivals like the Fresh Fruit and to meet the people I’ve met on my journey is incredible. The shy kid from Puerto Rico that barely spoke or showed his love for words could never imagine he would grow up as such an outspoken individual. More importantly, he never thought he would become a part of such a talented community as the theater community in NYC.

Review Fix: What are your ultimate goals for this production and for the future?

Diaz-Marcano: To get it seen. To get this cast seen. To get my work out there. My play Radical went up last year and the saddest thing to me was that I didn’t invite anyone from the industry or reviewers because I didn’t believe in myself enough. Then it went on to win Best Play in the Downtown Urban Arts Festival. 
 
The Diplomats is special to me. The cast and director of this show are creating something truly fascinating with my words. It received great feedback at the Classical Theatre of Harlem Playwright’s Playground in January.  I want this to be just the start. I want the show to go on and play for a few weeks. I think the poignancy of the show deserves it.

Review Fix: What do you think your audiences will enjoy the most?

Diaz-Marcano: The dialogue. My dialogue has always been known for being fast and intense. It doesn’t change here, what changes is the relatable setting. It’s not the Cuban revolution like my play Revolucion or the coup in Chile like my play Radical. It’s just three relatable characters talking in an Astoria apartment, trying to stay friends while their country seems to be going up in flames thanks to an election. This is something we all experienced, no matter where you come from, no matter where you are.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Diaz-Marcano: Working on a documentary project with my friend Dan De Jesus from Second Star NYC called the Hidden Apple. Prepping a reading for the latest draft of my play about Puerto Rico’s relationship with the USA, “Revolt!” Filming the pilot for a web series called “Evil” and writing a new play called “World Classic.” So developing a lot and getting a few projects off the ground.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13821 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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