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Carl(os) Roa

Carl(os) Roa [they/them] is an interdisciplinary artist and storyteller, juicy Colombian bear, and effusive Miami transplant.

A proud alumni of the Headlong Performance Institute, (os)’ work explores the marginalized within the marginalized, and alternative communities living alternative lives. Taking cues from theatre, community organizing, dystopian novels, queer digital realms, anime, third culture kids, the kink scene, transformative justice, and interactive media, all of these influences serve to inform their work with a visual artist’s sensibility.

They’ve worked with numerous artistic organizations in Philadelphia, including The Wilma Theater, Taller Puertorriqueño, First Person Arts, Philadelphia Artists’ Collective, Philadelphia Young Playwrights, and Swim Pony Performing Arts. They are currently the Program Manager for the Painted Bride, and a contributing writer for Artblog, HowlRound Theatre Commons, and American Theatre Magazine. In their curatorial practice, they’ve produced the Painted Bride’s Off the Wall interactive art exhibition, as well as an article series for HowlRound. They are also a graduate of the Foundry: a playwriting group affiliated with PlayPenn that is guided by the mentorship of R. Eric Thomas and LM Feldman.

In 2022, they were a finalist for the Terrance McNally Award and received an Illuminate the Arts grant from the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy. Currently, they are pursuing their MFA at UCLA with the support of a Graduate Opportunity Fellowship and the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts. Follow their website: www.carlparenthesisos.com

An abstract rendering of a small room.
Scattered, but Not Apart: A Two-Sided Story
Essay

Scattered, but Not Apart: A Two-Sided Story

26 October 2023

Carl(os) Roa and Rula(s) A. Muñoz share a multi-vocal, non-linear account of their group’s work at the Latinx Theatre Commons (LTC) Designer and Director Colaboratorio. Through both text and images, they document their group’s explorations of non-hierarchical generative process, as well as the challenges they faced.

a small potted plant
The Colombia Outside My Apartment / La Colombia afuera de mi apartamento
Essay

The Colombia Outside My Apartment / La Colombia afuera de mi apartamento

What I Learned From the Quarantine / Lo que aprendí de la cuarentena

30 November 2020

In the intro article to the Colombia series, Carl(os) Roa, a Latinx artist from Philadelphia who made art in Bogotá last year, poses the question “What are the ways in which Colombia’s arts communities are just as fragmented as those in the United States” and shares how uplifting it has been to watch artists in the Bogotanx theatre community adapt to new realities brought on by the pandemic.

three groups sitting in circles
La Complejidad De Mi Ciudad
Essay

La Complejidad De Mi Ciudad

A Report on the LTC Miami in Motion Convening

19 September 2019

Carl(os) Roa reflects on the 2019 Latinx Theatre Commons Miami Regional Convening, which took place between 12 and 14 July.

a group of people
How to Model a Healthier Professional Culture That Benefits Marginalized Artists and Administrators
Essay

How to Model a Healthier Professional Culture That Benefits Marginalized Artists and Administrators

1 May 2019

Carl(os) Roa offers thoughts on how organizations can create healthier workspaces, weaving in ideas from artists at Philadelphia Young Playwrights and Applied Mechanics.

Theatre in Quarantine / Teatro en Cuarentena
a person seated at a desk with multiple screens
Series

Theatre in Quarantine / Teatro en Cuarentena

Stories of Radical Adaptation, Survival, and Resistance from Colombian Theatre Artists / Cuentas de adaptación radical, supervivencia y la resistencia de artistas de teatro colombianos

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on many artists’ livelihoods, but especially performance and theatre artists. From the lens of a group of queer artists, this series offers a hyper-specific look at how artists living in Bogotá have been surviving and adapting during the pandemic.