Monet Hurst-Mendoza

Monet Hurst-Mendoza is an American playwright, director, and theatre producer and television writer. Her plays predominantly feature people of color, and often deal with heavier subject matters—such as morality, exploitation, and corruption. She explores themes of race, culture, and identity in her works, and constructs characters that develop unconventional relationships and overcome situations via unique escapist approaches.

Hurst-Mendoza has worked with organizations such as Rising Circle Theater Collective, The Public Theater, WP Theater, |the claque|, Lookingglass Theatre Company, The Kupferberg Center, and The Classical Theatre of Harlem to develop her plays.

Hurst-Mendoza dedicates her career to promoting and advocating for greater representation of artists of color and women in theater. In April 2017, she spoke on the Challenging Stigma Through the Arts and Technology panel as part of the Nasty Women Unite Fest. She was part of the writing staff for Law and Order SVU for seasons 21–24.

Education Hurst-Mendoza attended Marymount Manhattan College from 2005 to 2009 and graduated with a B.A. in Theatre Arts, with concentrations in playwriting and directing. During her time there, she received the 2009 Gold Key for Excellence in Theatre Arts (Writing for the Stage).

From ages eight to eighteen, Hurst-Mendoza's background consisted mostly of acting and musical theater training. At the beginning of her career at Marymount Manhattan College, she was waitlisted for the musical theater program, and thus decided to enroll in the playwriting program instead.

From 2014 to 2016, Hurst-Mendoza was a Lab Member at the WP Theater. This is a two-year residency for female-identifying playwrights, directors, and producers. During her residency, she served primarily as a playwright.

The Public Theater In December 2015, Hurst-Mendoza was selected to be a member of the 2017 Emerging Writers Group at the Public Theater.

Rising Circle Theatre Collective Based in New York City, Rising Circle Theater Collective is a theater collective that works exclusively to expand the range of narratives portrayed on the American stage by prioritizing the stories of people of color. They run four active programs, including INKtank, PlayRISE, The Refinery, and Spectrum Series, each of which provide artists of color and members of the theater community opportunities to create and develop their work as well as foster strong collaborations and networks. INKtank is an intensive twelve-week play development lab geared towards playwrights of color, through which Rising Circle provides structure and resources for playwrights to generate and develop fresh work every week. The program is a largely collaborative process and focuses on providing playwrights of color with a solid support system. PlayRISE is an annual reading series for the INKtank writers. It is an annual opportunity for the current year's INKtank writers to work with professional actors and directors to showcase staged readings of their new plays.

Themes and influences When asked about the type of theatre that she finds exciting, Hurst-Mendoza responded, "variety excites me. I like seeing atypical stories told from various perspectives." Much of her work today reflects this line of thinking, as her plays involve a variety of genres and themes. These subject-matters include sexual violence, religion, identity politics, mass incarceration, sexism, and racism. Hurst-Mendoza attempts to engage with and confront such themes in her work that have become increasingly relevant in the socio-political discourse of 21st-century United States. She has described the aesthetic of her plays and stage directions as being very visual, as she often has very specific visions of what pictures should be created in her mind. One of her favorite ways of positioning her actors are either on the floor or sitting down, or back-to-back.

Plays Source: "In a small Yucatecan town circa 1960's Mexico, religiously devout Lilia is forced to turn to prostitution as a means of making a living. When young Lilia develops an unconventional friendship with a compassionate new priest in town, everyone's faith is tested. Caught between the secrets and lies that force us to question the morality of human nature, LILIA presents a passionate allegory about choosing between duty and desire." Jane's Room Mendoza's first play to be produced in New York City "An adaptation of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper. Possibly a period piece, possibly a ghost story, possibly an abstract discussion on women being trapped." Veil’d: A Fairytale Cast: 5–7 Genre: adaptation, adventure, comedy, fable/folktale, fantasy, romantic comedy, young audiences Keyword: magical realism, fairy-tale, Rapunzel, burqas, sharks, Family Drama, Afghan-American, immigrant experience, parenting a special needs child

Honors and awards 2009 Gold Key for Excellence in Theatre Arts (Writing for the Stage).