AMALIA OLIVA ROJAS

Amalia Oliva Rojas (she/her/Ella) is a Mexican poet, performer, and theater artivist based in Nueva York. Her work centers and archives the stories, myths, and legends told by her family, her community, and fellow immigrant women. Raised by oral storytellers, Amalia strives with her collection of work to leave future generations stories of heartache, radical joy, and hope. She is a proud alumnus of the Vassar College Powerhouse Theater Apprentice Program and CUNY Lehman College. Recent credits include  A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Succeed in the Myth-Making Business (Theater Accident and The Exposition Review-Journal). 

Residencies Include Pen America's DREAMING OUT LOUD fellowship, New Perspectives Theater Company Women's Work Short and Full-Length Play Lab, NYU Hemispheric Institute for Performance and Politics, EmergeNYC Program, Culture Hub's Thriving Changemakers, Beam's Center Lighthouse Artist Residency at Governors Island, The Action Lab's Take a breath residency. In addition to her playwriting, Amalia has contributed to several online magazines on immigration, policy-making, and personal narratives. These magazines include City limits, Popula, Mexico's renowned La Revista De La Universidad De México. In 2019, an excerpt from Amalia's one-woman show Tonantzin On the 7 Train was published by Pen America.

In November 2022, an excerpt of her play A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Succeed in the Myth-Making Business was produced and spotlighted by Lehman College. Most recently, Amalia's play  How to Melt ICE (or How the Coyote fell in love with the lizard who was really a butterfly) received the New York Women's Fund grant. Through the support of this generous grant, How to Melt ICE  was co-produced by New Perspectives Theatre Company and Boundless Theater Company in February 2023. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Playwriting at Columbia University.

www.amaliarojas.com
@amaliaoliva_​
Photo: Sheila Quinche