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Maria Irene Fornes
Maria Irene Fornes was born on May 14, 1930 in Havana, Cuba
She was 15 years old when she moved to New York with her mother and sisters in 1945 -
Family
Youngest of six children
Moved to New York with her mother and sisters leaving her older brother behind
Moved after the death of her father
They didn't have much support in Cuba
Although the Cuban Revolution hadn't occurred yet, the issues that were brewing were occurring during her early years
In Cuba they were fighting for better wages and more rights -
Inspiration
Maria Irene Fornes was inspired by the production Samuel Becket's Waiting for Godot, directed by Roger Blin, she started writing in 1961
She was mesmerized by the performance regardless that it was in French, she was in Paris at the time -
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Maria Fornes
Was a painter before she became a writer
Lived in Paris for three-four years
She painted with Hans Hoffman in Paris
After seeing the play Waiting for Godot she moved back to New York and for three years she worked as a textile design
What drew her to theatre was the adventure -
Influence in writing
Was a member for the Actor's Studio Playwright's Unit she learned from Lee Strasberg and Gene Frankel, she used the acting techniques that she learned from them -
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First/Final Play
Maria Irene Fornes first play was The Widow 1961 then Tango Palace in 1963
Her last play was Letters from Cuba in 2000
Over 35 original plays during the years 1961 and 2000
She would also direct new works from emerging playwrights which were often her students
Her most famous play is Fefu and Her Friends -
First Play
The Widow:
Letters exchanged between her cousins and their great-grandfather
Tango Palace:
The existential struggles between two allegorical characters
Absurdist ideas and dramaturgy -
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Awards
Eight Obie awards, one for Sustained achievement in Theatre
Distinguished Artists Award from the National Endowment for the Arts
Obie Awards are the honor of the highest calibre of off-Broadway and off-off Broadway
American Academy and Institute of Letters and Arts Award in Literature in 1986 -
Playwright/Director
Started directing her own plays after a 1973 production of her 1968 play Molly's dream
She felt a connection with her plays, someone was trying to direct one of her plays, but didn't really know anything about it
Fefu and her friends was her most famous play (1977) -
Education
Studied visual arts
Painted with Hans Hoffman and that helped her create theatre
"The years I spent painting were of enormous value for me as a playwright because theatre is visual art." she told the Dramatists Guild -
Fefu and Her Friends
Fefu and her friends was Maria Irene most famous play and was directed by her
First produced on May 5, 1997, then was produced in the American place Theatre on January 8, 1978 she was both the playwright and the director
She won an off-Broadway reward or Obie for this play
https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/fefu-and-her-friends -
Last Play
Letters From Cuba:
The play Letters From Cuba was the letters that she and her brother exchanged, after leaving her older brother behind in Cuba
It was a play between a dancer and her relatives across the sea -
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Health Issues
Maria Irene Fornes was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2005
Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, a progressive disease beginning with mild memory loss
She died October 30, 2018 at the age of 88
She was cared by her family, friends, and students -
The end
Overall, Maria Irene Fornes was respected and was seen as "the mother of Latinx playwriting"
She was influential
Award winning playwright
A director but also a teacher
Some would say that she was blunt and would say things straightforward -
References
“María Irene Fornés.” Maria Irene Fornes (Signature Theatre's Legacy Program), https://www.signaturetheatre.org/About/Playwrights---Residencies/Maria-Irene-Fornes.aspx#:~:text=Mar%C3%ADa%20Irene%20Forn%C3%A9s%20was%20born,dozen%20works%20for%20the%20stage
https://www.fornesinstitute.com/about/biography.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/31/obituaries/maria-irene-fornes-dead.html#:~:text=Her%20father%2C%20Carlos%2C%20a%20low,made%20medals%20for%20the%20military.