About

Visit Chris’ new digital digs at chrisleyva.com!

Chris Leyva is originally from Albuquerque, NM. He received an M.F.A. from the Playwrights Workshop at The University of Iowa and a B.A. in Directing from Coe College. He is the recipient of the CATCO and Greater Columbus Arts Council Playwright Fellowship with his play BOOKS & BRIDGES. Chris directed a production of his play, ALL GRACE, (Richard Maibaum Award in Playwriting, workshop production, 2006 Iowa New Play Festival) for the Columbus Arts Festival in 2008. His play, SOLAMENTE UNA VEZ; A THAW, was named a finalist in the Regional Tony Award-winning Alliance Theatre’s Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Competition and was presented in a staged reading at Playwrights Horizons and at the Alliance. Other plays include: A WORLD WITHOUT ALLERGIES, A TALK BY DR. MICHAEL KRAMER (production 2014, MadLab Theatre Roulette), THE BROTHERS CARAMILLO, EULOGY FOR A PIECE OF SH*T (staged reading 2008, Great Plains Theatre Conference, semi-finalist PlayLabs 2008), BLOODLETTING (reading 2006, Bison Theatre), HOLY SCHMIDT!, (staged reading, 2005 Iowa New Play Festival), FATHER BOB, (workshop production, University of Iowa), and DIALOGUES WITH LARS, (finalist, YES Festival of New Plays, Northern Kentucky University; semi-finalist, New Play Festival, Florida Studio Theatre).

As a director, Chris mounted productions of LE NOZZE DI FIGARO (2006) and DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE (The Magic Flute) (2007) for Project Opera of Manhattan in NYC, also writing an English adaptation of the dialogue for the latter. Chris has mainly focused his directing muscles on the development of new works, including the premieres of BILLIE THE KID, OR THE LEGEND OF BILLY THE KID by Stephen Ptacek and FLYING LESSONS by Lisa Day, both presented at The University of Iowa.