Dorothy Velasco
Springfield, OR
Playwright, script writer, reviewer
Biography

Oregon resident Dorothy Velasco has written 50 plays produced around the U.S. and abroad. Her musical, Miracle in Memphis, was published by Samuel French. Her outdoor drama, Oregon Fever, played for 11 summers at Oregon City. She co-authored the feature film, Raising Flagg, starring Alan Arkin, and wrote and co-produced several award-winning video documentaries. “Once I was an emerging playwright. Now that I’m old (but finding new energy) I hope I can be a RE-emerging playwright.” 

 

Successes

 My comedy, Ladies Shakespeare Club, had a sold-out run at The Very Little Theatre in Eugene, OR, Feb. 17-26, 2023. This heartfelt comedy takes place between 1920 and 1963, with a brief epilogue in 2000. Raucously funny and a bit bawdy, the play is full of action, surprises, and laughter through tears. Over the years the caring, quick-witted club members discover that a passionate study of Shakespeare enables them to strive for women's rights and to nurture enriching friendships while facing life's afflictions with dauntless humor.

 

My 25-minute play, Hattie's Vote, played for two sold-out staged readings at Minority Voices Theatre in Eugene, OR, Nov. 12-13, 2022.  Hattie’s Vote explores the mostly untold story of the life and legacy of Hattie Redmond, a Black woman who was instrumental in the fight for Oregon women’s suffrage. The play connects her fight in 1912 to the struggle for voting rights today.

Maria Indomable (Maria Untamed in English), can be seen in Spanish, with English subtitles, on The Very Little Theatre's YouTube channel through Dec. 31, 2020. This ten-minute comedy imagines an accidental meeting between Mexican cinema diva, Maria Felix, and her equally famous ex-husband, renowned composer of romantic songs, Agustin Lara.

Helen Dreams Ramona, my new ten-minute play, was read for SWAN Day at Oregon Contemporary Theatre, March 17, 2019, in a program of eight plays about outstanding women.

My 15-minute play, At Home with Mrs. Swing, was produced by The Shedd Institute at the Jaqua Concert Hall, Eugene, OR, and toured to Roseburg and Corvallis, Feb. 7-10.