Nora Montañez
(She/Her/Ella)
Affiliated Writer
Minneapolis, MN
Nora's writing are rooted at intersection of historical re-discovery and self-transformation to highlight the daily-living nuances of the Latinx stories.
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Biography

Nora Montañez is an Afro-descendent Indigenous Peruvian director, actor, singer, educator and playwright. She was raised in Paterson, NJ and holds a BFA from Florida Atlantic University. Nora has been commissioned by Exposed Brick Theatre, Penumbra Theatre (Race Workshop) and Theatre 45°, currently developing a Driveway Tour show with Open Eye Figure Theatre and a part of the Creative Team in the creation of Protest: A Revolutionary Rock Opus. Nora was a 2018 Next Step Grant recipient, a 20/21 Many Voices Mentee at the Playwrights Center, a 2022 Creative Support Grant recipient and is currently the Department of Chicano and Latino Studies Artist-in-Residence at the University of Minnesota. Nora is also the Founder of ALMA (Alliance of Latine Minnesota Artists), which facilitates alliances among the spectrum of Minnesotan Latine artists. 

Plays

Sabor A Mi

Sabor A Mi is an autobiographical play that traces Nora's personal immigrant journey and told through Latin American music.

Cast:
Nora Montanez (Self)
Code You

In Code You, a disheveled Marlen returns to her one-bedroom apartment to find herself isolated and disoriented. What she thought was a night-in takes a sudden turn when three old friends organize an impromptu house party. Marlen finds herself unsure of her own reality and seeks to understand her surroundings after feeling she is living in parallel worlds.

Cast:
Marlen: 25, Female-identifying/Non-white. Danny/Nurse #2: 20’s-30’s Gender Queer or Non-Binary/Non-white. Juan/ Physical Therapist: 20’s-30’s/Male indentifying/Non-white. Jesenia/ Nurse #1: 20’s-30’s/Female-identifying/Non-white. Jessica/Physician Specialist: 20’s-30’s/Female-identifying/Non-white.
A.K.A La Comadre

La Comadre, is a Puerto Rican woman who has been living in Paterson, New Jersey since she arrived from la Isla. She is the matriarch of her community which is why she decides to throw a goodbye party for one of the community members. Told through Latin American music and highlighted through projections, we attend the evening festivities and view how La Comadre balances hosting and protecting her barrio.

Cast:
La Comadre, 40-50. Must be Afro-Latina or Indigenous Latina. Strong, gregarious, childlike but maternal. Sexual. Stubborn. A heavy smoker. La Comadre has been living in that 318 Union Ave., the apartment complex for 25 years. Ester, 40-50’s. Must be Black/African American or Afro-Latina. She is sharp and quick. She is resilient, maternal and the voice of reason. A caretaker. Ester lives in the neighborhood. Alejandro, 22. Latino. He is gentle and reserved. He is a caretaker. He tends to his sick mother. They are tenants at 318 Union Ave. Hector Morales, 40’s . Latino. Married to Melinda. Hard working, dedicated to his wife and children. The Morales family has been tenants at 318 Union Aven for years. They are in the process of moving to Florida. The Morales feels indebted to La Comadre, as she has supported them financially through rent party. Melinda Morales, Late 30’s. Any ethnicity. Not white. Married to Hector. Loving. Reserved but strong and honest. The Salsa Band/Tenants: A group of musicians (men and women) who traditionally play congas, bongos, bass, piano, tres, a horn section, and the smaller hand-held percussion instruments: claves, guíro, or maracas and/or trumpets.

Successes

The University of Minnesota Department of Chicano and Latino Studies Artist-in-Residence committee has announced their 2022 Artist-in-Residence, Nora Montañez Patterson.