Taina Carrion-Perez is a Nuyorican playwright whose focus is on storytelling as a form of reflecting and celebrating the communities that have shaped her. Growing up as a writer from East Harlem, it has only ever felt natural to build characters that inhabited the neighborhood she knew so well. It wasn’t until she was older that she understood the true necessity of telling stories about real Latino people from their neighborhoods, especially in light of the lack of representation that exists in mainstream media. It became her mission to have younger audiences see themselves represented in her work, as well as heal the inner child of the adults alongside them. To give back to the characters of her life that have fulfilled her by honoring them with a spotlight on the stage. Her plays delve into the intricacies of human relationships and mental health through the lens of a variety of characters from children to seniors. In 2021, her play "The Boogie Boarder" was produced by the Westchester Collaborative Theater for the Hudson Valley New Voices Festival. Set on Luquillo Beach in Puerto Rico, the ten-minute play showcases a powerful exploration of grief through the perspective of a seven year old girl who sees the world in a way that her elders cannot. Further demonstrating dedication to her craft, in May 2022, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Playwriting and Screenwriting from SUNY Purchase College. During her time in college, In 2019, her play "Hija De Arte" was produced in the PWSW New Plays Now Festival at Purchase College. In the face of the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Taina co-founded the New Day Art Collective in the spring of 2020. With many theaters closing their doors and in-person performances canceled, the collective took their passion for theater and talents to an online space. Their first production of short plays was live streamed on YouTube, and garnered 3.5k views. It was in this show that Taina debuted as a director for her radio play "Miguelito". She held rehearsals with the voice actors, and navigated the technical process utilizing what they had to work with from home. For the company’s winter showcase, they staged a virtual adaptation of "The Great Gatsby" with a nuanced spin on the classic play, making Jay Gatsby a queer woman. Taina takes great pride in continuously learning how to take an innovative approach to theater and create meaningful art in spite of challenges.