Author: inatera
Artist: Actress, Photographer and Writer.
Atone: A Blink Film
Update: 4/24/25 – Atone is now available on YouTube. Please find it after the synopsis.
At age eighteen, Jayden Morton was sentenced to twelve years in prison for manslaughter after accidentally shooting and killing an innocent child.
Released shortly after his thirtieth birthday, Jayden wants two things, to be a father to his twelve-year-old son, Noah, and to find a way to redeem himself. Juggling the pressures from the outside world, Jayden must confront his past, seek redemption and convince his son to avoid the same mistakes he once made before Noah makes the greatest mistake of his young life.
SYD
Prior to the horrific mass shooting of 2016 at Pulse in Orlando Florida, there was the arson that took the lives of thirty-two gay men at The Upstairs Lounge in New Orleans on June 24, 1973. On the same night, Sydney Trahan, a young nursing student, was arrested for dancing at Brady’s, a notorious lesbian bar in the French Quarter. Her parents, Bud and Helen Trahan struggle to gain some control over their lives and restore a sense of normalcy after Syd’s transgressions that night. Their neighbors, Beverly and Beau Larson, try to be supportive friends while hiding their secrets that intertwine with the tragedy of The Upstairs Lounge and Syd’s arrest. The Larsons face terrible realities as the Trahan family makes choices they couldn’t make. Will Syd’s future be saved? Will she come out of this the person she wants to be? Will Bud and Helen love their daughter unconditionally? Will the Larsons survive the truth when forced to face it? All this is revealed in SYD.
Enough
In 2022, 6,032 children 17 years and younger were injured or killed due to gun violence—enough to fill more than 300 classrooms of 20. In one week, we are exactly one year from the next election, and our teens are looking for answers on how to avoid becoming another statistic and saying, “Enough is enough.”
Join us at 7:30 at Stageworks Theatre on Nov 6 to witness six provocative new short plays by teen writers confronting gun violence in America. Stay afterward for a critical dialogue about how gun violence impacts our community.
Learn more about @enoughplaysproject by visiting enoughplays.com/reading
Her Beautiful Sound
Saturday, Aug 26th @ 4:30pm
Stageworks Theatre
“Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.”- Maya Angelou
A young teenager discovers the beauty of grief, family, friendship and her voice, her own beautiful sound.
The Ballad of Emmett Till
BIPOC Play-Reading Series
March 5, 2023
The Ballad of Emmett Till dramatizes the final days of Emmett Till, a Chicago teenager who takes a fateful trip to Mississippi in the summer of 1955. It is the story of a quest, Emmett’s pursuit of happiness, of liberty and ultimately of life.
Across the Atlantic
BIPOC Play-Reading Series
February 5, 2023
Synopsis:
Madalena is an indigenous Tocobaga woman from Florida. She is taken captive and enslaved by the Spanish empire to then become an intermediary and translator for the Spanish crown. Lost in history, save only for her mention in a friar’s journal, her story journeys from Florida through the Caribbean, across the Atlantic, and back again. A tale of mystery, faith, life, and death that gives an account erased from the colonial history of the Americas.
Cast Size: 9 characters – (5 females/4 males) parts can be expanded as desired. An ensemble can be added to play indigenous people and servants.
- MADALENA – Indigenous female from Florida of the Tocobaga people. Fourteen to 30 years old. Looks young yet timeless. The protagonist and narrator of the story. A slave, servant, and eventual translator for the Spanish crown. Relentless. (Originated* by Hannah Corlew)
- ULELE – Indigenous female from Florida of the Uzita people. Early 20s. She saves Juan Ortiz’s life. An idealist. Doubles as Bobadilla’s servant. (Originated* by Danielle Rodd/Gretchen Suárez-Peña)
- ISABEL DE BOBADILLA – Spanish female, mid-30s to early 40s. The aristocratic Spanish wife of Hernando de Soto. The first female governor of Cuba. A pragmatist. Doubles as a Tocobaga woman in Acts 1 and 2. (Originated* Alina Alcantara)
- ISA LA MORISCA – Female, 20s to 30s, a “white” slave from North Africa. Isabel de Bobadilla’s personal assistant and namesake. Kind. Doubles as a Tocobaga woman in Acts 1 and 2. (Originated* Dina Najjar/Marisol Robles)
- TOCOBAGA YOUNG WOMAN – Indigenous female, similar age to Madalena. Madalena’s friend. Doubles as Bobadilla’s servant. (Originated* by Jen Diaz/Laela Rodriguez)
- TOCOBAGA MAN – Indigenous male, 30s-50s, assumed leader of the Tocobaga. Doubles as CHIEF HIRRIHIGUA the leader of the Uzita. Doubles as Bobadilla’s servants. (Originated* by Tyler Anderson)
- JUAN ORTIZ – Spanish male, mid-20s to early 30s. A captive of the Uzita and Mocozo tribes in Florida. Saved by Ulele. Doubles as LAS CASAS, the Spanish colonist, priest, famed historian, and social reformer. Doubles as GREGORIO DE BETETA, a friar companion of Cáncer’s. Doubles as MAN 3. (Originated* by Manuel Solis-Bauza/Lee Catalfomo)
- HERNANDO DE SOTO – Spanish male, late 30s to early 40s. The Spanish explorer and conquistador. Isabel de Bobadilla’s husband. Pretentious. Doubles as CANCER, first name Luís, a Spanish priest and missionary. Overenthusiastic. An idealist. Doubles as MAN 2. (Originated* by Cornelio Aguilera)
- LOBILLO – Spanish male, late 30s to early 40s. One of Hernando de Soto’s men. Doubles as ESTEBAN DE FUENTES, a laborer who accompanies Cáncer. Doubles as PRINCE FELIPE II, crown prince to the Spanish throne, and MAN 1. (Originated* by Jullien Aponte)
Anna in The Tropics / Ana en el Tropico
Pulitzer Prize winner about Love and Lost in Ybor City
The Pulitzer Prize winning Anna in the Tropics is a play about the power of literature and its effect on our lives.
Tolstoy’s examination of longing, love, and betrayal, whose story suddenly parallels the lives of the factory workers and forever changes the world of these people. Passions are ignited, affairs are consummated, and gunshots are fired.
Celebrate the history of Ybor City.
Lab Theater Project
The Lab Theater Project in historic Ybor City is a production company focused on producing new works in the Tampa Bay Community.
One of my favorite things about Lab Theater Project is that they produce shows from emerging playwrights. I have seen several of them and love that they provide new artists a place to develop and work on their craft.
Although I have not worked on stage with the company, I call many of them my friends. Lab has helped me hone and work on my photography skills by providing me the opportunity to photograph some of their productions.
This year, Lab Theater Project found a new home at 812 E. Henderson Avenue in Ybor City. They have opened their doors with health and safety policies in place.
Don’t hesitate to check out their website and if you are not attending shows now, I know a donation would go a long way.
The Tampa Repertory Theatre
As an actor, I have a special place in my heart for classic plays. When Tampa Repertory Theatre came to town, I was excited to see the shows I studied in detail at AMDA (American Musical and Dramatic Academy) in NYC.
Although I auditioned for many and was not chosen, I still attended performances that made me giddy. Tampa Rep also presents new plays that have become some of my favorites.
In 2015, I was cast in one of their contemporary shows for TRT2 at the Silver Meteor Gallery, Bethany.
Presently, Tampa Rep has postponed their season and is devising new virtual and socially safe programming. I look forward to possibly, collaborating with them in the future.
Please visit their website and donate what you can, they’re a wonderful theatre company.
Isabel Natera 