An Interview with Playwright Mariana Carreño King

I had the opportunity to interview playwright Mariana Carreño King before her play Truckers premiers Off-Broadway.

What inspired you to write this specific play?

Back in 2018-2019, I read a news article about how some morgues in Mexico were filled to capacity and they were storing bodies in refrigerated trucks, but then someone (I never understood who) ordered a few of those trucks to just drive around without a clear destination while they built another morgue. A couple of trucks broke down or were abandoned. People complained about the smell. It wasn’t a big story, not in the States and not in Mexico. And it got me thinking about how inured we are to the violence around us, especially in Mexico, where cartel executions, femicides and all kinds of cruelty are part and parcel of everyday life. How this story, which I thought should be huge, was delegated to page whatever under the fold as a “news in brief” item, instead of the front page. I was applying to a playwright’s residency in LA, Humanitas Play LA, and I pitched the story as “a few truck drivers stuck in a weight station with a bunch of dead bodies.” It got picked and I wrote the play.

But also, Trump had been elected here, and Manuel López Obrador in Mexico. Theoretically, far right and far left, but when you take those two to the extreme, they meet. So, I was curious to explore the politics of violence. How do we justify it. Who do we blame for it.

How long did it take you to complete?

I finished a first draft in about about 10 months, the length of the residency. It was basically three big scenes with no connecting tissue in between. But I liked the people in it, and I wanted to keep hanging out with them. I did another workshop with Labyrinth Theatre Company in NY, in the summer of 2019, and re-wrote it for another reading with them in January 2020. I didn’t touch it during the pandemic because it was too weird to be dealing with dead bodies in trucks when I was seeing them in the Bronx every day. But then this last Summer Intar approached me to workshop it, with plans for a full production now. So here we are. Between four or five years with big breaks in between?

What was the process like to put this play into production?

Awesome! Having a workshop in the summer allowed me the time to really think about where I wanted to go with it. And having time between the workshop and the production was super valuable to really decide what direction to take it.

What has been your favorite part of the entire process so far?

Working with the actors and the creative team. As a playwright, there is just so much that you can do by yourself in front of your computer. Having different voices in the room is invaluable. And the people I’m working with are awesome. Many are close friends and collaborators from other projects, so it’s been a blast. Like a family reunion of sorts.

What has been you least favorite part of the process so far?

When the text was not clear enough for everyone but me (they were right); being stuck in certain scenes; procrastinating or being busy with school or other projects and not being able to dedicate as much time to it as I wanted. Sometimes I am my worst enemy when it comes to writing…

How does this compare to other productions you’ve been able to put up?

I feel that Covid changed my perspective on what it means to be a writer, and the things I want to say. This is my first big production post-pandemic, and I feel more grounded, more assertive in stating what I feel the play needs. I’ve always been lucky with the people that I get to work with (always aim to work with people who are smarter and more talented than you!), and I love this team. Also, being back at Intar. I literally made my acting debut, my directorial debut, and even my writing debut with a workshop of the first play I ever wrote back in the 1990’s. So being back feels like home.

What are you most looking forward to?

Opening night! Catching up with schoolwork, with sleeping. Celebrating the work that we all have done.

What comes next?

Sleeping? I have an idea making noise in my head about ex-cons being deported to Mexico even when they are not Mexican and being stranded there. They are being hired by multinational call centers because they speak English, and the companies can get away with paying them shit. That’s a thing. I’ve no idea where I’m going with this. I also want to rewrite a play that I wrote during Covid. I’m applying for a couple of residencies this summer, so hopefully something will come out of it.

Truckers will run February 25-March 26 Off-Broadway with opening night set for March 6.

Purchase your Tickets here: https://www.intartheatre.org/

Information for:

Need Assistance?

Other Resources: