Meet Angelica Chéri

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angelica Chéri.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Angelica. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I wrote my first play in 9th grade at Westchester High School. Then in 11th grade, I wrote another play, which I was able to direct and produce on the school stage. From there, I went on to obtain my BA in Theatre with a Playwriting Concentration from UCLA. I then moved to New York City and obtained two Masters Degrees back to back: an MFA in Playwriting from Columbia University and an MFA in Musical Theatre Writing from NYU.

While at NYU, my collaborator Ross Baum and I wrote a musical entitled GUN & POWDER, which is inspired by the true story of my great-great aunts, Mary and Martha Clarke who were twin sisters who passed for white in post-emancipation Texas and were notorious outlaws. GUN & POWDER received its world premiere production at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA and enjoyed a sold-out run which closed on February 23rd, 2020. The production was directed by Tony Nominee Robert O’Hara and featured lead performers from the original cast of HAMILTON.

I have received the Richard Rodgers Award for GUN & POWDER and was one of six playwrights selected for the inaugural Writers Group at the Geffen Playhouse. In addition to my work in the theater, I also write for the screen. I’m currently writing a series of TV movies for a major cable network and working as a story producer for a non-scripted show on a major streaming platform. I’m also writing a feature film which will be directed by a Grammy-award winning fellow LA native.

Has it been a smooth road?
My journey has had many obstacles. People don’t realize this, but writers “audition” as much as actors do. We write scripts and submit them to agencies, competitions, grants, workshop opportunities, awards, festivals, fellowships and the like. We go on interviews with theaters, TV networks, production companies and showrunners. We constantly hear the word “NO”.

Rejection after rejection comes and we have to hold onto the notion that our voice matters, we are enough, we’re talented, we’re worthy and we’re doing this for a reason. Every rejection is an opportunity to keep growing, work harder, learn more, improve on our craft and meet new people.

Eventually, that “YES” comes, and it only takes one to change everything.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a storyteller. I don’t consider myself bound to any one genre or platform. I write across all mediums: plays, musicals, film, TV, songs and poems. My stories range from tragedy to historical fiction, thriller, drama, romantic comedy and western folktale. I like to create worlds. I’m most fascinated by human behavior and relationships. That has no genre or medium. It’s always about the story; the story tells me what medium and genre fits it best.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The pandemic has exposed many of the flaws in our industry, mainly in the way we tell stories, what types of stories we get to tell and who gets to tell them. My hope for the next decade is that we see radical representation and unbiased access.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.angelicacheri.com
• Instagram: @angelicacheri
• Twitter: @angelicacheri

Image Credit:
Ross Baum, Andy Henderson

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