Maria Alexandria Beech

Maria Alexandria Beech is a Venezuelan-American writer living in New York. Alex is the writer on "TELEMAMAS", a series currently in post-production. She's also translating a novel ("The Nobel and his Teacher") on Gabriel Garcia Marquez to be made into a film. Alex was included in the Lark Play Development Center's residency at New York Stage and Film in 2015. In 2014 Alex was invited by Primary Stages Theater to the Perry-Mansfield New Works Festival with her play, Infinity Pond, which was co-commissioned by Primary Stages Theater and Theater Masters. Infinity Pond was also included in the 2014 Palm Beach Theater Festival. Her play, Good Friends, was selected for the 2014 Crossing Borders Festival at Two River Theatre, where it was performed in English and Spanish (which was her own translation). Good Friends was also included in the 2014 New American Voices Festival. Her play, Breaking Walls, was produced at The Cherry Lane Theater. Her play, Swipe, Tap, and Touch, was produced by Primary Stages and Brandeis Theater Company. Her two-woman show, What Are You Doing Here?, was nominated for several awards at the Planet Connections Theater Festivity. Her one act plays and musicals have been produced in South Korea, New York, Chicago, New Jersey, and at Barrington Stages. Her translation of Barbara Colio's Ropes was produced as part of the spring season at The Two River Theatre. Her TV pilot TeleMAMAS is currently in post-production. Alex is translating a novel for a film project based on Gabriel Garcia Marquez's childhood for Niels Juul, Executive Producer of Martin Scorcese's films.

Alex was a member of The Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group at Primary Stages (Class, Charity, Bonds, Swipe, Tap and Touch, Good Friends, and The Islands). She was member in the Hispanic Playwrights Lab at Intar (Gloria). Her translations, commissioned by the Lark Play Development Center in New York, include Luis Ayllon's The Camels, Hitler in My Heart by Noe Munoz Morales, and Barbara Colio's Ropes, which was in the 2013 Crossing Borders Festival at Two River Theater. In August 2014, Alex directed Cuerdas, the original version of Ropes, at the Latino Fest at Queens Theatre.

Alex earned a BA (cum laude) and MFA in playwriting from Columbia University. She is a Cycle 21 graduate of the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Currently, she teaches Playwriting at Sarah Lawrence College.

Her awards include The Aspen Theatre Master's Visionary Award (2009). Alex is a member of the Aspen Institute Scholars Program. She received the Outstanding New Script Award at the Planet Connections Theater Festivity for What Are You Doing Here? (2012). Her translation of Barbara Colio's Ropes, and her play, Infinity Pond, were nominated for the LA-based Kilroy's List. In 2012, Alex and Karl St. Lucy were in residency at Goodspeed Opera House with their musical, Class. Alex and Karl were in residency at Hope Summer Repertory Theater with Class in 2014. Currently, Alex serves as a Member of the US/Mexico Advisory Committee at The Lark Play Development Center.