Each month on The Subtext, Brian speaks with a playwright about life, writing, and whatever itches we are scratching.

This month he talks to Diana Burbano, a Colombian immigrant playwright, performer, and teaching artist based in Los Angeles. Her works include Policarpa, a post-apocalyptic reimagining of Colombia’s revolutionary heroine; Ghosts of Bogotá, an intimate exploration of family secrets and generational trauma; and Sapience, a fable about communication and neurodiversity. On this episode, Burbano shares which plays and playwrights have fed her artistically, the importance of empowering both characters and actors with agency, how she approached a commission from Jeanette Harrison to “write something that scares you,” how she feels both American and Colombian but more Colombian in the U.S. and more American in Colombia, and the value of personal and political stories.

Burbano’s work, which often explores themes of identity, resistance, and belonging, has been produced at theatres nationwide. She is committed to elevating underrepresented voices through her writing and her work with Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble, where she mentors new storytellers using anti-racist and anti-bias techniques. Diana serves on the Dramatists Guild Council as the Southern California representative.

This episode can also be found here, and on iTunes and Spotify.