 "With Bated Breath explores several serious, enduring issues, including prejudice/bigotry, sexual repression, and the thin line between faith and blind allegiance. But first and foremost, this show is a comedy. All of the seven on-stage actors excel at the art of making us laugh, whether through Garcia’s snappy script or through the art of wordless comedy."- Jed Ryan, Lavender After Dark
"Mark-Eugene Garcia is NOT a subtle playwright when it comes to his works of comedy"-- Jed Ryan, Lavender After Dark "Let’s hope With Bated Breath invades YOUR town sometime soon in a fully staged production!."- Jed Ryan, Lavender After Dark
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 "The production is at turns atmospheric and creepy, insightful and witty. It is not only a gripping tale of terror, but also a relatable, astute look at the complexity of modern-day relationships in the queer community and beyond. The actors, as deftly directed by Rodrigo Ernesto Bolaños, throw themselves into the narrative and imbue their characters with a reality that plays beautifully alongside the old-school horror movie tropes—making them sparkle like the Twilight vampires that Owen jokingly alludes to. It all comes together to make Goat Blood an unmissable addition to The Days of the Dead Festival and to Frigid NY."- Jim Catapano, Arts Independent
"Complicated, sexy, and terrifying, Goat Blood takes its audience down dark paths, constantly shifting what you're afraid of (or who), who you're afraid for, and why. The present-day scenes and flashbacks feed each other cunningly, and the pacing remains tight throughout; meanwhile the various tensions - life-or-death, sure, but also cultural and sexual - will keep you leaning in all the way to end. An unsettling winner." - Vince Gatton, New Play Exchange  Photo by Darren Lee “Shining in Misery” floats by for two hours on a wave of cheerful and catchy songs, a talented, high-energy cast of actors, and a barrage of jokes both silly and sublime. You’ll float too." - Rob Thomas, The Cap Times
"From "Carrie" to "The Bazaar of Bad Dreams", Shining in Misery a King Sized Parody, covers it all. People from Castle Rock, Derry, and even as far away as Jerusalem's Lot, are raving about this amazing show!" - Broadwayworld "The show is a tour-de-force of writing, with performers and technical resources more than up to the challenge. It's a load of fun."- John Chatterton, Talkin' Broadway "Different Seasons. It’s a quirky and beautiful song, and also the first time I’ve EVER heard the words “ass to mouth” in a musical. (You have to love Mark-Eugene Garcia’s deliciously dirty lyrics...)" Jed Ryan, Lavender After Dark "Mark-Eugene Garcia and Colleen DuVall’s book is clever and full of witty, laugh-out-loud dialogue. Garcia’s lyrics are genius, nuanced, and often hysterical."- Nathan Johnson, Broadwayworld "This show has more clever puns than “It” and “The Stand" have pages, and almost all of them land directly on your bag of (funny) bones." "If all the plays are even half as good as this one, we’re going to need to lobby to make WPW an annual event." - Aaron R. Conklin- Madison Magazine "Aided and abetted by Mark Eugene-Garcia’s lyrics, Andrew Abrams’ expansive and sophisticated score channels musicals galore, in a gleeful pastiche that simultaneously tilts toward the operatic, while also suggesting a Wagnerian orgy of folklore and myth, replete with horror-laden leitmotifs and ghoulish grace notes. For all the mayhem and murder, the dominant note at the performance I attended was laughter; I’ve never – and I mean never – heard more of it while watching a show on the Playhouse stage. Gloriously campy and loaded with sight gags, Shining in Misery had the audience in stitches, yours truly very much included."- Mike Fischer, WPW Backstage
REVIEWS
"A thought-provoking focus on Latino heritage. " -Mark Lord, Queens Chronicle "The ultimate message of undying hope for one and all." -Cliff Kasden, The Queens Courier "Humorous and poignant" -Byrne Harrison, Stagebuzz "Funny, thought-provoking & healing." -Brett Mann, Show-score "Garcia’s script combines drama, humor, and unflinching realism– occasionally, all together at the same time. The stories ... are more important than ever, making audience members realize that there are actual feelings and life experiences behind the faceless statistics reported (and exploited) in news stories about immigrants. Issues of ethnicity are also fearlessly explored in the play, from the dialogue about Mexico’s old Casta System, to modern day observations about colorism and prejudice (As one of the characters states, “Brown equals an identity, whether you like it or not.“) “Pedro”, in all his transgenerational reincarnations, would be proud!"- Jed Ryan- Lavender After Dark "Eight Tales of Pedro" is a kaleidoscope. With each turn, the audience feels different emotions, often contrary to those they just felt. It is contemporary, but includes classic structure and content. It's filled with hardships and tragedy, but also humor and hope, and shows how telling stories forms a community out of strangers. There are tricksters and fools, but also people who have experienced adverse reality. This play is rich in depth, subtlety, and theatricality. It is heartbreaking, yet hopeful. "- Steven G Martin, New Play Exchange
Planet Connections Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical, Play with Music, or Musical Event- Jenny Paul for the role of Dotty Lue Tobin
Planet Connections Outstanding Postcard- (Rodrigo Ernesto Bolaños) REVIEWS "A compelling story of baseball and faith. The game provides a world of meaning in community and being stronger together. When a woman is down for the count, she finds the hope to keep going and restore. It ain't over till it's over! Beautiful!"- Cheryl Bear, New Play Exchange "This new musical has heart!" "The cast works wonderfully... the straightforward, imaginative staging of this production nails it perfectly." "This musical makes for an entertaining 90 minutes and elicits quite a few laughs" -Wesley Frugé (nytheatre.com )
REVIEWS
"Since seeing Standby, more than once I have reflected on my own life and pondered what it means to put the past behind me and face the future. Resulting in a mixture of emotions and set goals, it’s apropos that this show brings forth the theorist in all of us and helps us handle those rough patches in life." "If there is one choice that you have to make today, it should be to buy a one-way ticket to Standby at this year’s NYMF. This is a trip you’ll never regret." -Gianfranco Lentini (NYTheatre.com) "With its brilliant concept and flawless execution, Standby is one of the best new shows out this season." "The songs, written by Amy Baer (music), Keith Robinson (music), Alfred Solis (lyrics), and Mark-Eugene Garcia (lyrics), are begging for a cast recording." -Norma Perez-Hernandez (Letters from the Mezzanine)
“Ellie and Dan's friendship goes beyond the pale in this very dark short comedy about how friendship can lead good people to do very bad things. Garcia does a fine job at humanizing two people doing a very cruel thing to a third; audiences will empathize and understand, but still feel uneasy especially at the end. ” - Steven G. Martin:,
"A fantastic comedy about what we'll do for love. Secrets, identity theft and online dating. Hey, what are friends for? Well done"- Cheryl Bear, New Play Exchange "If it's on the billboard, there's just no getting out of it. A great statement about the age of viral media."- Cheryl Bear, New Play Exchange
"Getting the keys always ends up being an all out passionate brawl. Perhaps agreeing to meet for lunch was our best decision. Well done." Cheryl Bear- New Play Exchange
“ Yes, "Las Rosas" is funny, but it also strikes a nerve. You can have pride and find strength in your identity, but when another person intentionally overlooks you ...Thanks, Mark-Eugene Garcia, for this one-minute play. ” - Steven G. Martin:, New Play Exchange
“ A brilliant capture of how we can have such pride and joy in our culture, but it's ruined when they reject you. Well done. ”- Cheryl Bear, New Play Exchange, Ne A mysterious bartender is about to change things for this couple, offering some magic on Saint Patrick's Day. Well done.- Cheryl Bear, New Play Exchange
'One Night At the Golden Boot“ A whimsical romantic comedy that'll bring smiles to audiences' faces. This play is a lot of fun thanks to Garcia's bold choices for setting and characters, dialogue, and self-awareness. It'd be fun to see Travis, Trevor, and Mysty on stage at a short play festival with LGBTQIA characters, or with St. Patrick Day's themes, or in the romantic comedy genre. ” - Steven G. Martin:, New Play Exchange
PCTF Outstanding Postcard and/or Flyer Outstanding Program- Nominee
PCTF Outstanding Lighting Design of a Full Length Production- Nominee REVIEWS "Garcia keeps this potentially dark matter light, and quite artfully, given all the potential mines and sinkholes...As a thoughtfully crafted dessert, (un)missed connections hones close to the sweet, though never loses sight of the bitter. It won’t make your teeth sing, and won’t leave you with that uncomfortable feeling of too full." " Garcia is sharp enough never to suggest anyone’s travails are at an end, and indeed, with a note of poetic realism, most of the men end their scenes hardly wiser than they were when they began. In a clever conceit, any shade of connection that results here, stems from the ability to acknowledge a missed connection. The hamster wheel of desire is driven by the urge to put a face on ourselves, and as only Eric – the “arty” one – can testify, following an encounter with the artist Marina Abramovic‘s “The Artist is Present” installation, facing yourself is hard. Hard!" - Geoffrey Paddy Johnson (The Happiest Medium) Dortort Family Undergraduate Award for Creative Writing- Winner
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AuthorTitles With Bated Breath Goat Blood Shining In Misery: A King-Sized Parody Eight Tales of Pedro Facing East: A New Musical The Holy Cows of Credence, South Dakota Inscriptions Insta-Engagement The Keys Las Rosas Little Corner: A Novel One Night At The Golden Boot Standby "Then" - A Poem (Un)Missed Connections What Friends Are For Categories |
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