When teenager Angelo Mendez decides to leave his home out of fear of further disappointing his homophobic father, he encounters a world he was not prepared for at an LGBT homeless shelter in Los Angeles. Spoken word poetry and teen romance collide in this coming of age story as two homeless teens find inspiration to live life on their own terms.
A Note from the Playwright: "Audience members who liked El Payaso will enjoy the characters and the poetry in Swimming While Drowning. Poetry is my bread and butter because I started out as a poet and spoken word artist before I got into theatre and thus poetry is something that I include in all of my plays through either literal poems or poetic dialogue...or sometimes both. I am also a character-driven writer, by that I mean the characters are the most important thing to me. They come before the plot and before the theme and any impetus for me. People are going to see a more intimate, personal side of a story and characters in Swimming While Drowning. It's definitely a more slice of life play that feels like you are a fly on the wall of the private lives of LGBT homeless youth of color. While El Payaso is about learning and a call to action, Swimming While Drowning is more about listening, understanding, and invoking conversation about displacement, representation, identity, and culture that everyone can engage in."Videos