TIME, DON'T TAKE IT AWAY By Justin Santory Comes to Mark O'Donnell Theater

The Parsnip Ship and Latinx Playwright Circle has announced the live audio recording of Time, Don't Take It Away by Justin Santory, directed by Jorge Merced. Recorded live in front of an in-person audience, the performance also features live music from musical guest Tony & the Kiki and an interview with the playwright, culminating in a uniquely curated theatrical event. The recording will become a part of The Parsnip Ship's catalog of recorded theatrical experiences.

The event will be held Monday, June 23rd, 2025 at the Mark O'Donnell Theater at the Entertainment Community Fund in Brooklyn (160 Schermerhorn St) beginning at 6:30 PM. The one night event will intentionally have a limited audience and include free food and drink for audience members who attend.

The cast includes Xavier Reyes, Mildred R. Gil, SkittLeZ Ortiz, Pierre Jean Gonzalez, and Zahaira Curiel.

RSVP Free tickets can be reserved on EVENTBRIGHT.

ABOUT TIME, DON'T TAKE IT AWAY

Léo buys a t-shirt at Mama Sal's shop that comes with an unusual surprise. He meets a beautiful dancer named Benny (except Léo doesn't know that). Meanwhile, Léo's Best Friend and platonic life-mate Roxy has new opportunities on her horizon. How will Léo navigate the heartbreak that comes with time, even when that change can be good? A magical comedy romp featuring calderos, caftans, potions, love, and disco.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

Justin Santory is a gay native Nuyorican playwright and performer. Graduate of AMDA New York and Queens College. In July 2021, his first play Three's a Party had its world premiere as part of the Juntos Project, in collaboration with Teatro Bravo and Mesa Community College in Arizona. He is one of the inaugural recipients of the Creative Access Grant from Primary Stages. His second play, On a Higher Vibration, received a reading at 59E59 Theaters in New York. His third play, Time, Don't Take It Away was part of the 2023 Latinx Playwrights Circle Intensive Mentorship and received a reading at The Clemente in New York. Justin was a selected playwright for Harlem9 and Pregones' 48 Hours in El Bronx Festival in 2025. Owner and designer of n.y.see. His goal is to keep writing plays that add a pinch of adobo to the American theatrical canon.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Jorge Merced is an award winning theater director, actor, cultural activist, and mentor with a strong passion for Latinx communities of practice and LGBTQ free expression. His manner of work draws from the principles of multidisciplinary collective creation, community self-determination, and lifelong learning in the arts. His choice disciplines are theater, music, and dance. He is Associate Artistic Director (1987-present) at Pregones Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, aka Pregones/PRTT - a multigenerational performing ensemble, multidiscipline arts presenter, and steward of arts facilities in The Bronx and Manhattan's Broadway district. With the company he makes musicals and plays rooted in Latinx cultures, leads the company's ongoing LGBTQ programming, and presents fellow artists who share a twin commitment to the arts and civic enrichment. His decades-long leadership has been central to the company's inter-borough NYC season, playing a decisive role in empowering underserved artists and audiences to claim their rightful place at the front of American theater.