Divine Riot and Healing TREE Commission New Play THE BIG BAD By Ren Dara Santiago 

A new play titled The Big Bad has been announced from Divine Riot and Healing TREE. The production is being produced by Cassidy Layton and Marissa Ghavami, with Ren Dara Santiago writing and co-producing.

The Big Bad centers on Ash, the youngest of three adult foster siblings, whose mental health crisis brings their family back together in the New York City home where they were raised. Drawing on Ash’s background in video game design, the story moves through layers of memory and mythology as the siblings confront unresolved wounds. The play explores intergenerational trauma, marginalized identities, and supernatural elements, while asking what compels people to continue through despair.

Santiago is a Fili-Rican, nonbinary, New York City–based playwright and screenwriter. They are a Lanford Wilson Award winner and previously served as a Tow Playwright-in-Residence. Their work includes The Siblings Play, which was scheduled to premiere at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in 2020, and television writing for Let the Right One In on Showtime.

In a statement, Santiago discussed the personal motivations behind the work. “A few of my loved ones, and myself, struggle with suicidality,” they said. “It gets worse when we can’t pay our bills and risk eviction. It gets worse when parts of our identity get shunned, ridiculed and erased. I want to tell a story that lets people who are struggling feel boundless once again.”

Producer Cassidy Layton, founder of Divine Riot, also addressed the project’s intent. “In a time when human rights are under attack, when poverty and houselessness are on the rise, alongside fascism and conspiracy theories, so many people feel incredibly alone,” Layton said. “We created Divine Riot to tell these stories in a provocative way that reaches beyond politics and speaks to human, everyday personal challenges.”

Marissa Ghavami, founder of Healing TREE and co-producer of the play, shared a similar perspective. “I can’t wait to share this unique story with audiences,” Ghavami said. “I think so many folks will relate to its core themes and see themselves in these characters who are striving to overcome their wounds.”