Bishop Arts Theatre Center in Oak Cliff has a new playwright-in-residence.
The organization announced in a press release on Tuesday that Dallas-based playwright and TV writer Franky Gonzalez has joined its full-time staff as playwright-in-residence.
A University of North Texas graduate, Gonzalez served as a staff writer for the popular Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. His work has appeared with The Lark, the Sundance Institute, the Latinx Playwrights Circle and Dallas Theater Center, among others.
“Bishop Arts Theatre Center was my first artistic home,” Gonzalez said in the press release. “To be able to join the BATC family as a playwright-in-residence is an honor and an achievement that I count among my greatest as an artist.
“In a world where many institutions are pulling back, shoring up resources, and taking only the safest bets, Bishop Arts Theatre Center is taking risks by expanding the definitions of how theatrical institutions can support playwrights. I am grateful to be a part of this journey and hope to be a credit to BATC and to the Dallas theatre community in this new role.”
The theater company also announced that it was among the first organizations in the nation to receive a Shuttered Venue Operators Grant administered by the Small Business Association’s Office of Disaster Assistance. The grant allowed the company to pay off its construction loan debt from the 2006 renovations of its century-old building. For the first time in its 28-year history, full-time staff members will receive health insurance benefits and a retirement plan.
