Jose Batista-Ayala

Performing Art – New York - NYC

Perth Amboy made me, New York raised me, Washington Heights saved me and now the Bronx loves me. I am of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent, and very proud of it coño! I am made up of many different creative elements therefore I do not care for labels but, since most people feel better compartmentalizing, we can say I am a Playwright, Poet, Performance Artist turned Documentary filmmaker. After moving to NYC in 2005, with no formal training in anything related to theater, I began acting, writing and dancing (salsa) for an off-Broadway urban sketch comedy group. “We were like ‘In Living Color’, but better and I was like JLO, but better”. In 2007, I ventured off on my own to write, produce and direct my first play called \'FRiENDAMiGO\' about a group of gay friends from Washington Heights. However, after a few shows in 2008, I stopped doing anything related to theater because I wanted to focus on becoming a better person (THANK YOU OPRAH). In 2013 I returned to theater by bringing \'FRiENDAMiGO\' back bigger and better. It was the best move ever because since then I’ve worked non-stop on my other pieces like, \'DRUNK ON LOVE: A One-Man Variety Show\', \'POETR+OMEDY: A One-Man Dramedy\' and \'The Cruising Monologues\', a daring play about cruising for sex. In \'The Cruising Monologues\' I feature Spoken Word that went on to win a 2015 BRIO Award.