The Neukom Institute for Computational Science awarded the second annual Neukom Literary Arts Award for Playwriting to Francisco Mendoza. Mendoza was presented with a $5,000 honorarium and his award at this summer’s VoxFest, a week-long festival hosted at Dartmouth College and co-produced by Dartmouth’s Department of Theater and Vox Theater. The festival is designed to develop daring theater and experimental works-in-progress. All photo credits: Rob Strong and Dartmouth College
Francisco Mendoza reflects on his experience at VoxFest: “I was very happy with what we accomplished and the time and space we had to do it. It actually changed my vision of the festival, and I’m excited about the idea of coming back in the future and trying out new stuff. There was definitely a creative energy in the air that allowed us to inspire each other.”
From left to right, actors Nina Mehta, Robert Cueva ’17, and Jose Febus perform a staged reading of Francisco Mendoza’s award-winning play, Machine Learning, which will receive a second staged reading at the nearby Northern Stage theatre during the 2019-2020 season.
Daniel Rockmore, director of the Neukom Institute for Computational Science, left, congratulates Francisco Mendoza. “When we first read Francisco’s play we were taken by its thoughtful and moving treatment of the possible effects of our relationships with machines and each other. It was clear from the performance that great strides were made with just one week’s worth of development and we very much look forward to see how Francisco’s continued work with VoxFest will strengthen an already strong and imaginative vision. I was thrilled with the reading and am excited by this continued collaboration between the Neukom Institute, Dartmouth’s Department of Theater, and Northern Stage,” said Rockmore.
Kate Mulley ’05, left, co-founder of VoxFest, presents a reading of Francisco Mendoza’s play alongside Daniel Rockmore. “It was a real joy to work with Francisco to bring his Neukom Award-winning play Machine Learning to life during VoxFest this summer. His enthusiasm and curiosity were infectious and his play was heart-breaking and hilarious,” said Mulley.