VINNY MRAZ
Vinny Mraz is a playwright, teaching artist and theater maker in NYC. His work has been seen at the The Vineyard Theater, Golden Thread Productions, HERE Arts, La Mama, New Ohio, Object Movement Festival, The Tank, Dixon Place, Andy’s Summer Playhouse, Little Theater, and The Dallas Solo Festival. He was an Artist in Residence with the Object Movement Festival from 2018 - 2019 where he developed an original puppetry piece called You Can see Nothing From Here along with collaborator Chris Carcione. He is a 2022 – 2023 NYSCA Individual Artist Grant recipient and Arts Council for Wyoming County mini-grant recipient for his upcoming Dairy Farmer Project.
Recently Vinny has worked with Jared Mezzochi and Sona Tatoyan on Azad (The Rabbit and the Wolf) on its world premiere with Golden Thread Productions. The SF Chronicle calls it “wondrous….with uproarious shadow puppetry”.
As a teaching artist he has spent the last 10 years working with senior citizens in writing workshops, acting classes and developing original show revues in senior centers and public libraries. He was a 2019 artist-in-residence for the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Su Casa program. He is a teaching artist with Rehabilitation Through the Arts. He works with Lifetime Arts as a trainer where he leads workshops and seminars for artists and administrators on Creative Aging. He is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Theater at Manhattanville College. MFA, Sarah Lawrence College.
He studied theater at Sarah Lawrence College, Emerson College, The Kenyon College Playwriting Institute, the Cherry Lane Theater School, Stella Adler, The Barrow Group and The Second City in Chicago.
UPCOMING
SPRING 2025
Puppeteering a cast of Karagöz puppets for Golden Thread Productions/Hakawati NGO’s San Francisco premiere of Azad (The Rabbit and the Wolf) written by Sona Tatoyan and directed by Jared Mezzochi. AZAD is an SF Chronicle Critic’s Pick!
Collaborating with Emily Batsford on their new puppet play Cumulo as scenic designer.
Touring with SHAKE! as scenic designer and actor for their upcoming production of The Tempest throughout Arkansas and Western New York.
Directing Sister Act! at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility with Rehabilitation Through the Arts.
Resume available upon request
Photo by Max Danesh