“The choices we make today draft the stories we tell tomorrow…”

— Julissa Contreras

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Public Speaker

Creative Director

Educator

Social Impact Consultant

Writer Performer Public Speaker Creative Director Educator Social Impact Consultant

Creator of SPIRA, StoryQuo, Vámonos, Ladies Who Bronché, & Shit Spanish Girls Say. Writer, Performer, Creative Director, Educator +MORE

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  • “In reviving the outmoded genre of the 9/11 drama, Contreras proves that earlier attempts (most of which weren’t very good) were entirely premature. With two decades of hindsight, Contreras crafts a narrative that is informed by national trauma without losing focus on the human beings before us.

    No grand pronouncements are made regarding America’s role in the world, nor does the playwright indulge in the kind of cheap prescience that attempts to draw a line from that turning point to the present moment. Instead, Contreras captures the truth of 2002, which is that most people turned away from CNN in favor of their own personal dramas and desires.”

    — TheaterMania, review of Vámonos

  • “It tackles heavy topics like faith, racism, and patriotism through a Dominican lens and shows no fear.

    A good part of it also happens to be exclusively in Spanish. Instead of being an obstacle for audiences, however, the specificity and powerhouse performances turn the show into a kind of invitation, to not only see the truth of this family, but find truth in themselves, as well.”

    — The Daily Beast, review of Vámonos

  • “Great productions let the audience into the lives of its characters, to experience and share their feelings, to relate to their frustrations, to make good and bad decisions, to have hopes and dreams, to laugh and cry, to enter their lives briefly for two acts. Vámonos, currently playing at the INTAR theater, is such a production.

    ...playwright (wow) Julissa Contreras, was masterful in creating a story set in a time of extreme tension, yet with so much humanity.

    ...Ms. Contreras brilliantly captured the joy and horror of the era.”

    — Theater Pizzazz

  • "An excellent reminder that some of the absolute best productions in New York can be found in smaller off-Broadway theaters, Julissa Contreras’s electrifying drama Vámonos had its world premiere at INTAR."

    — TheaterMania, The 8 Best Off-Broadway Shows of 2023