In the face of a challenging childhood, Franky Gonzalez discovered his passion for theater upon relocating to Dallas.
Behind the curtains at Bishop Arts Theatre Center, Colombian-American playwright Franky D. Gonzalez is making waves. His gritty tales of struggle, resilience, and overcoming adversity have found a permanent home here, where three of his works have been produced since he joined the team in 2021. Right now, his adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's classic, Hedda Gabler, titled "A Dallas Hedda", is playing to packed audiences.
Born and raised in Queens, New York, and later a North Texas trailer park, Gonzalez found solace in the theater. His prolific career boasts more than 40 plays and productions in the theater capitals of New York and Chicago. At just 33, he's only getting started.
In a heart-to-heart Zoom interview, he candidly shares how his wife supports him through his endless stream of creative ideas, despite the all-consuming nature of his passion. Balancing his artistic ambitions and family life has sometimes been tough, but Gonzalez is grateful to his loved ones for sticking by him.
Growing up in low-income circumstances, Gonzalez has faced numerous challenges. Battling with obesity, estrangement from his father, and even three suicide attempts, including one on Christmas Eve of 2009, has made his life resemble a movie or one of his biographical plays. He's penned these experiences most directly in a series of one-man shows, including the critically acclaimed "Paletas de Coco" and "Heart Stop or, The Obesity Play."
As Gonzalez relives his life's tumultuous journey, he emphasizes the transformative role theater has played in his survival. It's a testament to the power of art to heal and help people overcome their demons, especially when they find an audience that truly understands and connects with them.
His trilogy of solo shows, including the upcoming "Tomorrow You Will Be Happier", delves deep into the themes of forgiveness and the complexities of family relationships. In particular, he reflects on his contentious relationship with his father, whom he credits for instilling in him the resilience needed to face rejection and carry on. Despite their rocky past, he acknowledges the loving bond between a son and his father, recognizing that they were both victims of circumstance.
Gonzalez discovered his passion for theater during his Junior year at Denton High School when a teacher handed him three plays: Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author, Beckett's Waiting for Godot, and Lorca's Blood Wedding. It was a life-changing moment, one that set him on a course toward becoming a playwright. His journey led him to Central Florida and eventually to North Texas, where he found a community that embraced and nurtured his talent.
Gonzalez's writing style is characterized by dark humor, raw emotion, and a stark focus on societal issues. One of his only full-length comedies, Escobar's Hippos, exemplifies this blend of absurdity and deep introspection. Inspired by the true story of Pablo Escobar introducing hippos to Colombia, which sparked an ecological crisis, Gonzalez's play explores themes of identity, transformation, and the absurdity of life's twists and turns.
Despite finding success in New York and Chicago, Gonzalez considers his son the true audience he's always wanted to reach. Raised in the arts, he wonders if sharing his experiences and lessons could have prevented some of the hardships he faced growing up. Still, he continues writing, hoping to inspire others to find the resilience needed to face their own challenges and desires.
Teresa Coleman Wash, the executive artistic director of Bishop Arts Theatre Center, recognized Gonzalez's unique talent when she saw him performing monologues at the Aviary, a Dallas play development group. Wash offered him a residency, acknowledging that his powerful storytelling and sharp insights into human nature align perfectly with the theater's mission to amplify marginalized voices and enhance Dallas' cultural landscape.
With "A Dallas Hedda" and other productions, Gonzalez continues to push boundaries, reimagining classic stories and exploring the complexities of contemporary society. As part of Arts Access—an arts journalism collaboration between The Dallas Morning News and KERA—Gonzalez's work underscores the importance of representing diverse narratives and fostering an inclusive environment for all voices. His journey from a basement apartment in Queens to the stage at Bishop Arts Theatre Center is, in itself, a testament to the transformative power of art.
- Gonzalez's adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's classic, titled "A Dallas Hedda", is currently playing to packed audiences at Bishop Arts Theatre Center, a community that embraced and nurtured his talent.
- Apart from productions at the theater capitals of New York and Chicago, Gonzalez has penned more than 40 plays, reflecting his prolific career in the world of community theater.
- Discussing his life with a Zoom interviewer, Gonzalez credited his wife for standing by him through his endless stream of creative ideas, despite the all-consuming nature of his passion for theater.
- In his one-man shows like "Paletas de Coco" and "Heart Stop or, The Obesity Play", Gonzalez shares his personal experiences with estrangement, obesity, and suicide attempts, demonstrating the potential of art for healing and overcoming adversity.
- Gonzalez's upcoming work, "Tomorrow You Will Be Happier", delves into themes of forgiveness and family relationships, drawing on his contentious relationship with his father to illustrate the power of resilience and acceptance in the face of rejection and hardship.
- Gonzalez's writing style is known for dark humor, raw emotion, and a focus on societal issues, as seen in his only full-length comedy, Escobar's Hippos, which combines absurdity and deep introspection to explore identity, transformation, and life's twists and turns.
- Gonzalez's writing and powerful storytelling align perfectly with the mission of the Bishop Arts Theatre Center, seeking to amplify marginalized voices and enhance Dallas' cultural landscape.
- Gonzalez's work, as part of Arts Access, emphasizes the importance of representing diverse narratives and fostering an inclusive environment for all voices in the fields of fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, home-and-garden, relationships, pets, travel, cars, education-and-self-development, personal-growth, shopping, and career-development.
- Despite his success in New York and Chicago, Gonzalez's primary focus remains his son, hoping that sharing his experiences and lessons could prevent some of the hardships he faced growing up and inspire others to find resilience in the face of challenges.
- Recognizing Gonzalez's unique talent, Teresa Coleman Wash, the executive artistic director of Bishop Arts Theatre Center, offered him a residency, believing that his works would contribute significantly to the vitality and diversity of the theater and the entire Dallas community.
