# Ralph B. Peña

Ralph B. Peña is a Filipino-American playwright, director, and theater producer. He is a founding member and the current Producing Artistic Director of Ma-Yi Theater Company, an Obie Award and Drama Desk Award-winning Asian American theater group based in New York City. Peña is known for his work in developing and producing new plays by Asian American playwrights, as well as for directing critically acclaimed productions such as The Romance of Magno Rubio, The Wong Kids in the Secret of the Space Chupacabra GO!, and Among the Dead. He received an Obie Award in 2003 for his direction of The Romance of Magno Rubio.
As a playwright, Peña’s works include Flipzoids, Project: Balangiga, This End Up: A User’s Manual for Lovers of Asians, and Loose Leaf Bindings. His directing credits extend beyond Ma-Yi Theater, with productions staged at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, the Public Theater, the Northwest Asian American Theater Company, Kumu Kahua Theater,and international festivals in Singapore and Dublin.

## Early Life and Activism

Peña was born in Manila, Philippines, to Alfonso S. Peña and Josephine D. Bayron. During the Martial Law years under Ferdinand Marcos, Peña became involved in activist theater. While a student at the University of the Philippines, he joined Bodabil, later renamed UP Peryante, a street performance troupe led by Chris Millado. The group used vaudeville-style performances as a form of protest theater against the Marcos regime, staging guerrilla-style plays in public spaces to engage and mobilize audiences.
Due to political turmoil in the country, Peña fled the Philippines in 1984 and moved to California, where his father was residing. Shortly after, he relocated to New York City, where he co-founded Ma-Yi Theater Company in 1989.

## Career
### Ma-Yi Theater Company

Peña became Artistic Director of Ma-Yi Theater Company in 1996. Under his leadership, Ma-Yi expanded its mission from Filipino American storytelling to Pan-Asian American narratives, becoming a leading incubator for new plays by Asian American playwrights. In 2004, Peña co-founded the Ma-Yi Writers Lab, now the largest collective of Asian American playwrights in the United States. The Lab has supported notable writers such as Mike Lew, Rehana Lew Mirza, Qui Nguyen, Jiehae Park, Lloyd Suh, and Lauren Yee.

### Playwriting and Directing

Peña’s playwriting focuses on themes of cultural identity, history, and immigration. His works, including Flipzoids and This End Up: A User’s Manual for Lovers of Asians, have been staged at Ma-Yi Theater Company, Northwest Asian American Theater, Kumu Kahua Theatre, and La MaMa ETC. He wrote the Filipino text for The Romance of Magno Rubio (Obie Award-winning production, Ma-Yi Theater Company, 2002)
As a director, Peña has helmed numerous critically acclaimed productions, including:
The Wong Kids in the Secret of the Space Chupacabra GO! (Children’s Theatre Company, MN, and Ma-Yi Theater Company, 2013) Microcrisis (Ma-Yi Theater Company, 2010) Children of Vonderly (Ma-Yi Theater Company, 2007) House/Boy (La MaMa ETC, Singapore Theatre Festival, Dublin Theatre Festival) House Rules (Ma-Yi Theater Company, 2016) Among the Dead (Ma-Yi Theater Company, 2016) Tiger Style! (South Coast Repertory, 2022) The Far Country (Yale Repertory Theatre, 2023) SUMO (The Public Theater, 2025)

## Artistic Contributions and Impact

Peña has played a critical role in advancing Asian American theater. His leadership at Ma-Yi has led to groundbreaking productions and initiatives that challenge racial stereotypes in the arts. In 2010, Ma-Yi received a Special Drama Desk Award for “more than two decades of excellence and for nurturing Asian American voices in stylistically varied and engaging theatre.”
Peña has also been an advocate for increased diversity in American theater. In his widely discussed essay Diversity for Dummies, published in HowlRound, he criticized the tokenistic approach of mainstream theater institutions toward inclusion efforts, arguing for more systemic change to support artists of color. His writing continues to be a key reference in discussions about racial equity in the arts.
In 2021, Peña directed The First Twenty: The Flowering of Asian American Theater, a documentary exploring the evolution of Asian American playwriting over two decades, featuring interviews with David Henry Hwang, Michael Lew, Rehana Lew Mirza, Lauren Yee, Chay Yew, Qui Nguyen, and Lloyd Suh.

## Awards and Recognition

Obie Award (2003) – The Romance of Magno Rubio (Direction) Special Drama Desk Award (2010) – Ma-Yi Theater Company Filipino American National Historical Society Lifetime Achievement Award (2016) Ross Wetzsteon Obie Award (2018) – Ma-Yi Theater Company Personal Life
Peña resides in New York City and continues to be an advocate for diverse storytelling in American theater.
References
* 1 2 3 "Our History". Ma-Yi Theater Company. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
* 1 2 3 4 "Ralph B. Peña - BroadwayWorld Bio". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
* 1 2 3 4 "Obie Awards Winners Archive". Obie Awards. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
* 1 2 "Asian American Biographies – Ralph B. Peña". Asia Society. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
* 1 2 3 "Ma-Yi Theater Company – Artistic Director Ralph Peña". Ma-Yi Theater Company. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
* ↑ "Interview: Ralph Peña on Why Theater Should Be More Than Entertainment". StageBuddy. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
* ↑ "Clowns in a Time of Repression". Asian American Writers’ Workshop (AAWW). 2021-08-25. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
* 1 2 "The Complicated Triumph of 'Here Lies Love'". American Theatre Magazine. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
* ↑ "Review: 'The Wong Kids'". The New York Times. 2014-02-11. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
* ↑ "The Asian Equation – Village Voice". Village Voice. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
* ↑ Norman, Robert (2016-11-14). "Review: Among the Dead at HERE". Exeunt Magazine. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
* ↑ "Review: 'Tiger Style!' roars with comic energy at South Coast Repertory". Orange County Register. 2022-05-24. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
* ↑ "The Far Country – Yale Rep". Yale Repertory Theatre. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
* ↑ "SUMO at The Public Theater". The Public Theater. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
* 1 2 "Drama Desk Awards – Special Awards". Drama Desk Awards. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
* ↑ "Diversity for Dummies". HowlRound. 2016-06-08. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
* ↑ "Ma-Yi and Ralph B. Peña Celebrate 20 Years of Asian American Playwriting". ALL ARTS. 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
* ↑ "FANHS Metro NY Community Awards 2016". FANHS Metro NY. Retrieved 2025-02-18.