Fallbrook resident’s original play debuts at the Old Globe

FALLBROOK – Fallbrook resident, and Pacific Ridge School alumna, Jennifer Curiel saw her original work brought to life on the Old Globe stage last week as part of the Playwrights Project Plays by Young Writers festival.

Her play, "Fronteras Hechas del Dinero," was one of four finalists, selected out of nearly 269 California Young Playwrights Contest submissions, to receive a full professional production. An additional two finalists received staged readings only.

Curiel (Pacific Ridge Class of 2015) penned the play during her senior year at Pacific Ridge School as part of a Playwrights Project program in Advanced Theater Arts class. "Fronteras Hechas del Dinero" (borders made of money) tells the story of a Mexican-American teenager struggling to reconcile her desire to pursue an education with her responsibilities to family.

While the play is not autobiographical, it is deeply personal. So Curiel was thrilled to find that director Ruff Yeager, Playwrights Project dramaturge Mabelle Reynoso, and the cast all seemed to connect with the story.

It was a struggle, Curiel said, balancing her first semester at Whittier College with script re-writes and creative approvals, but the experience of seeing her work come to life at the internationally acclaimed Old Globe was unforgettable.

"It was exactly as I envisioned it," Curiel said. "I’m so grateful and so proud to be able to share a little bit of my culture and myself."