QUANTUM'S BIG PICTURE
A short 1-person performance as a prologue to Begonya's work in progress.
Written and Performed by Begonya Plaza-Rosenbluth
Directed by Dana Jacks
Participated in the Equity Library Theater Festival of Short Plays
On August 26, 2023
At New York Public Library (18 West 53rd Street, across from MoMa.)
Photography/videography by Beverly Batzel
Dr. Sal shares with her Preclinical Science class a patient's near-death experience as relating to how the principles of quantum physics is perhaps validating the phenomena of consciousness during these seismic shifting times when science is awakening to the nature of reality while making quantum leaps in artificial intelligence.
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11/2022
The Persistence of Memory was a semi-finalist at the 2005 American Zoetrope Screenplay competition, and later earned the interest of notable Hollywood artists. The process of raising money and competing in Hollywood became uninspiring so I wrote a stage play version that then led me to embark on writing a novel, which I am still working on. The Persistence of Memory is a fictionalized account about Salvador Dalí and his wife, Gala, seen from the eyes of a young man who was privy to their intimate lifestyle. This character is a compendium of the many varied lovers Gala enjoyed, and who exposed their stories to the world years later.
Salvador Dalí has been endlessly fascinating to me, for his curiosity encompassing the spectrum of life experiences and philosophical questions. He was a profound genius and yet also a klutz, talented, and absurdly idiotic, perverse and mystical at the same time, unafraid but paranoid, industrious and inspiring yet greedy. I have learned so much about so much through Salvador Dalí and his wife, Gala. I don't even care that others have stolen from my screenplay because no matter how successful their production turned out, the content of that copy doesn't come close to the quality and humanity I created with my work, as I determinedly treated the subject of Salvador Dalí with the respect he deserved. Hollywood doesn't mind making gimmicky stories that insult people's intelligence, unfortunately.
While researching Dalí, I discovered Saint Teresa of Avila, and embarked on writing my stage play, Teresa's Ecstasy, produced Off-Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre in 2012, performed by the late, Shawn Elliott, with Linda Larkin and myself in the female roles. I just love how one door leads to another and another and it's an endless process of discovery, both personally and creatively. The challenges are internal and external, but I find that the lesson is just to keep on creating, manifesting, and engaging with other like-minded artists and seekers.
DALI Esque-Apades is a short segment of my writings. A stand alone short story. This video was filmed with the poet and actor, Phillip Giambri narrating. If you want to follow along, you can read a PDF daliesqueapades.
I hope you enjoy my work, and if so, take a moment to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and COMMENT. Your support always is appreciated.
Such joy it is to explore the expansive adventure of life. We must never lose our faith in human kind, nor the ability to use our inquiring minds for enriching the hearts of others.
In these pages I share creative works I've completed, and others in progress.
May we transcend these troubled times through kindness, truth and a smile. My life experiences have proven that through creativity much can be understood and healed.
Salud!
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Begonya Plaza is a bilingual actor, writer, and filmmaker. When living in Hollywood at age nine she starred in an independent film called "Big Sister" and appeared in several commercials. She moved around for most of her formative years between California, Guernica in Northern Spain (where her father and her mother's father are from,) and Colombia where she was born until settling down again in Los Angeles. She finished high school at John Marshall High while working as writer and anchor for the Emmy Award winning television news program, Student News on channel 58.
After an internship at ABC News, she contemplated joining the air force but when learning that women could not be pilots attended the Los Angeles Theatre Academy at LACC College.
After her role in 48 HRS and realizing that she was going to be typecast she moved to New York to study classical theatre at the National Shakespeare Company, and train with Geraldine Page, Bill Hickey, Herbert Berghof, Eric Morris, and Michael Howard, also dance at Alvin Ailey, and voice with Graham Bernard. Throughout, always attending independent writing courses at NYU, UCLA, AFI, and with Robert McKee.
Some of the directors and actors Begonya has worked with in film, television, and stage include: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Walter Hill, Oliver Stone, Michael Mann, Amy Jones, Tim Hunter, Clint Eastwood, and Ellen Kuras, Tom Cruise, Nick Nolte, Robert De Niro, Willem Dafoe, Roddy McDowall, and Carroll O'Connor, among others.
Begonya has worked with the Labyrinth Theatre Company originating the role of Ms. Reyes in Stephen Adly Guirgis' "In Arabia We'd all be Kings" directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman. At the Beverly Hills Playhouse she originated the role of Rose in "Old Friends" written by Martin Zurla, directed by Richard Zavaglia, produced by Dan Lauria. At New York City's avant-garde Gas Station Begonya performed a 1-person musical of Bertolt Brecht poems with compositions by Kurt Weill, directed by Austria's Kurt Palm and his theatre company. At the Ensemble Studio Theatre West she played Garcia Lorca's "Yerma" directed by Russian director Yuvgeny Lanskoy, and originated the role of Hannah in "Ronensbourgh" at IATI theatre in NYC. Also Begonya has collaborated with Culture Clash, Rachel Rosenthal, and Barry Gifford productions.
Between acting jobs Begonya took a year off to make a documentary in the Basque country. She found the funding to write, produce, direct, and bring from Los Angeles her editor friend the Emmy Award winning editor, Jack Tucker. "Gernika Lives" is a 40-minute film about the bombing of Gernika and the 50th anniversary remembrance ceremonies. She filmed her father along with his family, and friends, survivors of the bombing of Gernika, the first ever aerial bombing prior to the Spanish Civil War. The documentary is narrated by John Randolph, with whom Begonya she collaborated on a multitude of socially conscious projects.
After Begonya starred in the CBS television series "Dark Justice" a co-production with Catalán tv, shot in Barcelona, she remained there to have a child, form a family and live life with new perspectives that invited other probabilities. She turned down the film Mambo Kings, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, and when discovering she was pregnant had to withdraw from a third call-back for Man of La Mancha on Broadway.
Begonya wrote, filmed, edited, and produced the documentary, “Souvenir Views” as an homage to NYC. About a young man's self-imposed rite-of-passage experience in Lower Manhattan post 9/11. The film premiered at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival, Los Angeles Film Festival, La Habana International Festival, aired two consecutive years on The Independent Film Channel, and traveled to East Coast universities including Wagner College and Dartmouth University.
Begonya wrote “Teresa’s Ecstasy” a three-character, full-length play, and performed in the Off-Broadway run opposite Shawn Elliott, and Linda Larkin. Directed by Will Pomerantz and produced by Jack Sharkey and Jim Weiner at the historical Cherry Lane Theatre in NYC. Teresa's Ecstasy is published by Broadway Play Publishing, Inc.
Her screenplay "The Persistence of Memory" is about one year in the life of Salvador Dalí and his wife, Gala, seen from the eyes of a young lover. The script garnered letters of interest from the celebrated actress Glenn Close, and director of photography, Juan Ruiz Anchía. While pursuing the funding for a film production, Begonya wrote a rendition for the stage, and is currently completing the novel version.
Begonya's poem "Love" was published in Silver Tongued Devil Anthology / Rimes of the Ancient Mariner, Celebrating 5 years of East Village Poetry, her poem "To Caterina from her Mother" is published in Beyond Words Magazine, November 2021, both in print & online. Other poems are in The Write Launch, The Ulu Review, L'Esprit magazine, and Rogues Scholars Press Anthology.
Begonya Plaza-Rosenbluth's latest venture is a short 1-person play QUANTUM'S BIG PICTURE You can see a recording of her live performance for Equity Library Theatre at the NY Public Library on YouTube. Currently she is developing a full-length version.
Link: www.begonyaplaza.com
SAG/AFTRA/EQUITY -- IMDB link -- Download Begonya's Resume
ACTING DEMO
Recorded performances
Kurt Weill's Lost in the Stars & Listen to My Song & Violetta Parra's Gracias a La Vida
Invisible Catalyst (a poem to Covid-19)
To Caterina from Mother (poem published in Beyond Words Literary Magazine, issue 20 November 21)
A scene from "In Arabia We'd all be Kings" by Stephen Adley Guirgis
"Silver Tongued Devil" Begonya Plaza for Rimes of The Ancient Mariner February 24, 2016
Cat and I in Port Lligat researching Salvador Dalí
Childhood friends: Mauri, Felipe and Jesus breaking bread in Euskadi
On the US1 with Zelda Kaplan * Jeffrey Gurian