From a Family of Storytellers to a Coveted MFA Scholarship

School of the Arts playwriting student Amalia Oliva Rojas is a native New Yorker, who draws inspiration for her life and work from those she sees on the streets around her: “I write about New Yorkers, predominantly immigrants and women of color. In my work, I aim to shine a light on the version of my characters that the city does not see. What’s behind the faces we so casually pass by on our way to school or to work? What are their hopes and dreams? What does resistance look like for them?”

When are you graduating from School of the Arts, and from which program? What is your degree, and your area of focus?

I am graduating in May 2025 with an MFA in Theatre, with a Playwriting concentration.

What drew you to playwriting, and what was your path to pursuing graduate work at Columbia?

I have always loved a good story. I come from a family of oral storytellers, who adore sharing knowledge, even if it’s in the form of gossip. I began my journey predominantly as a poet. Growing up, I read a lot of Edgar Allan Poe and Federico Garcia Lorca. In high school, I fell in love with acting through an educational program my high school offered with the off-Broadway theater company, Repertorio Español. By my sophomore year, I wrote my first play, Dude, Where’s My Dog? It won a city-wide playwriting competition with Fidelity Future Stage. By my junior year, I wrote my first full-length play, Como Una Box de Chocolate, which was a finalist for the National Young Playwrights Latino Challenge, hosted by Young Playwrights Inc. and the International Theater Festival of New York.

I began to read through all of the great playwrights, past and present, that I could get my hands on. I also applied to all the opportunities for young playwrights, where I was taught by playwrights such as School of the Arts Professor David Henry Hwang and Lucas Hnath. During this time, I met playwright Carmen Rivera, who became a mentor for a competition I had won. She changed my life, affirming for me that my path was to be a writer.

Unfortunately, life had other plans. When I was 18, my mother disclosed my undocumented status in this country. Much of what came after was heartbreak and disillusionment. However, I never stopped writing because it was through my plays that I could dismantle borders, oppression, and all obstacles in my way. It was through my writing that I resisted. I think it was this heartache and this hunger to challenge the problematic immigrant narrative that pushed me to continue to make theater. Since I had committed myself toward justice, I felt that being a writer wasn’t enough. So I became a community organizer both at local and national levels for immigrant rights and the Dream Act.

I was blessed to get through college with the support of the Institute of Mexican Studies at Lehman College. After graduating, I worked full-time as a higher-education administrator, and I wrote at night and on weekends. During the pandemic, like many, I realized that life was too short to let my dreams slip through the cracks, so I wrote even more intensely and put myself out there. I quit my administrator job, and got one aligned with my passions for social justice and theater: I worked at a nonprofit, Girl Be Heard, which focuses on amplifying and celebrating the voices of young girls and gender nonbinary teens through social justice and theater.

A year into my position as a community partnerships manager, it occurred to me that I was yet to be heard myself. I took a risk and applied to graduate school. I think of how far I have come now that I am at Columbia. My life as a playwright is a reality after years of working on my craft, despite the challenges. During this time, my play, How to Melt ICE (or How the Coyote Fell in Love with the Lizard Who was Really a Butterfly) received a New York Women’s Fund Grant, and was in preparation for a co-production between New Perspectives Theatre Company and Boundless Theater Company. I am so glad I was at Columbia when this production premiered, because I was held so closely by my professors and learned so much, both in the classroom and the production room. Most important, it affirmed for me yet again that I had made the right decisions, and that I was becoming the artivist I want to be. My time is now. 

What did winning a Hansberry Lilly Playwright Fellowship in 2023 mean for you and your work?

I am grateful to many mentors and teachers who have paved the way for me, both pre-Columbia and those I met here. I applied for the Hansberry Award, carrying my family and my dreams, and constantly negotiating our right to be in the United States to tell our story. I had quit many of my gigs to be able to focus on my studies, but I was quickly burning out, and I was nervous about what this meant economically.

I’ll never forget my shock when School of the Arts Professor Lynn Nottage and Julia Jordan met with me to share the news. The work I had been doing was finally coming to fruition. I wasn’t born into a family with academic degrees, so to receive a scholarship for an MFA felt like the most significant gift I have ever been given. I can choose where I put my energy; I can do as Lorraine Hansberry encourages us: “Sit a while and think.” The award has given me the time I need to invest in my work. Granted, I am still as busy as before, but I am now writing, assisting with plays, and reading plays. For my second-year play, I was struggling to do rewrites, but the fellowship gave me writing space for myself, which helped tremendously. Lastly, the award has allowed me to expand my network and build community. The Hansberry siblings (fellow awardees) I have are some of the coolest, most talented playwrights I know, and I feel honored to be inspired by their craft. 

How do you like studying in New York? What are your favorite urban activities?

I love studying in New York, with headphones on and a nice view in front of me. Butler Library has some great views. My favorite urban activity is street-watching. It's super juicy! You see it all!

What's your favorite place around the Morningside or Manhattanville campuses, and why?

My favorite place on campus has to be the Law Library. The chairs are comfortable, and the library has more enormous windows than Butler! 

What's the best way to meet people at Columbia?

See people’s work! Both in your field and out of your field. 

Do you have any recommendations for how best to enjoy the city beyond campus?

As a native New Yorker, I think this city has so many hidden gems. Governors Island hosts artists in the summer, so exhibitions are often happening there. Leave what you know and explore.

Do you have any hobbies?

I love to pretend I know how to crochet. Professor Nottage tried to teach me, and then I taught at a writer's camp, and learned a bit more about crocheting. Anyway, I have been working on the same project for two summers. 

What are your plans post-graduation?

I think this question scares many of us. What now? I’m not sure what job opportunities may lie ahead, but I know I plan to keep writing, teaching, and utilizing my artwork for social change. For now, I have a few things up my sleeve to get me there.