Awards and Honors

Lambda Literary Award Best LGBTQ Anthology 2022: Finalist
KCACTF David Mark Cohen Award 2021: 1st Place
KCACTF National Undergraduate Playwriting Award 2020: 1st Place
KCACTF Region 7 National Partners of American Theatre 2020: Nominee
Kennedy Center Undergraduate Playwriting Workshop: Honoree

how to clean your room

(and remember all your trauma)

Synopsis

Spencer begins to clean their room and reflect on their relationship with the people around them. Who can and can’t we control in our lives? Does caring mean anything beyond words? Does infatuation go both ways? A play in two cycles with anxiety, depression, and puppets.

Characters

Spencer: In Need of Meds. Best played by a non-binary person of color
Mother: Motherly. Best played by an older woman of color
Therapist: Gentle. Best played by an older woman of color
Doctor: Helpful. Best played by an older woman of color
Quinn: A lot. Best played by someone of a marginalized identity
Brian: Well Kept. Best played by someone of a marginalized identity
Al: Stable. Best played by a white man
Greg: Adventurous. Best played by a white man
Derek: Alternative. Best played by a white man
Casey: Charming. Best played by a white man

Production History

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: Workshop, Spring 2019. Washington D.C.
Haus of Hazard Theatre Company: Staged Reading; Fall 2019. Bellingham, Washington
Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region 7: Staged Reading, Winter 2020. Fort Collins, Colorado
Western Washington University: Production dir. by Evan Mueller, Fall 2020. Bellingham, Washington
DePaul University: Production , Winter 2022. Chicago, Illinois
Majestic Theatre Corvallis: Production. Summer 2022. Corvallis, Oregon
University of Illinois: Production, Fall 2023. Bloomington/Normal, Illinois
University of Northern Colorado: Production, Winter 2024, Boulder, Colorado
Hampshire College: Production, Spring 2025, Amherst, Massachusetts

Featured in The Methuen Drama Book of Trans Plays

Reviews

  • “… has the unabashed moodiness of an emo band’s first EP”

    Jess Barbagallo, The Cincinnati Review

  • This play. This beautiful play. A play about the loss of friendship. About being fucked up and not able to fix that. Being shoved into adulthood, but what does that even mean any more. About screwing everything up and having to move on. Beautiful. Hard. Darkly funny. Puppets too. Don't pass this one by.

    Kamarie Chapman, New Play Exchange

  • "....is a witty and heartfelt exploration of how we reconcile the less than pleasant moments in our lives"

    M Nance and Michael Graves, Illinois State University

  • "A highly creative approach to a memory play; Chavez's piece is an excellent experimental work that uses puppets, poetry, and a very messy allegory of a room to explore the relationship of a non-binary individual with the people they care deeply about, as well as coming to terms with themselves."

    Jessi Pitts, New Play Exchange