"VIA dreamy vignettes and his lovely poetic dialogue, Mr. Meneses offers a simple, artful and powerful exploration of grief, familial discord and reconciliation." - Darryl Reilly
BIO:
I write plays about family, blending realism with memory, dreams, and imagination. My work explores grief, mental health, caregiving, and the unspoken forces that shape how families survive across generations. Shaped by a Chilean-Chinese immigrant family upbringing and growing up alongside my autistic brother, Michael, my plays ask how we move forward when love, responsibility, and loss collide.
James Manuel Meneses is a New York–based playwright, actor and independent theatre producer. He formerly served as Assistant to the Managing Director and Company Manager at The York Theatre Company.
James is a Co-Producer on Michael McKeever’s critically acclaimed play THE CODE (Southwark Playhouse, London) and the playwright of the Equity Showcase production HEALING MINED (Theaterlab, NYC). He is also the book writer of the industry reading HERE IS GONE, a science fiction jukebox musical featuring songs by the Goo Goo Dolls. His plays DREAM FRAGMENTATION and WHILE YOU WAIT were produced by the Greenhouse Ensemble and presented at the Bernie Wohl Center and the Franciscan Community Center, respectively.
James is a member of the Dramatists Guild and APAP, and an alum of the Next Stage producing mentorship led by Tony Award winner Ken Davenport. He has studied playwriting at Primary Stages ESPA with Lia Romeo and at HB Studio with Julie McKee, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Technology from Alfred State College.
HEALING MINED
Grief Claims a father.
Dreams guide his son in a desperate attempt to save him.
a magical journey of resilience
PLAYWRIGHT
NYC Equity showcase at Theaterlab (April 2025)
HEALING MINED
Healing Mined is a magical tale that explores grief through storytelling, music and dance, following a father and son on a path toward identity, understanding and reconciliation.
THE CODE a Play by Michael McKeever
Southwark Playhouse, London
CO-PRODUCER
The Code unfolds over a pre-dinner cocktail evening in Hollywood, 1950, inside the home of former film star Billy Haines, whose career ended in the 1930s when he refused to deny his homosexuality. He is joined by stage and screen legend Tallulah Bankhead and influential talent agent Henry Willson, who arrives with his newest client, rising star Chad Manford. What begins as a social visit over drinks gradually shifts as old histories resurface and the group circles the unspoken rules that have shaped their lives and careers. As the evening unfolds, conversation turns into confrontation, forcing each of them to reckon with what they’ve revealed, what they’ve hidden, and what it has cost to survive in Hollywood.
"A DAZZLING, UNSETTLING TRIUMPH"
HERE IS GONE
Science Fiction Jukebox MUSICAL featuring the GOO GOO DOLLS
Industry Reading Presentation at The Players, NYC
Driven by a premonition that her unborn son will be separated from her at birth, Bianca Sullivan a loyal civilian begins to defy the rules set by her country’s authoritarian leadership. HERE IS GONE intertwines the evocative tunes of the GOO GOO DOLLS to tell a tale of sacrifice, rebellion, and the limitless power of dreams, while exploring a futuristic world where genuine human connection is overridden by laws and technological advancements.
BOOK WRITER
"Let Love in" written by Johnny Rzeznik,
Performed by Bailee Endebrock
PLAYWRIGHT
WHILE YOU WAIT
a Play with Dance and Performance Art
Produced by The Greenhouse Ensemble
Franciscan Community Center
Upper West Side, NYC
“Congratulations to the cast and crew of While You Wait on such an honest, vulnerable and sincere performance. Thank you for the courage to explore and share your intimate feelings about art, human relationships and the theater. ”
– Di Zhu, Managing Director, The Russian Arts Theatre and Studio
PLAYWRIGHT
FOOTBALL BALLERINA a New Play
In Development
Football Ballerina is a new play about family, ambition, and caregiving. It follows Sarah Navarro, a college placekicker balancing her athletic dreams with the responsibility of caring for her autistic sister. As she struggles to define her future without leaving her family behind, the play asks what we owe the people we love—and how we learn to choose our own path without losing ourselves in the process.
Reading of HERE IS GONE at The Players, with Daniella Caggiano and Kaelin Elizabeth
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HEALING MINED, Theaterlab
Talkback for REUNION at Chelsea Film Festival with Margaret Reed and Ruya Koman