Mercedes Isaza Clunie

Bio

Mercedes Isaza Clunie (she/her) is a queer, Chilean-Canadian, playwright, poet, and actor from Toronto. Mercedes’ work explores topics such as girlhood, culture, sexuality, and language through diverse forms that both disrupt traditional conventions while celebrating the essence of theatre. Her play “Gringas” is a six-time award-winning play and was recently(ish) listed in the Toronto Star’s ‘Best Theatre Shows of 2024’. Mercedes is currently in residence at Tarragon Theatre as their RBC Emerging Playwright in Residence. She is an alumni of Paprika Festival’s Playwriting Unit and is the Artistic Director of First Born Theatre, a queer, Latine-led, emerging theatre company dedicated to bringing the next generation of Canadian theatre to life. There, she helps to produce new work by other emerging and bilingual queer artists. Mercedes is passionate about community-based practices, bold and excellent theatre, and hilarity…lol. She’s so excited to be a part of TEPS this year and can’t wait to share whatever she comes up with. Her friends and family refer to her as ‘Meche’, colloquially.