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Gustavo Ott
(Caracas, Venezuela, 1963) bachelor of Mass Communications, Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (UCAB, 1991), participant in the International Writing Program of the University of Iowa (1993), and the Residence Internationale Aux Recollets in Paris (2006). Awarded the Tirso de Molina International Playwriting Prize (1998, Spain) for "80 Dientes, 4 metros y 200 kilos” (“80 Teeth, 4 Feet and 500 Pounds”); Ricardo López Aranda International Playwriting Prize (2003, Spain) for "Tu ternura molotov” (“Your Molotov Kisess”); 2nd Award, National Contest for Contemporary Creation and Innovative Playwriting of the Institute for Performing Arts and Music (2006, Venezuela) for “120 vidas x minuto” (“120 Lives a Minute”);Second Place, Torreperogil Playwriting Prize (2007, Spain) for “Monstruos en el closet, ogros bajo la cama.”
 Chosen in 2002 and 2003 to participate in the “New Work Now!” program at the Joseph Papp Public Theater in New York, with "80 Teeth…” and “Two Loves and a Creature," both translated by Heather McKay, as well as the Playwriting Program of La Mousson D’Ete in France and "La Mousson a Paris" in the Comedie Française, with “Photomaton,” translated by Françoise Thanas and directed by Michel Didym. In 2005 “Deux amours” was presented again in the Studio of the Comedie Française, also translated by Thanas, under the direction of Vicent Colin.
Ott’s plays have been translated to English, Portuguese, German, French, Danish, Greek, Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Japanese, Turkish, Catalan and Creole. In 1988 “Teatro Cinco” was published in Venezuela with the plays "Los peces crecen con la luna" (1983) "El Siglo de las luces," (1986) and "Passport" (1988),the last on the subject of identity, arbitrariness, and immigration.
His stage premiere, by the group TextoTeatro, came in 1989 with “Divorciadas, evangélicas y vegetarianas,” (Divorcees, Evangelists, and Vegetarians) a comedy on friendship. Other comedies followed, such as "Apostando a Elisa" (1990) and "Cielito lindo" (1990). In 1991 he opened one of his most acclaimed works, "Pavlov: 2 segundos antes del crimen,” (“Pavlov: two seconds before the crime”)where Ott’s hallmark “cruel and unusual humor” was already on display. GALA’s (Washington, D.C.) production of this play in 1995, under the direction of Abel Lopez, marked Ott’s debut on the American stage.
During those years, Ott wrote for wide audiences, with pieces like “Nunca dije que era una niña buena”,1992, (“Whoever said I was a good girl”), a play that deals with youth gang violence, also produced in the U.S. by GALA. With “Good girl…” Ott founded the Teatro San Martín de Caracas (TSMC), while that same year Madrid’s Cuarta Pared inaugurated its Lavapies Theater with “Passport”, directed by Javier Yagüe. “Linda gatita” (Minor Leagues) also opened that year, chronicling the search for affection in relations between North and South America, as well as “Quiéreme mucho” (“The Very Thought of You”) TSMC, 1993, where two stories of immigration and love in two different generations are symmetrically structured like an Escher painting.
In 1996 Avispa Publishers in Madrid published two volumes containing six plays covering Ott’s early work. In 1997 "Las piezas del mal" was published in Caracas, collecting, along with "Pavlov," plays like "Gorditas", 1994 (Fat Chicks) for a female cast on the subject of ambition, and "Corazón pornográfico" (1995),a comedy that analyzes crime in a style that oscillates from realism to comic. In 1996 Ott began his most important group of plays to that date, which he called “Pentagram,” comprised of five plays in what he dubbed “the Latin American macabre style.”These are "Comegato" (1997-Caracas Municipal Theater Award, 1998-Casa del Artista Award), a work on the dilemma between decency and crime; "Fotomatón"(1997- Caracas Municipal Theater Award, 1999-Casa del Artista Award), an autopsy of the Latin American soul; “80 Dientes, 4 metros y 200 kilos” (80 Teeth, 4 Feet and 500 Pounds)(Tirso de Molina International Playwriting Prize-1998, First Runner-up, Princess Grace Award-2001; Caracas Municipal Theater Award-2002; CELCIT Award-2002), an epic piece on the subject of guilt; “Tres esqueltos y medio” (finalist Jose Ignacio Cabrujas Prize-1998), a play on the macabre intersection between transcendence and the criminal present; and “Miss”(Celcit Award-2002), an epic piece on Latin American ambition.
In 2002 Casa de América in Madrid published "Dos amores y un bicho,” (Two Loves and a Creature)a play that opened a new period in Ott’s style, with few ties to his previous work, particularly in its use of form, subject and language. "Two Loves...” is a play about hatred and was immediately translated to English, French, German, and Creole, premiering in Caracas in 2004, under direction of the author. As "Deux amours et une pettite bette,” the play opened in December 2003 in Lyon, France. That year, his one-man show “Bandolero y malasangre,”translated by Francoise Thanas, was premiered by Scene Nationale in Potiers, France, and later premiered in Catalan by the group Diverbia in Valencia, Spain. It was published in Cuba’s Conjunto magazine in 2004.
Also in 2004, in Santander, Spain, "Tu ternura molotov" (Your Molotov Kisses) Ricardo López Aranda Prize, a play on the interrelation of intolerance and terrorism, was published. “Molotov” premiered the same year in the Teatro Cuyás of la Palma on Grand Canary Island, staged by Profetas de Mueble Bar and also in Argentina (CLECIT, 2006), Mexico (Teatro Xola, DF, 2006), Portugal (AL-MaSRAH Teatro, Algarve), Washington, D.C. (GALA, 2008), Colombia (Teatro Nacional, 2008), California (Teatro de las Américas, 2008), Caracas (2009) and was presented in English by The Kitchen Dog Theater of Dallas as part of its “New Plays” program in 2007.
In 2006 Ott opened his first comedy in 10 years, "Pony," on deception and presidential elections. That same year, the Quartiers D´Ivry program in Paris presented “Deux amours…” and “Photomaton,” directed by Elizabeth Chailloux. Also in 2006, Ott took 2nd Place in the National Contest for Contemporary Creation and Innovative Playwriting of the Institute for Performing Arts and Music, Caracas, with “120 Lives a Minute” a piece on catastrophe and the meaning of art and country, premiered in Caracas, under direction of the author in 2007. “120 Lives a Minute” opened in English in a production for Ohio Northern University, USA, directed by Otto Minera.
In 2008 Spain’s Asociación de Autores de Teatro published “Monster in the closet, Ogre under the bed” a piece on victims in 9/11 attacks while Mexico’sPaso de Gato published “Passport” in its Cuadernos de Dramaturgia Internacional. That same year, Lagoudera Publishers in Athens published “Tu ternura molotov,” translated by Stamatis Polenakis and “Chat” (2008), a play about collective perversity in virtual communication, translated by Stamatis Polenakis, D. Siuva, Cleopatra Eleotriviari, S. Cufopulu, A. Sarafi, C. Tsocalidu and I. Lasopulu. Both Greek translations were overseen by Maria Jatziemanuíl.
Meriwether Publishing Ltd in the U.S. included selections from his plays in English translation by Heather McKay in “Audition Monologs for Student Actors” (1999); International Plays for Young Audiences (2000); “ Audition Monologs for Student Actors II” (2001) and “New Audition Scenes and Monologues from Contemporary Playwrights: The Best New Cuttings From Around the World” (2003, 2005 and 2007). Ott’s plays have also been published in Spain, France, Colombia, Mexico, Cuba, Greece, and Venezuela.
Ott has won other awards, including: Juana Sujo(Caracas, 1990); the MacLaren Comedy Playwriting Competition (Finalist), for "I Tawt I Taw a Putty Tat" (USA, 1995); Puerto Rico’s Critics’ Award,for "Los peces crecen con la luna"; Best Play, Karzinbarcika (Hungary) and Liverpool (Canada) Festivals for "Pavlov"; Best Play, MB-Prague Festival 2003 for "Passport"; Best Play, Yakumo Festival 2007 (Japan)for “Wet Dog Waiting” (Bandolero y Malasangre); Venezuela’s Writers’ Circle Award (2001) and First Runner-up, Princess Grace Award-New York (2001) for "80 Teeth, 4 Feet & 500 Pounds"; CELCIT Award (2002) for "80 Dientes..." and "Miss" and Panama’s Escenas Award (Best Play of 2007) for “Divorciadas, evangélicas y vegetarianas.”
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