Krystal Ortiz

Krystal Ortiz (any pronouns) is a Cuban-American playwright, performer, dramaturg, and producer based in Chicago and sometimes NYC. Krystal was recently under commission as a playwright for the Goodman Theatre’s 2024-2025 New Stages Residency. There, with her co-writer Satya Jnani Chavez, she began developing “Fruition”, a live-looping musical about repressed gay moms. Krystal’s historical punk rock musical, “frikiNation”, had four workshops in 2025, including a workshop production presented in National Queer Theater’s Criminal Queerness Festival. Krystal is additionally co-producing a documentary about the history of los frikis cubanos with director Carlos Lopez Estrada. Krystal also wrote the book of a 10-minute musical with Nygel D. Robinson (Mexodus) for the 17th Annual Musical Theater Lab Festival produced by Prospect Musicals in NYC in 2023. Last February, Krystal was named an “up-and-coming millennial voice” in an article about theatre and activism written by WBEZ Chicago’s theatre critic, Mike Davis. Originally from Miami, FL, Krystal is an alumnus of the Music Theater division at New World School of the Arts High School and holds a BFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University. www.krystalortiz.com | instagram: @lin.unwell.miranda @frikination.musical

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