BLAKE BONILLA is a Filipinx-Costa Rican-American playwright from Lakewood, CA. He comes to Columbia after spending 3 years tutoring, doing theater wherever people would give him a job, and taking acting and writing classes. He spent about 5 years getting a B.A. in English (Creative Writing) from CSULB in the heart of southern California. He has made his professional stage debut in a reading of Alice Tuan’s Cock’s Crow at East West Players last year. He has also seen his work read at East West Players, after frequently taking classes from the prestigious David Henry Hwang Writers Institute. His plays reflect his views on gender, sexuality, and a hint of violence to keep the heart beating. A lifelong musician, he has begun his path as a budding composer for musical theater. In his play, The Best of Intentions, developed at the David Henry Hwang Writers Institute, Blake asks the question “Is one’s inner truth pure or can it only damage others?” He looks forward to making a living in New York and eventually paying off his student loans.