O:JA&L Theater Arts
Drama: Plays for Page or Stage
Juan Carlos Hernandez
The Discerning Dummy
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Tagline: A play about a young seminarian and his ventriloquist dummy named Charlie.
Synopsis: John enters the seminary with naivette, a big heart, and a ventriloquist dummy named Charlie. He hopes to learn and grow spiritually. With an open heart and innocence, he soon learns that the Church is not only full of compassion but also politics, vanity, conflicting ideas and pure sin. As his knowledge of philosophy develops, so does his realization that the men who form the Church are extremely flawed. His faith is put to test. He attempts to expose the corruption using his talent, his heart, and his best friend Charlie.
About the Playwright:
Juan Carlos Hernandez was born in Cuba and raised in Hammond, Indiana and Miami, Florida, and graduated from The Juilliard School’s Drama Division in 1996. He often worked with Christopher Durang and Marsha Norman in the Playwright’s Program. He did his undergraduate studies at Loyola University in Communications and Television Writing. In the past, Hernandez has worked as a stand up comic at New York Comedy Club. He has been an actor in NYC since 1996. His acting credits include David Rabe’s A Question of Mercy and Wait Until Dark on Broadway, as well as numerous plays, movies and TV. Hernandez also worked with Neil Simon, Edward Albee, Elaine May, Nilo Cruz and more on reading workshops and productions. He has written and produced films that may be seen on YouTube.
Image: Hale Fellow, Well Met (AI-assisted digital image) by O:JA&L staff creative. 2025. Public domain via MidJourney AI.
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