Lynea Diaz-Hagan

Playwright and Screenwriter

San Francisco, California

Member Since:
October 2021

Last online:
today

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About Lynea

I tell stories about culture clash, outsiders, and the human natures we’d rather ignore. My writing is influenced by my early exposure to the criminal justice system. At twelve, I watched my mother, a state-appointed victim advocate, counsel families of young women murdered by the “Roadside Strangler.” Seeing how she absorbed that violence and how it haunted our home gave me a visceral understanding of the words, "There but for the grace of God go I." Later, when I freelanced for a criminology practice, writing personal histories for clients facing sentencing, I saw with even more clarity how easily a life could slip. Whether writing dramas, crime stories, or coming of age, I'm drawn to characters at the margins who fight for dignity and recognition by defying societal norms.

I began my career as a Broadway producer’s assistant on CHICAGO and as a story analyst for Jonathan Demme. After producing short films and indie webcasts, I pursued an MFA in Screenwriting at UCLA, where my screenplay THINK PRETTY won the Carl David Memorial Award for advancing LGBTQ+ representation. This script was later named a Nicholl quarterfinalist.

My work includes THE EDUCATION OF ADDY JIMÉNEZ, a finalist in the ScreenCraft Stage Play Competition, and the TV pilot QUEENS OF THE GARDEN, a 2024 CineStory semifinalist. I’m currently developing a comedic crime thriller, JIMMY GNOME, about a down-on-his-luck actor recruited by MI6 to expose a mole—only to discover he’s become the target of a deadly conspiracy and must deliver the greatest performance London has ever seen in order to survive.

I’ve received several grants for my writing (San Francisco Arts Commission, Theater Bay Area, and the Zellerbach Family Foundation) and hold a BA in English from Yale, an MFA in Screenwriting from UCLA, and an MA in Music from San Jose State.

Gender:
Female

Ethnicity:
Mixed

Badges

2024-11-05

Writers' Room Member

Certifications

Photos

Awards

CineStory Semifinalist
(2024)
ScreenCraft Stage Play Finalist
(2021)
Theatre Bay Area | CA$H Creates Grant
(2021)
San Francisco Arts Commission | Individual Literary Artist Grant
(2019)
Zellerbach Family Foundation | Theater Development Grant
(2019)
Theatre Bay Area | CA$H Performs Grant
(2018)

Education

Yale University
UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television