Solo Fest 2025 Spotlight: Daniel Martinez Jr.’s WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Join us for PlayGround’s eighth annual Solo Performance Festival, a curation of the best in California solo performance! The festival runs January 24-February 9, 2025 (Fri-Sun), presented live on our stage and also simulcast online. More…

Today we’re spotlighting Daniel Martinez Jr.’s What’s in a Name? (1/26 at 4pm, 2/1 at 7pm, & 2/2 at 1pm). What’s In a Name? is the story of Gregory. He’s in his 30s and has worked hard his entire life to be successful. He wakes up, goes to work, comes home, and repeats. One day, he visits a medium who leaves their clients with their greatest attribute tattooed to their forehead. To his horror, and on the eve of his big promotion, Gregory looks in the mirror to see CUMDUMP tattooed on his forehead. A peculiar situation! Gregory grapples with the consequences of his choice, and the highs and lows of coming to terms with their true nature. This play explores the concept of living your life for yourself and on your own terms, and not living your life for other people.

Hear from the playwright:

What was the seed of this play? What inspired you to write it?
This story was inspired by labels. I had the idea of people living in a world where your greatest quality was imprinted on your forehead. People desire for things like “honor” or “morality” or whatever else. What if someone was imprinted with something so incredibly vulgar that it shocked everyone they met, but it was so true to their desires that the person couldn’t deny it. How does it change how people treat them? How does that make the person feel? Do they deny their true nature just to get along with everyone? Or do they say “fuck it” and lean into it? That’s where the inspiration came from and what I hope to (effectively) explore with this story. I’m someone who really cares about what people think, so the idea of facing this myself scares the shit out of me. Hell, getting out there and performing a solo show scares the shit out of me. But it’s what I want to do. The world would be so much better if people just cared a little less about what everyone thought!

Why is a solo show the ideal way to tell this story?
I think a solo show is the ideal way to tell this story because this is a story about one man’s view of the world being shattered and revolutionized. I don’t wanna have any distractions from his journey.

What are your artistic influences for this show?
I always gotta tip my hat to Phoebe Waller-Bridge and her show Fleabag for always influencing my work. Her ability to craft such comedically awkward moments from everyday situations is top tier and it fuels my desire to always find the funny.

What surprised you during the creation of this piece?
How meta the process was. I’ve edited myself so many times, worried about what people (or worse…my family) would think if I said that particular line or whatever. That’s why it’s so close to home, I guess.

Is there anything audiences should know about you or your piece before they attend? And/or is there anything else you want to share about your piece?
I hope you have an open mind and live in whatever emotion you feel while watching it. Whether by chance or by choice, I’m super grateful to anybody who tunes in physically or virtually. I hope you enjoy the show!

Daniel Martinez Jr. (WHAT’S IN A NAME?) is a playwright and actor from San Jose, CA. Daniel has written and performed two solo shows; Me Again and Round Hole. Daniel has written short plays and written his first full length play through the PlayGround Writers Pool. During the day, Daniel teaches at a film school for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.