Rafael Casal

Rafael Casal is a critically acclaimed writer, producer, actor, and poet. He made his feature debut in Blindspotting, which he wrote, produced, and starred. The celebrated film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and Lionsgate won a major bidding war. Casal is currently in production as the showrunner for the series adaptation for Starz. He acted opposite Hugh Jackman in the Emmy-winning HBO film Bad Education and Ethan Hawke in Showtime’s The Good Lord Bird. He wrote music for the Apple series Central Park and is writing and composing for season 2. Casal is also well-known to audiences for his work on HBO’s Def Poetry. His digital content and music albums have garnered millions of views and listens. His theatre-in-verse works have been presented at venues across the country, and his music has been featured on MTV and Showtime series as well as at SXSW and Sundance. Casal is the co-founder and the artistic director of the landmark Bars Workshop at the famed New York City’s Public Theater. He founded and served as the creative director for the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s First Wave Undergraduate Arts Program and Scholarship, which was their first Four-Year Contemporary Performing Arts Program.