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Tlaloc Rivas
BornBaja California, Mexico
OccupationDirector, professor, writer
NationalityIdentifies as Chicano
Education
Website
www.tlalocrivas.com

Tlaloc Rivas

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Tlaloc Rivas is a self-identified Chicano who is a theatre director, a writer, and an assistant professor at The University of Iowa.[1] He is also the co-founder of the Latinx Theatre Commons, which works side by side with HowlRound to revolutionize American theater and to highlight and promote the contributions and presence of Latinxs in theatre.[2] Central to Rivas' work is the Latinx experience. Rivas focuses on writing and directing plays that significantly explore Latinx identity and history.[3] Additionally, Rivas has also directed bilingual plays such as Mariela in the Desert and classical works such as Cymbeline.

Rivas earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater Arts from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1995. He later pursued and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Directing from the School of Drama at the University of Washington.[4] Since then Rivas has directed a number of professional and academic productions. In 2015, he directed his most recognized original written piece: Johanna: Facing Forward.[5] Also during 2015, Johanna: Facing Forward brought him to second place in the MetLife Nuestras Voces Playwriting Competition.[6] In addition to this recognition, Rivas has also been a recipient of the Sir John Gielgud Fellowship in Classical Directing and a winner of the Most Ambitious Production award in the Judy Awards.[4]

Early Life and Education

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Tlaloc Rivas was born in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Rivas spent his childhood in Mexico and has noted that his family members were word of mouth storytellers. The early exposure he had to storytelling helped Rivas shape and develop his own storytelling skills at a young age.[1]

Rivas' family later moved to Watsonville, California where he attended Watsonville High School. Rivas graduated from high school in 1988 and planned to pursue a college education in history and political science.[7][1] He attended Cabrillo College, where a theatre class led by Wilma Marcus Chandler prompted him to get involved with Chicano theatre. In 1993, after having worked with Teatro Campesino, Rivas along with three other classmates (Manuel Montez, Leonard Maestatas and Renee Sola) founded Chicano Theatreworks.[8] Also in 1993, Rivas enrolled at The University of California, Santa Cruz. He graduated with honors from UC Santa Cruz within a two year period, obtaining a B.A. in Theater Arts.[4] During his time at UC Santa Cruz, Rivas focused on acting and stage management, however he transitioned into directing for graduate school.[9]

In 1996, Rivas enrolled at the School of Drama at the University of Washington. As a student in the Professional Directors Training Program, he directed productions such as Octavio Solis' El Paso Blue. [4][9] Rivas graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree in Directing from UW in 1999.[7]

Career

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Tlaloc Rivas started directing plays in California and has since then directed plays in other states including New York, Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa.[10] While still an undergraduate student, Rivas worked as Assistant Director for Chicano Theatreworks, company which he also helped establish.[4] Then, while he was in graduate school, he further dived into his professional career as a director with a position as Artistic Associate for The Group Theatre in Seattle.[9] Upon obtaining his master's degree, Rivas worked as Artistic Director for Venture Theater Company.[4]

In the early 2000s, Rivas worked as an Adjunct Theatre Professor first at Bryn Mawr College and later at Arcadia University. In 2004, he left this position but it was not long before he returned to teaching in higher education. In 2009, Rivas began working at at Queens College and the following year he took the position of Assistant Theatre Professor at The University of Missouri- St. Louis. Finally, in 2012, he began teaching at The University of Iowa as an Assistant Professor of Directing and he currently still holds this position while also teaching within the university's Latino Studies program.[4]

In between and while working at these academic institutions, Rivas was also directing both academic and professional productions. Rivas has served as Guest Director at Insight Theater Company and Aurora Theatre Company; Director at Cleveland Public Theatre, Halcyon Theatre, and The Harmony Project; and Stage Director at Quantum Theatre and Merrimack Repertory Theatre.[4]

Written Works

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Johanna: Facing Forward

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Tlaloc Rivas' original work Johanna: Facing Forward is based on actual events. In 2007, Joanna Orozco was shot in the face by her ex-boyfriend. Johanna, who was only 18 years old at the time, went through intense recovery and post-recovery she went on to advocate for the rights of victims of domestic violence.[10] To write his play, Rivas focused on the special series that Rachel Dissell wrote about Joanna Orozco for The Plain Dealer.[11]

In its entirety, Johanna: Facing Forward is a bilingual play that primarily grapples with abusive relationships, assault and trauma, and survivor empowerment.[12]

Awards and Honors[13]

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  • Runner-Up in MetLife Nuestras Voces Playwriting Competition for Johanna: Facing Forward, 2015[6]
  • Sir John Gielgud Fellowship in Classical Directing from the Stage Directors & Choreographers Foundation, 2014-2015
  • Most Ambitious Production, The New World in the Judy Awards, 2012[14]
  • Person of the Year in NYTheatre.com for directing Summer and Smoke and Five Kinds of Silence, 2008
  • Participant in the Theatre Communications Group of NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors, 2001-2003 

Affiliations[15]

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Productions Directed

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Professional Productions Directed[13][16]

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Production Original Author Theatre Year
Abigail/1702  Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa  Merrimack Repertory Theatre 2016
Peribañez Félix Lope de Vega Quantum Theatre 2016
WIT Margaret Edson  Aurora Theatre Company 2016 
In Love and Warcraft Madhuri Shekar  Halcyon Theatre Company  2015
Johanna: Facing Forward Tlaloc Rivas Cleveland Public Theatre 2015
Mariela en el desierto Karen Zacarìas Los Angeles Theatre Center 2014
Fox on the Fairway Ken Ludwig Insight Theatre Company  2012
Cymbeline Shakespeare Richmond Shakespeare Festival  2012
The New World Nancy Bell fr. Shakespeare Shakespeare Festival St. Louis  2012
Becky's New Car Steven Dietz Insight Theatre Company  2011
La Llorona Kathleen Anderson Culebro Amphibian Stage Productions   2010
Summer and Smoke Tennessee Williams Big Sky Theater Company 2008
Five Kinds of Silence Shelagh Stephenson Boundless Theatre Company 2008
The Dumb Waiter Harold Pinter Ward 10 Productions 2006
The Crucible Arthur Miller Penobscot Theater Company 2004
Undone Andrea Thome INTAR - New Works Lab 2004
El Paso Blue Octavio Solis Venture Theatre Company 1999

Academic Productions Directed[13][16][17][18]

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Production Original Author College/University Year
Mr. Burns: A post-electric play Anne Washburn  The University of Iowa 2017
Cut and Run Eric Micha Holmes Iowa New Play Festival 2016
Baltimore Kirsten Greenidge The University of Iowa  2016
Johanna: Facing Forward Tlaloc Rivas The University of Kansas   2015
Luck of the Irish Kirsten Greenidge The University of Iowa 2015
Water by the Spoonful  Quiara Alegría Hudes  The University of Iowa 2013
For the Falls Emily Dendinger  Iowa New Play Festival 2013
Tartuffe Molière, adaptation by Ranjit Bolt The University of Missouri–St. Louis 2012
The House of the Spirits Isabel Allende, adaptation by Caridad Svich The University of Missouri–St. Louis 2011
The Caucasian Chalk Circle Bertolt Brecht Queens College  2010

References

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  1. ^ a b c trevorboffone (2016-06-20). "Tlaloc Rivas". 50 Playwrights Project. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  2. ^ "Latina/o Theatre Commons". HowlRound. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  3. ^ "TlalocRivas.com". TlalocRivas.com. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Tlaloc Rivas".
  5. ^ "Johanna: Facing Forward". Cleveland Public Theatre. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  6. ^ a b Astor-Vargas, Allison (December 29, 2015). "2015 METLIFE NUESTRAS VOCES NATIONAL PLAYWRITING COMPETITION RESULTS".
  7. ^ a b "Tlaloc Rivas, Class of 1988 - Watsonville High School - Classmates". www.classmates.com. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  8. ^ "Once again, playwright Manuel Montez of Chicano Theatreworks explores the themes of forbidden love in 'Particulate'". Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  9. ^ a b c Lauderdale, Nicole StodardNicole is Artistic Director of Thinking Cap Theatre in Fort; http://dramadaily.wordpress.com, FL She blogs at (2011-06-21). "Spotlight: Tlaloc Rivas, Director". 2AMt. Retrieved 2017-04-19. {{cite web}}: External link in |last2= (help)
  10. ^ a b "Alumni Profile / 1995: Tlaloc Rivas: Opening doors through theater". UC Santa Cruz News. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
  11. ^ "Johanna Orozco news - cleveland.com". www.cleveland.com. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  12. ^ "Johanna: Facing Forward from Victim to Advocate". HowlRound. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  13. ^ a b c Rivas, Tlaloc. "tlaloc_rivas_director_onepage" (PDF).
  14. ^ Newmark, Judith. "Judy Awards: In 2012, theater artists spread their wings". stltoday.com. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  15. ^ "Links". TlalocRivas.com. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  16. ^ a b "Portfolio". TlalocRivas.com. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  17. ^ Lopez, Myra (2012-03-07). "Production puts new spin on classic comedy". UMSL Daily. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  18. ^ "Updated Info: The St. Louis Premiere of THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS – Caridad Svich". caridadsvich.com. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
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