Tlaloc Rivas

Tlaloc Rivas (he/him) is a playwright, director, creative consultant, and activist based in Central Connecticut. He is originally from the Bay Area and Baja California.

Tlaloc is on the Resident Faculty at the David Geffen School of Drama (DGSD) and Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS) at Yale University. He's also Associate Professor in Residence at the University of Connecticut and regularly writes and/or directs for Connecticut Repertory Theatre.

Tlaloc was a 2019-2020 Presidential Postdoctoral Presidential Fellow for Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama. He earned his B.A. (w/Honors) from the University of California, Santa Cruz and his M.F.A. from the University of Washington School of Drama. He current serves on the board for The New Harmony Project and is one of...

Tlaloc Rivas (he/him) is a playwright, director, creative consultant, and activist based in Central Connecticut. He is originally from the Bay Area and Baja California.

Tlaloc is on the Resident Faculty at the David Geffen School of Drama (DGSD) and Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS) at Yale University. He's also Associate Professor in Residence at the University of Connecticut and regularly writes and/or directs for Connecticut Repertory Theatre.

Tlaloc was a 2019-2020 Presidential Postdoctoral Presidential Fellow for Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama. He earned his B.A. (w/Honors) from the University of California, Santa Cruz and his M.F.A. from the University of Washington School of Drama. He current serves on the board for The New Harmony Project and is one of the original architects of the Latinx Theatre Commons.

Scripts

CRAYON SUN

by Tlaloc Rivas

Synopsis

CRAYON SUN is an elegy inspired by the events of Uvalde, TX. The play follows two children, Valoria and Mando, whose playful innocence is shattered by the harsh realities of the world. As they grapple with the question, "Why is this happening?" their story draws us into a poignant, emotional journey that challenges both heart and mind.

CRAYON SUN is an elegy inspired by the events of Uvalde, TX. The play follows two children, Valoria and Mando, whose playful innocence is shattered by the harsh realities of the world. As they grapple with the question, "Why is this happening?" their story draws us into a poignant, emotional journey that challenges both heart and mind.

DIVISADERO

by Tlaloc Rivas

Synopsis

When a widowed publisher and her mother-in-law battle over the legacy of their late wife and daughter (respectively), each one wishes to publicly highlight one facet of the writer’s identity, and bury the others. Between the two great loves of the late writer’s life, who has the right to tell her story?

When a widowed publisher and her mother-in-law battle over the legacy of their late wife and daughter (respectively), each one wishes to publicly highlight one facet of the writer’s identity, and bury the others. Between the two great loves of the late writer’s life, who has the right to tell her story?

THE REVOLUTION OF EVELYN SERRANO (or, Nochebuena with the Young Lords)

by Tlaloc Rivas

Synopsis

There are two secrets Evelyn Serrano is keeping from her family - her true feelings about growing up in their Spanish Harlem neighborhood, and her attitude about Abuela, her feisty grandmother who's come from Puerto Rico to live with them. Then suddenly like an earthquake, events erupt that change everything. The Young Lords, a Puerto Rican activist group, set the street's garbage on fire, igniting a powerful...

There are two secrets Evelyn Serrano is keeping from her family - her true feelings about growing up in their Spanish Harlem neighborhood, and her attitude about Abuela, her feisty grandmother who's come from Puerto Rico to live with them. Then suddenly like an earthquake, events erupt that change everything. The Young Lords, a Puerto Rican activist group, set the street's garbage on fire, igniting a powerful protest. When Abuela steps in to take charge, Evelyn is thrust into the action. Through it all, Evelyn learns important truths about her Latinx/e identity, and the history makers who shaped Nuyorican history forever.

Based on the acclaimed young adult novel, The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano, by award-winning actress and writer Sonia Manzano ("Sesame Street") and infused with actual news accounts from 1969, this stage adaptation captures this fiery, unforgettable moment of history when young Latinx/e took control of their destinies.

A DOCTOR'S DILEMMA

by Tlaloc Rivas

Synopsis

This adaptation of Bernard Shaw's THE DOCTOR'S DILEMMA turns a five-act, three-hour-plus work into a fleet, single-intermission play that reimagines several key characters to reflect the reality that the medical professional (and greater society) benefited from the skill and insight of women and people from the global majority - no longer the exclusive territory of white men as it was in Shaw's time. This...

This adaptation of Bernard Shaw's THE DOCTOR'S DILEMMA turns a five-act, three-hour-plus work into a fleet, single-intermission play that reimagines several key characters to reflect the reality that the medical professional (and greater society) benefited from the skill and insight of women and people from the global majority - no longer the exclusive territory of white men as it was in Shaw's time. This version also updates several key characters into fully expressive, self-motivated roles, as well as swapping gender roles for others.

The Story: Colenso Ridgeon, a specialist in tuberculosis, finds himself in a crisis to take on a certain patient because he has become attracted to his wife, Jennifer Dubedat. The potential patient, Louis Dubedat, is an insufferably self-centered artist who lies, cheats and steals — adding to moral quandaries for Ridgeon and a flock of doctors who all offer differing treatments. Ridgeon's situation boils down to two thoughts: “What shall I do?” and “I can’t help how I feel."

LA FUERZA DE ANTIGONA

by Tlaloc Rivas

Synopsis

LA FUERZA DE ANTIGONA is a radical re-imagining of 'Antigone', set in the near future and performed by refugees, deportees, and ‘the exiled’. This bilingual version, written for an entirely female/genderqueer ensemble is a cry for justice and how we make meaning out of life, death, and the legacy of ‘borders’.

LA FUERZA DE ANTIGONA is a radical re-imagining of 'Antigone', set in the near future and performed by refugees, deportees, and ‘the exiled’. This bilingual version, written for an entirely female/genderqueer ensemble is a cry for justice and how we make meaning out of life, death, and the legacy of ‘borders’.

MAYPEARL

by Tlaloc Rivas

Synopsis

Originally commissioned as an adaptation of Friedrich Dürrenmatt's 1956 tragicomedy The Visit, Maypearl has expanded through collaborative company work into a rich and timely exploration of love, loss, redemption, community and social justice. Featuring a little country music, dancing puppets, a healthy dose of controversy and a whole lot of heart.

Originally commissioned as an adaptation of Friedrich Dürrenmatt's 1956 tragicomedy The Visit, Maypearl has expanded through collaborative company work into a rich and timely exploration of love, loss, redemption, community and social justice. Featuring a little country music, dancing puppets, a healthy dose of controversy and a whole lot of heart.

LORELEI

by Tlaloc Rivas

Synopsis

A new 'version' of Durrenmätt's THE VISIT - retaining most of it's psychosexual themes and reframing it in a dystopian small town in America.

Lorelei Cruz has return to the town where her parents were deported on the steps of a courthouse. Now a media-mogul, Lorelei offers Maypearl (the town) an offer of one billion dollars in exchange for the life of the man who wronged her and her family.

Note: LORELEI...

A new 'version' of Durrenmätt's THE VISIT - retaining most of it's psychosexual themes and reframing it in a dystopian small town in America.

Lorelei Cruz has return to the town where her parents were deported on the steps of a courthouse. Now a media-mogul, Lorelei offers Maypearl (the town) an offer of one billion dollars in exchange for the life of the man who wronged her and her family.

Note: LORELEI differs from MAYPEARL (which was crafted for a college ensemble). This play plays lives in a 'Dark Mirror' world and contains sexual themes and violence. Professional inquires only.

JOHANNA: FACING FORWARD

by Tlaloc Rivas

Synopsis

Johanna: Facing Forward explores the topic of domestic violence, community response, and personal resilience through the story of Johanna Orozco. At age 18 Johanna survives a brutal attack by her ex-boyfriend. Recovering with the help of her extended family, a committed medical team, and a new friend in journalist Rachel Dissell, Johanna ultimately must choose to face her attacker in order to move forward in her...

Johanna: Facing Forward explores the topic of domestic violence, community response, and personal resilience through the story of Johanna Orozco. At age 18 Johanna survives a brutal attack by her ex-boyfriend. Recovering with the help of her extended family, a committed medical team, and a new friend in journalist Rachel Dissell, Johanna ultimately must choose to face her attacker in order to move forward in her life. After her assailant is sentenced, Johanna’s advocacy helps close loopholes in her state’s laws to protect and support other young people facing intimate-partner violence. Johanna: Facing Forward was inspired by the investigative journalism of Rachel Dissell of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and the personal writings of Johanna Orozco (now Orozco-Fraser). All three individuals endorsed the creation of this play, supported its development, and attended its world premiere at the Cleveland Public Theatre in 2015.

Update 12/23/15: The play was awarded second prize in the 2015 Repertorio Español MetLife Nuestras Voces National Playwriting Competition.

BYZANTINE

by Tlaloc Rivas

Synopsis

A young college student and a woman selling her wares at a garage sale begin an exchange that leads to a reckoning of their own lives. 10-minute play.

A young college student and a woman selling her wares at a garage sale begin an exchange that leads to a reckoning of their own lives. 10-minute play.

FROM THE EDGE OF THE DEEP GREEN SEA

by Tlaloc Rivas

Synopsis

An enigmatic story of a tryst - or is it more complicated than that? A short play about believing before seeing.

An enigmatic story of a tryst - or is it more complicated than that? A short play about believing before seeing.