Tlaloc Rivas (he/him/el) is a stage director, playwright, and educator creating work at the intersection of social justice and compelling storytelling. His artistic roots were planted at El Teatro Campesino, where he immersed himself in Chicano Theatre and their transformative physical acting training program.

Tlaloc currently teaches at two Research 1 institutions: as Associate Professor in Residence in Theatre Studies at the University of Connecticut, and Lecturer in Acting at Yale University's David Geffen School of Drama (DGSD) and the Department of Theatre & Performance Studies (TAPS). He continues to direct and develop new plays while championing stories that have been historically marginalized in American theatre.

As one of the original founders of the Latinx Theatre Commons, Tlaloc has spent over two decades building spaces for Latinx artists and stories. He is a recipient of the Sir John Gielgud Fellowship in Classical Directing, the NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors, and has been a Usual Suspect with New York Theater Workshop since 2001. He is a member of Stage Directors and Choreographers and the Dramatists Guild.

Tlaloc's training includes an M.F.A. in Directing from the University of Washington's School of Drama, and received his B.A. from University of California, Santa Cruz with high honors, including the UC Regents Presidential Award, Chancellor's Honors, and Dean of the Arts Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research.

His work spans stage direction, playwriting (including adaptation and translation), new play development, and classical/heightened text. As a teacher, he specializes in acting, directing, playwriting, world theatre & performance, and Latina/o performance traditions.
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Whether you're a producer, fellow artist, student, or simply curious about the work...welcome. Let's tell some stories together
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Recent Projects:
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MEXODUS
(a Hip-Hop remix about the Underground Railroad that traveled South to Mexico)
by Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson
Directed by David Mendizibál / Dramaturgy by Tlaloc Rivas

Audible's Minetta Lane Theater, NYC | September 30-November 2, 2025
Berkeley Repertory Theatre | September 13-October 20, 2024
Baltimore Center Stage | March 14-April 7, 2024
Mosaic Theatre Company | May 16-June 15 2024

LIVING DEAD IN DENMARK
by Qui Nguyen
Directed by Tlaloc Rivas

Connecticut Repertory Theatre | October 9-19, 2025