Carmen Rivera holds an MA in Playwriting and Latin American Theatre from New York University. Her OBIE-Award winning play La Gringa, just celebrated its’ 27th year anniversary in repertory at Repertorio Español. It is now the longest running Spanish language play in Off-Broadway history. Carmen co-wrote, with Cándido Tirado, Celia: The Life and Music of Celia Cruz, (HOLA Award 2008, Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting), which played Off-Broadway at New World Stages and toured Florida, Chicago, Tenerife, Canary Islands and the Centro de Bellas Artes (Center for the Fine Arts) in Puerto Rico.
Other Off-Broadway productions include: The Downfall of Rafael Trujillo (2015 – ATI Award – Best Production); La Lupe: My Life, My Destiny (2002 ACE Award – Best Production); Julia de Burgos: Child of Water; To Catch The Lightning (1997 Nomination ACE Award – Best Production); The Next Stop (INTAR / Repertorio Español); Under The Mango Tree (INTAR).
Other works include: The Magic of the Salsa Kingdom, with director/choreographer, Maria Torres; Riding The Bear; The Loves of our Lives; The Next Cycle; Betty’s Garage; Ghosts in Brooklyn; ameRICAN; Delia’s Race; Plastic Flowers; The Power of Words; and Caravan of Death which have appeared at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM); Teatro Circulo; La Mama E.T.C; The Women’s Project and Productions; SOHO Rep; New Georges; New Perspectives Theatre; Martice Enterprises; Nuyorican Poet’s Café; Theatre for a New City; National Public Radio (NPR); City Lights Youth Theatre; Urban Theater Company in Chicago; Centro de Bellas Artes, El Ateneo and Teatro Tapia in San Juan, Puerto Rico and in theatre festivals in New York, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, England and Russia. She has also participated at the Lark Playwrights Center — Mexico/US Exchange program, as a translator.
Carmen is a Founding Member and Co-Executive Director of E.P.P. (Educational Play Productions), which brings plays that deal with social issues into the public schools. She teaches Playwriting at The New School and is also a Teacher Artist with Manhattan Theatre Club.
Carmen Rivera es una dramaturga y guionista puertorriqueña nacida en Nueva York. Su obra, La Gringa, parte de la serie ganadora del premio OBIE – Nuevas Voces – se estrenó en 1996 y ahora es la segunda obra de teatro mayor duración en la historia del Off-Broadway, después de The Fantasticks. Las versiones en inglés y español están disponibles en Concord Theatricals. Teatro Círculo produjo recientemente La caída de Rafael Trujillo con entradas agotadas en The Chain Theatre. También es codirectora de Educational Play Productions (EPP), que lleva obras sobre temas sociales a las escuelas públicas. Para obtener más información sobre Carmen, consulte www.carmenrivera-writer.com and www.educationalplayproductions.com