Award-winning playwright and the first Puerto Rican screenwriter to be nominated for an Oscar, José Rivera is scheduled to speak at the College of the Canyons Performing Arts’ Virtual Insight Series on Monday, April 12.
In conjunction with his expected attendance at the COC Performing Arts’ Virtual Insight Series, Rivera is expected to host a master class for students in the Media Entertainment Arts and Theatre departments on Tuesday, April 13.
Rivera is expected to appear at the event at 5 p.m. on Monday, April 12 to share insight from his career as a playwright and screenwriter with all members of the Santa Clarita community.
“I am thrilled to bring the incomparable José Rivera to speak with our college community,” said Jennifer Smolos, Dean of the School of Visual & Performing Arts. “Learning from an esteemed screenwriter and playwright is an extraordinary opportunity for our students and faculty. José’s unique voice, combined with a willingness to share stories about how he creates stories, allows our students to understand what it takes to bring an idea to life in Theatre, Film and TV. We are so fortunate to have two special events with José as part of this series in April.”
Rivera’s work includes “On the Road,” “Letters to Juliet” and “Eerie, Indiana,” but is best known for his plays “Marisol,” “Cloud Tectonics,” “References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot” and “Sonnets for an Old Century.”
His screenplay for the 2004 film, “The Motorcycle Diaries” earned Rivera an Oscar nomination for “Best Adapted Screenplay” in 2005.
Rivera was born in Puerto Rico and lived there for the first four years of his life. His family eventually moved to New York City, settling in Long Island, where the small town environment played a significant role in the writer’s future career, according to Rivera.
Rivera’s religious family innately loved to tell spiritual stories, often involving elements of magic, which further cultivated his passion for storytelling.
“Seeing magic in the world just felt like how you perceive life,” Rivera said.
By 22 years old, he decided to become a full-time writer after previously piecing together plays in high school and consistently throughout college.
Amid these opportunities, Rivera would ask himself, “What can I contribute that isn’t already being done by a hundred other writers? And I said, I’m going to see if I can translate the magical stories of my childhood and my culture into theater.”
With these questions in the back of his mind, Rivera resulted in writing spiritual stories, derived from stories similar to the ones that floated down his family tree.
“Magic is just another way to explore the metaphors for the psychological state of the characters,” said Rivera. “The magic of the play is only really valid if it’s connected to the psychology of the characters and the reality of the moment. You ask yourself, what is the theatrical metaphor that would make this come alive in a resonant and deep way that hits you as hard as possible? That’s where the magic flourish would happen.”
Produced across the United States and translated into several languages, Rivera’s work has been honored with two Obie Awards for playwriting, a Fulbright Arts Fellowship in playwriting, a Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays Grant, a Whiting Award, a McKnight Fellowship, a Berilla Kerr Playwriting Award, the 2005 Norman Lear Writing Award and a 2005 Impact Award.
Choosing to balance his work between film, television and theatre, Rivera claims, “It’s a constant juggling act. I have no control over it. I’m often working on multiple projects, mostly because you never know when something’s going to come up, especially in TV and film. I love film and I love television, but I will write theatre for the pure love of it and I won’t write film and TV just for the love of it. And when I’m really moved to explore personal issues, I will write a play.”
To hear more about the experiences and advice of Rivera throughout his career, the School of Visual & Performing Arts’ Industry Insight Series for 2020-2021 is scheduled at 5 p.m. Monday, April 12.
All students, faculty, staff, Patrons of the Arts members, and members of the Santa Clarita Valley community are invited, with an opportunity to ask questions during the event.
For more information, please contact Dean Jennifer Smolos, at jennifer.smolos@canyons.edu.
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