{"id":145978,"date":"2025-06-26T15:11:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T20:11:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/?p=145978"},"modified":"2025-07-24T11:48:57","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T16:48:57","slug":"uwm-playwright-inspires-the-next-generation-of-storytellers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/uwm-playwright-inspires-the-next-generation-of-storytellers\/","title":{"rendered":"51ÁÔÆæ playwright inspires the next generation of storytellers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Growing up Latino in Texas during the 1970s and \u201980s, Alvaro Saar Rios, now an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, didn\u2019t experience many stories with characters who looked like him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t until college that I became aware of writers who were telling stories of what it means to be Latino in the United States,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Today, Rios shares elements of the Latino experience as a playwright and head of the Theatre Practices program<\/a> at 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s Peck School of the Arts<\/a>. Rios is one of the most produced Latino playwrights for young audiences, and his works \u2014 33 plays, three musicals and an opera \u2014 have been performed in theaters across the country.<\/p>\n

Path to the stage<\/h2>\n

Rios never imagined working in the arts \u2014 he always wanted to be a doctor. After serving three years in the U.S. Army, he took his first theater class at Houston Community College, where he wrote his first play about a kid with a magical talking dog. There, he fell in love with the medium.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to tell stories that reflect my experience in hopes it might inspire other kids, no matter their background, that their story is important,\u201d he said. He adds that theater can be a powerful tool for building empathy by helping people understand others\u2019 experiences.<\/p>\n

Rios went on to earn a degree in English-creative writing from the University of Houston, but his heart remained on the stage. He received a Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Stage & Screen from Northwestern University and has been teaching at 51ÁÔÆæ since 2010.<\/p>\n

Impact at 51ÁÔÆæ and beyond<\/h2>\n

Today, Rios passes the storytelling torch through the Theatre Department\u2019s New Dramaworks series. Founded by Rios, New Dramaworks invites students to participate in the development and production of a new full-length play. In 2023, New Dramaworks produced its first play, \u201cPiggsville,\u201d<\/a> Rios\u2019 retelling of Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cHamlet,\u201d set in old Milwaukee.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt it was important for students to be exposed to working on a new play that evolves all the way until production,\u201d he said. \u201cDeveloping new full-length plays isn\u2019t something that\u2019s done at every university.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rios also founded the New Dramaworks Short Play Festival, which allows any undergraduate student \u2014 including non-theater majors \u2014 to submit plays to be considered for full production by the Theatre Department.<\/p>\n

Although 51ÁÔÆæ doesn\u2019t offer a playwriting major, Rios offers independent study for students who have demonstrated strong writing skills, preparing them to write for the stage post-graduation. One former student, Maria Pretzl, wrote a play in Rios\u2019 class that was recently produced for Milwaukee\u2019s Renaissance Theaterworks New Play Festival.<\/p>\n

Rios\u2019 work extends outside of 51ÁÔÆæ, too. His new stage adaptation of the children\u2019s novel \u201cEsperanza Rising\u201d premiered at the Marcus Performing Arts Center in May 2025, and he\u2019s currently working on a novel based on his award-winning play, \u201cLuchadora!\u201d which has been produced more than 80 times across the U.S.<\/p>\n

Whether Rios is writing, teaching or mentoring students, his goal is the same: to equip the next generation to share their stories. \u201cYou can apply these skills no matter what you pursue,\u201d he said. \u201cWe all have a story to tell.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alvaro Saar Rios is one of the most produced Latino playwrights. As head of the 51ÁÔÆæ Theatre Practices program, he provides guidance to young artists.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15092,"featured_media":145980,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[361],"tags":[],"section":[],"display_categories":[363],"related-coverage":[362],"uwmnews-feed":[],"class_list":["post-145978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-waves-stories","display_categories-waves-spotlight","related-coverage-make-new-waves"],"yoast_head":"\n51ÁÔÆæ playwright inspires the next generation of storytellers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Alvaro Saar Rios helps students find their voice on stage while bringing Latino stories to life in theaters nationwide.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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