Alyssa Rivera is a Mexican-American director, arts educator, and creative from Houston, Texas.  Driven by curiosity for the work and finding the ridiculous in the process, she leads every project with care, collaboration, and community at the center. Her artistic practice aims to deconstruct and reconstruct identities and unravel how our environments shape our psyches and daily experiences. Recently, she has directed Put Your House in Order (Ike Holter), a genre-shifting rom-com/apocalyptic thriller. Previously, she has directed the world premiere performance of Amber Alert (Jesus E. Feliciano-Batista), a new work dissecting the impact of disappeared young women and girls in Puerto Rico, and organized the Latine Student Cabaret for the Latin affinity space at the School of Drama. 

 

She is passionate about fostering community and belonging for students from marginalized communities. She has worked closely with the Houston Independent School District and the Houston Public Library. Most recently, she was a student mentor for EMERGE HISD, a nationally syndicated organization that prepares high-performing Houston youth from underserved communities for higher education. She has worked as an Artistic and Community Engagement Intern with City Theatre Company, assisting in the operation of the Young Playwright’s Festival. 

 

Also of note, she creates comics and visual art that explore loneliness in the digital age and magnify intimate, embarrassing moments. Also also, she is a beast at singing Tejano classics.

 

Alyssa seeks to contribute to projects that push creative boundaries while remaining rooted in community engagement and unraveling truths.