A Red Orchid Theatre Hires Peter Ruíz as New Literary Coordinator

A Red Orchid Theatre has announced the hiring of new Literary Coordinator, Peter Ruíz. Ruíz joined the A Red Orchid team in July 2022 as a Literary Intern. Since then, they have gone above and beyond in researching new plays and playwrights, curating the Ensemble's script database, facilitating internal play readings toward season selection, and assisting production dramaturgs. Ruíz's invaluable work led AROT to create a permanent position for them as the company's new Literary Coordinator.

Associate Artistic Director Travis A. Knight notes, "Peter has been essential over these last several months as we revitalized our play curation and season selection process. They joined the team and came in with what I can only describe as an encyclopedic knowledge of literature. Listening to Peter enthusiastically walk you through play synopses or rattle off the names of playwrights, historical factoids, play festivals and the top ten finishers of each festival is nothing short of thrilling. To have their voice, perspective, and bold ideas in the room as both a dramaturg and literary coordinator is a gift."

Peter Ruíz

(they/them/theirs) is a playwright, dramaturg, and actor originally from Orlando but based in Chicago. They are a recent graduate of the MFA Acting program at Indiana University. Peter was most recently the Assistant Dramaturg for The Malignant Ampersands at A Red Orchid Theatre. They are passionate about collaborating with BIPOC and Gender Diverse Playwrights as well as revitalizing the works of BIPOC Playwrights of the past in efforts to decolonize and deconstruct notions of canon. Peter is also a core collaborator with The Blueprint, an education initiative for and by BIPOC artists.

About A Red Orchid

A Red Orchid Theatre has served as an artistic focal point in the heart of the Old Town community of Chicago since 1993 and was honored with a MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. Over the past 30 years, its Resident Ensemble has welcomed into its fold an impressive array of award-winning actors, playwrights and theatre artists with the firm belief that live theatre is the greatest sustenance for the human spirit. A Red Orchid is well known and highly acclaimed for its fearless approach to performance and design in the service of unflinchingly intimate stories.

A Red Orchid Theatre is: Karen Aldridge, Lance Baker, Kamal Angelo Bolden, Dado, Mike Durst, Myron Elliott, Jennifer Engstrom, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Joseph Fosco, Steve Haggard, Levi Holloway, Mierka Girten, Larry Grimm, Karen Kawa, Karen Kessler, Travis Knight, Danny McCarthy, Shade Murray, Brett Neveu, Sadieh Rifai, Grant Sabin, Steve Schine, Michael Shannon, Guy Van Swearingen, Doug Vickers and Natalie West.