Mildred Ruiz-Sapp
Mildred Ruiz-Sapp | |
|---|---|
 Mildred Ruiz-Sapp at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, September 2019 | |
| Born | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Poet, playwright and actor |
Mildred Ruiz-Sapp is an American poet, playwright, actor, singer, songwriter, and filmmaker.[1] Born and raised on New York's Lower East Side (Alphabet City), she co-founded THE POINT Community Development Corporation (Hunts Point) in 1993 and Universes (poetic theatre ensemble) (1996), in collaboration with Steven Sapp.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
Education and Career
[edit]Ruiz-Sapp earned her BA in Literature from Bard College in 1989 and is the co-founder and core member of Universes, a national ensemble theater company. Founded in The Bronx, New York, in 1995, Universes brings together a diverse group of multi-disciplined writers and performers of color who fuse theater, poetry, dance, jazz, hip hop, politics, blues, and Spanish boleros to create impactful and entertaining stage works.[13] The group, originally formed as a poetry collective performing slam poetry at clubs and cafés in Manhattan's Lower East Side, began with members Ruiz-Sapp, her brother, William Ruiz, Gamal Chasten, and Steven Sapp. Over time, Universes found its home at the New York Theater Workshop, where it developed into a powerful and unique ensemble.[5]
The group created the production titled Ameriville, a response to how America responded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.[5] It premiered at the Actors Theater at Louisville’s Humana Festival in 2009.[14] Universes aimed to present the United States as a united community, rather than a fractured society divided by divergent customs and beliefs.[5] Ameriville was one of the few opportunities granted to Latina playwrights at the time, with Ruiz-Sapp playing a pivotal role in representing women playwrights of color.[15]
In 2025, Ruiz-Sapp co-directed Tipi Tales from The Stoop, a project that explores family history and generational trauma. In collaboration with Murielle Borst-Tarrant, the production tells the story of a young girl growing up in the only Native family in a Mafia-run Brooklyn neighborhood, embarking on a quest to preserve cultural traditions.[16]
Theater Credits Include
[edit]- Purgatory
- Another I Dies Slowly
- Live From the Edge
- Slanguage
- Blue Suite
- Ameriville
- Rhythmicity: Flipping The Script
- One Shot In Lotus Position
- The Ride
- The Denver Project
- UniSon
Television Credits Include
[edit]Film: Stay until Tomorrow by Laura Collela
Television: HBO's Def Poetry Jam (Season 4- Episode 9 (with UNIVERSES))
Awards/Affiliations
[edit]2008 Jazz at Lincoln Center Rhythm Road Tour
2008 Theatre Communications Group (TCG) – Peter Zeisler Award
2002–2004 and 1999–2001 Theatre Communications Group (TCG) National Theater Artist Residency Program Award
2002 BRIO Awards (Bronx Recognizes Its Own-Singing) from The Bronx Council on the Arts;
1999 OBIE Award Grant (The Point CDC & Live From Theater Theater)
1999 Bessie Awards (The Point CDC)
1998 Union Square Award recipient
Co-Founder of The Point CDC
New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect
Board Member: National Performance Network
Former Board member: Network of Ensemble Theaters
References
[edit]- ^ a b McNulty, Charles (November 16, 1999). "Gazing Into the Universes". The Village Voice. New York, NY: Village Voice Media. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Solomon, Alisa (July 24, 1999). "Beats and Keats". The Village Voice. New York, NY: Village Voice Media. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ "New World Theater: Universes". University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Archived from the original on May 29, 2010. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Monsen, Lauren (April 25, 2008). "Poetic Theater Ensemble Enthralls Audiences on Six-Nation Tour". US State Department. Archived from the original on May 30, 2009. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Archibald, Sophia. "Universes' 'Ameriville' looks at fear through lens of Katrina". TheDartmouth.com. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ "2009 Humana Festival Calendar" (PDF). Actors Theatre of Louisville. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 8, 2009. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ "National Association of Latino Arts and Culture – June 2007". National Association of Latino Arts and Culture. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ "OSF Commissions Second Round of Artists for U.S. History Cycle". Oregon Shakespeare Festival. June 12, 2009. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Nesti, Robert (July 27, 2005). "Street-smart 'Slanguage' is as good as its words". Boston Herald, archived at LexisNexis. Boston, MA: Boston Herald Inc. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence (July 28, 2001). "The City's Beat, With an Iambic Heat". The New York Times. New York, NY. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ^ Spera, Keith (February 28, 2010). "'Ameriville,' a hip-hop musical with a social conscience, is at its best when its focus is on Katrina's aftermath". The Times-Picayune, archived at LexisNexis. New Orleans, LA: The Times-Picayune Publishing Company. Retrieved April 24, 2010.
- ^ Brighton, Kurt (November 19, 2009). "Staging Katrina's stormy legacy". The Denver Post. Denver, CO: The Denver Post. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ^ "The Journey". UNIVERSES. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
- ^ Cummings, Scott T. (2009). "Review of 33RD ANNUAL HUMANA FESTIVAL OF NEW AMERICAN PLAYS". Theatre Journal. 61 (4): 620–623. ISSN 0192-2882.
- ^ Catanese, Brandi Wilkins (2010). "Taking the Long View". Theatre Journal. 62 (4): 547–551. ISSN 0192-2882.
- ^ "Tipi Tales from the Stoop | Perelman Performing Arts Center". pacnyc.org. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
Additional Reading
[edit]- Universes: The Big Bang - Plays, Poetry and Process. United States: Theatre Communications Group, Incorporated, 2008.
- “Slanguage.” The Fire this Time: African-American Plays for the 21st Century. United Kingdom: Theatre Communications Group, 2004.