ZACH RIVERA
STAGE DIRECTOR • PERFORMER
Resumes, CV's, Essays...they don't tell you the whole picture and sometimes we wish we had it all laid out. If you can relate, below is my timeline as a theatre artist. It *should* tell you EVERYTHING from what sparked a love for theatrical performance, to testimonials, to what I'm working on today.
Don't have time to read the whole thing? Here's my Resume and CV!
A PREFACE
Zach Rivera is a theatre artist based in Jacksonville, FL. Originally from a small town in Central FL, Zach's directorial intrigue is always being expanded upon and worked toward. He has found that, regarding his vision, it encompasses all things non-traditional. With a passion for experimental and devised forms of theatre, he strives to create work that differs from the status quo of theatrical form.
Some directing signatures include:
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Expanding "performance" spaces beyond the boundaries of any perceived or literal proscenium.
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Stories that involve grief, and then growing from loss into something bigger.
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Utilizing an approach similar to that of devised theatre, empowering the actors and designers around him and uniting them toward a common goal and theme.
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A commitment to kindness in the production process.
MY TIMELINE
Pre-2017
2017-2019
2019-2020
2020-2021 (This one's a long one!)
2021-2022
2023
2024
2024-2025
2025-
Zach auditioned for his first musical, The Wizard of Oz, at 10 years old to ease the nerves of his younger sister. He was joined in auditioning by his brother and grandmother. They all were a part of this production and it holds a special place in his heart. After this sparked his insatiable hunger for theatricality, he went on to perform through middle and high school, dabble in directing here and there, and even earned a scholarship from the Florida State Thespian Society.
During his time at Daytona State College, Zach performed in many plays and musicals (Avenue Q, A Christmas Carol, Free to be You and Me; to name a few), but he also found his passion for stage directing when he directed Harold Pinter's The Dumb Waiter as part of his directing class. Said of Zach by head of the DSC Theatre Department, Samantha Stern:
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“Zach’s comedic timing is impeccable. His physicality and facial expressions range from vaudevillian to subtle shnark. But what really gets me is how I’m laughing one minute, and then his vulnerability kicks me in the gut and makes me cry! And my gosh that voice!”
In fall of 2019 he transferred to Jacksonville University, as a Junior, where he assistant directed Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It was here that he went through a tough time. He was away from home, working multiple jobs to stay afloat, and his brother and grandfather had just recently passed away. It felt like he was in a chrysalis. Something ended and likewise, something was about to begin. He began student blogging for BroadwayWorld, and hid in his studies. He was active in the choir, started freelancing headshots, and frankly, was working his ass off. He began to emerge from the chrysalis when he performed as Kevin in a production of Lin Manuel Miranda's In the Heights.
Oh yeah, then the world ended.
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He had just emerged on the other side of a tough year and...the world ended. The thing that kept him alive, theatre, blew up in smoke. Zach was slated to perform in The Light in the Piazza as well as directing an original devised work, /agape/, with funds from the Jacksonville University Office of Research and Student Projects. Everything was cancelled due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Zach had spent enough time accepting awful things and decided to get creative.
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So, He founded Earworm Audio Theatre: A podcast theatre company. Every week the Earworm team, consisting of himself and his wonderful Fiancee (now wife) Elizabeth, rehearsed and performed a new piece, and discussed its implications and intentions to today's world. Each work was performed under Zach's direction. Earworm was truly a passion project for Zach, in his search for non-traditional methods of creating theatre, and accessibility in the arts. Earworm can be heard most anywhere podcasts are available and has been listened to on 6 continents. While it is *painfully* obvious he is not an audio engineer, he did learn a lot about producing from this series.
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Outside of Earworm, he also produced the first Jacksonville University Playwriting Bake-Off alongside collaborator Isabella Martinez. In this exercise they received multiple submissions from playwrights in Jacksonville, and selected one show to receive a digital "zoom" reading. Zach worked directly with playwright Cecilia Depres to create a digital reading of her new play Powder, which was released 4/25/2020.
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In May of 2020, Zach was asked to direct for the NEXTWORKS digital theatre festival, a festival of new works written by emerging playwrights. He directed the piece Problematic Virus with a cast consisting of actors in all corners of the country. This festival was rightfully cancelled out of respect and solidarity for the protests by Black Lives Matter in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, though the production can be found online.
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Zach has also been featured as a director for the LA based company Theatre is the Cure, a weekly showing of original short pieces by playwrights located around the globe. This was his first dip into professional work, and he was glad to be a frequently invited artist for the project. Through his connections made here, he was brought on to direct a developmental table read for Off Broadway Playwright Robin Rice’s new play Climbing the Good Walls, for the 29th Street Playwright Collective in New York City. His most recent collaborations with Rice were in the form of staged readings of her plays Pecking Order (Goddard Riverside) and Adapt or Die (The TankNYC) in the Spring of 2021. Regarding Zach, Playwright Robin Rice says:
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“Zach is a playwright's dream director. He took hold of my large-cast, multi-subplotted, unusually-structured play "Climbing the Good Walls," cast it impeccably and directed a presentation that was clear as a bell yet maintained every ounce of magic. Zach is smart, creative and welcomes collaboration. I would love to have him direct my plays in the future.”
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​Zach is always working on something new. One of these projects was a BIPOC theatre collective called Opus. The aim of this collective was to support new work by BIPOC playwrights and hand the developmental process to BIPOC directors across the country. Zach is extremely proud that the first result of this collective came in the Spring of 2021, in the form of playwright Jalice Corral’s new play Axe Your Mother produced by Jacksonville University’s Linda Berry Stein College of Fine Arts, and Directed by Zach himself.
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In November of 2020, it was announced that Zach had been nominated for honors by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for his directorial work on Jacksonville University’s production of Diastole. He was (and still is!) incredibly honored to be included among other great directors for such a prestigious occasion. During his time at the festival in February of 2021, Zach competed in the SDC Directing Initiative, became a finalist, and earned 3rd place for his conceptual work on the script for Shoe by Marisela Trevino Orta. While in the end he came in third, he was one of two students in his region to receive scholarship funding to attend the Kennedy Center Directing Intensive in July 2021, where he had the opportunity to work with likeminded artists under the guidance of an amazing group of teaching artists (Nicole Watson, Raymond Caldwell, Kelsey Mesa).
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Head of the Theatre Department at JU, Dr. Erik DeCicco has this to say regarding Zach's directing capability:
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“Zach is a stellar director. His talents as a performer enhance his ability to communicate with actors and technical artists, making the sometimes very rough edges of directing all the smoother. He has keen eyes and an open heart and his work shines brightly.”
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The summer of 2021 was a crazy time for many. During this time Zach graduated Summa Cum Laude from Jacksonville University with his BFA in Musical Theatre as well as being named Linda Berry Stein College of Fine Arts Student of the Year. After that he started a nonprofit theatre company Basecamp Theatre Co., and directed its devised performance, The Florida Archives, as part of The 5 & Dime’s Short Attention Span Festival in August of 2021 and then a new variation of the same concept at Jacksonville's Bicentennial celebration in a successful collaboration with the Jacksonville Museum of Science and History.
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November of 2021 saw Zach continue his work with The 5 & Dime as Assistant Director for Larissa Fasthorse’s The Thanksgiving Play. After the successful run of this play, he was asked to step into the role of House Manager for the organization, as well as being hired to direct Karen Zacarias’s Native Gardens. This production concluded its sold out run at the Florida Ballet in June of 2022.
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Speaking of 2022, this is also when he began his journey and passion in educational theatre. He built from the ground up the theatre program at Greenwood School, a school in Jacksonville for students with learning differences. Bringing mainstage theatre productions, new classes, and a competitive thespian troupe, Zach was promoted to Chair of the Enrichment Department, overseeing the electives and arts courses at the school.
In March of 2023, Zach had two productions he directed premiere: Anna Deveare Smith's Let Me Down Easy with The 5 & Dime, and The Little Mermaid Jr. with his Greenwood School Students, many of whom attended the Florida State Thespian Festival and earned their troupe its first Superior ratings under Zach's guidance.
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In the Summer of 2023, he made a triumphant return to performing ON the stage in the form of playing Rafael in Lynn Nottage’s Clyde’s as well as Michael in Jonathan Larson’s Tick, Tick….BOOM!, both of which played to sold out houses at The 5 & Dime.
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It was this summer that Zach also gained two new positions in various theatre companies/agencies: He served as marketing coordinator for various shows at The 5 & Dime as well as being asked to join the Board of Directors of The Florida Theatre Conference. He immediately saw that their online presence needed an overhaul and was instrumental in completely reworking their website and registration processes.
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For his portrayal of Michael in TTB, Zach received a BroadwayWorld Jacksonville Nomination for Best Performer in a Musical and received the following praise from local reviewer Ray Hollister of JaxPlays:
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"Zach, in his portrayal of Michael, brings an embodiment of warmth, encouragement, and sometimes irksome mentorship. His performance not only drew us in but fostered a deep affection for his character. The emotional arc of his story is profoundly moving and heart-wrenching."
This brought us to the beginning of 2024 where Zach saw two new directorial opportunities arise. The first was in the form of directing Greenwood School’s first-ever full length Main Stage production: The Addams Family School Edition. This production enjoyed an entirely sold out run at the school seating hundreds at a school that serves less than 200 students! The second was in the form of making his debut at Players by the Sea Theatre in Jacksonville Beach by directing Alice Childress’s comedy drama Trouble in Mind on their main stage. Being able to direct this ever-timely piece by Alice Childress was one of his most rewarding projects to date. JaxPlays said of this production:
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"Trouble in Mind cleverly exposes the painful concessions that artists — particularly those from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups — are forced to make on the altar of societal progress. It powerfully underscores the truth that representation matters, not just within the cast, but among the entire team of creators and collaborators who shape the story. The production at Players by the Sea delivers a poignant blend of comedy and drama, captivating audiences with its sharp critique of racial dynamics in the theater world, tackling issues that remain just as relevant — if not more so — today as they were nearly 70 years ago when the play was written...This thought-provoking production skillfully navigates complex themes, making it an essential viewing experience that resonates long after the audience’s resounding applause fades."
With the start of the 24-25 school year, Zach knew it was time to grow the program at Greenwood School larger than it had ever been. With new community partnerships nurtured, a group of wonderfully devoted students and parents, and a gymnasium for a stage, Zach announced that this season was Greenwood's first ever two-show mainstage season. Alongside a winter showcase, thespian competitions, and other smaller exhibitions, they would be performing a play in the Fall and a Musical in the Spring.
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In October of 2024, Greenwood performed John Cariani's Almost, Maine and enjoyed an entirely sold out run. They performed this play in the studio theatre of Players by the Sea Theatre, and were ecstatic to be doing theatre in an actual theatre.
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It was November of this year that Greenwood brought over 40 pieces to our district thespian competition and received state-qualifying scores on 25 of them. From experimental original plays, musical numbers small and large, and even shakespeare (Who ever said that neurodiverse students couldn't do Shakespeare?!), Zach's students began to share his ambition and passion for theatre.
In March of 2025, Greenwood attended the state thespian festival, where one of his students performed in the opening ceremony, earning multiple superior and excellent ratings from industry professionals, with two students even going on to compete internationally and earning an excellent rating on the world stage!
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After the state festival, his students put on a production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. They even performed an excerpt at Greenwood's annual gala, where Zach was honored to receive the Greenwood Teacher Impact Award for his contributions to Greenwood School's arts programming in his short time there.
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In the Summer of 2025, Zach performed for a couple of cabarets with local theatre companies and was extremely happy to get back onstage. He also had the pleasure of directing Hadestown Teen Edition at Greenlight Theatre Co., crafting a unique take on the hit musical.
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It was also announced this summer that Zach's school was named a Disney on Broadway School of Excellence, due to the focus on student leadership that he instilled since starting the program. At Greenwood, he is currently working on an exhilarating season, which includes multiple talent showcases, a Fall production of Qui Nguyen's She Kills Monsters, and culminates in a production of Peter and the Starcatcher.
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Ever one with ambition/being a workaholic, he is also excited to be working on David Lindsay-Abaire's Ripcord at Players by the Sea, opening in the Fall!
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Oh…and he’s ALWAYS on the search for more theatrical opportunities for he and his students.
Hey, you made it to the end! It truly means so much to me. Thank you.
