Ivan R. López
Theatre Artist
photo by @morgansophiaphotography
I’m a Cuban-American theatre artist born and raised in Miami. I’m a playwright, director, actor, and professor. Over my 15 year career, I’ve worked in Miami, Atlanta, Denver, Connecticut, and New York.
I believe good stories can heal us. They connect us to the universal and to our shared humanity. The theatre brings us together to laugh, cry, and feel our feelings. In an increasingly digital world where isolation is on the rise, theatre fuels connection. I feel at home in this work.
Latest News and Upcoming Events
THE LION TAMER workshopped at The Playwright’s Center
Ivan was in residency at The Playwright’s Center in Minneapolis in June 2025 to workshop his play, THE LION TAMER. The workshop was directed by Alan Berks and featured a talented cast including Zach Christensen, Tim Thomas, Tod Petersen, and Nathan Turcotte. The last scene of the play underwent major revisions during the workshop.
The workshop was part of a partnership between The Playwright’s Center and Miami-Dade County’s Playwright Development Program.
Ivan set to direct THE HOUSE OF RAMON IGLESIA at FIU, April 2026
Ivan will direct José Rivera’s THE HOUSE OF RAMON IGLESIA at FIU in April 2026. Though Rivera would go on to become one of the most accomplished Latino playwrights, this was the first play he ever wrote. It’s a moving, sharply observed story about a Puerto Rican family caught between cultures, generations, and dreams. Set in 1980s Long Island, the play explores identity, sacrifice, and the cost of assimilation—with humor, heart, and deep humanity.
Ivan receives two teaching awards at FIU
Ivan was awarded two teaching awards in 2025 by FIU in recognition of his excellence and innovations in the classroom. He received the Excellence in Teaching Award by FIU’s College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts and the Rewarding Excellence in Teaching Incentive (RETI Award) by Florida International University. Ivan teaches Dramatic Literature (Classical and Modern), Acting, and Playscript Analysis.
Ivan performed in the inaugural Coconut Grove Theatre Festival
Ivan participated in the inaugural Coconut Grove Theatre Festival in April 2025. He read the character of Zachariah in A SHIVA FOR JOSEPH, DAY TWO by Brandon Urrutia. The Coconut Grove Theatre Festival featured eight staged readings of new plays by South Florida playwrights.
Ivan selected for Miami-Dade’s Playwright Development Program
Ivan was one of the five playwrights selected for the 2023-2025 cohort of the Playwright Development Program. PDP is a long running program of Miami-Dade County’s Department of Cultural Affairs. The program is designed to provide intensive support for cultivating new work from Miami-Dade County’s growing and diverse community of playwrights. Ivan’s cohort is mentored by New York playwright, Kenny Finkle.
THE LION TAMER selected for the 2023 Gulfshore Playhouse New Works Festival
Ivan’s play, The Lion Tamer, was one of three winners of the Gulfshore Playhouse’s 2023 New Works Festival in Naples, Florida. He was in residency at the Gulfshore Playhouse in September where he workshopped the play for a play. It culminated with a public reading of the play.
Ivan in AMERICAN THEATRE MAGAZINE
Ivan was recently featured in AMERICAN THEATRE MAGAZINE with the announcement of his selection for the Gulfshore Playhouse New Works Festival.
Ivan’s hospital clown work featured on WSFL’s Inside South Florida
WSFL aired a segment on Healthy Humor’s Red Nose Docs program at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. The segment featured an interview with Ivan and clips of him clowning as Dr. Purple. “(These kids) are going through some of the most unimaginable things that you can think of,” he says in the segment. “But they haven’t forgotten that they’re kids. Our role is to come in there and just play and we end up treating the healthy part of the child.”
I FOUND THIS ON THE WEB premieres at City Theatre’s SUMMER SHORTS: Homegrown Edition
Ivan’s short play, I FOUND THIS ON THE WEB, premiered at City Theatre’s Summer Shorts: Homegrown Edition at the Arsht Center in Downtown Miami, June 9-25, 2023. His play was called “moment to moment hilarious” (Christine Dolen, Artburst Miami) and “one of the funniest of the evening” (Bill Hirschman, Florida Theater On Stage).