Growing up in Honduras, Oscar Rodriguez Quiroz didn’t have much access to the theatre and it wasn’t until he was 17 that his love for acting began when he saw a performance at the Escuela Nacional de Arte Dramático (National School of Drama) in Honduras.

“These students needed to tell a story without using words and the story could not be longer than five minutes. It was a very simple thing: no lights, no costumes, no makeup, and no words,” Quiroz said. “I was just so impressed by the way they told the story and made it so vividly compelling that I went to the office and asked how to enroll that day.”

Quiroz spent three years at the National School of Drama and went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in Performing Arts and Theatre from the University of Guadalajara. He is now a seasoned actor who has performed in many plays and an MFA in Acting Candidate at Michigan State University who is preparing to graduate this spring.

“I feel so lucky to have learned from people who might not have had the resources, but they offered you everything they had. That is what is important as a teacher — you need to offer what you have,” Quiroz said. “That’s the same spirit I found here in the Department of Theatre with my acting faculty.”

“What the faculty at MSU are teaching is what I was looking to learn. The MFA program is a program that combines acting with teaching. That made it a simple choice for me to come here. I have learned so much.”

Oscar Rodriguez Quiroz

Quiroz, who is a member of the Association of Hispanic Classical Theatre and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, said he chose to come to Michigan State University for his MFA because of the faculty and how the program combines acting with teaching.

“The people make the program, so for me it was very important to be with people I felt supported by and that wanted me to succeed. I feel very lucky to have worked with active faculty who are so supportive of what you want to learn,” Quiroz said. “What the faculty at MSU are teaching is what I was looking to learn. The MFA program is a program that combines acting with teaching. That made it a simple choice for me to come here. I have learned so much.”

Quiroz designed and taught MSU’s first acting course on Hispanic classical theatre, the Introduction to Hispanic Golden Age Drama class, which he taught during the Fall 2023 semester.  

Varg-Sullivan Graduate Award Recipient

Quiroz recently was awarded the 2024 Varg-Sullivan Endowed Graduate Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts. Presented by the College of Arts & Letters at Michigan State University, the Varg-Sullivan Endowed Graduate Awards were established in honor of former Deans of the college, Paul Varg and Richard Sullivan, who dedicated their professional lives to excellence. Recipients of the Outstanding Achievement in the Arts Award are selected based on the best performance/exhibition at a national or international event in the arts.

During his time at MSU, Quiroz has brilliantly melded his historical research on the Golden Age of Hispanic Drama with the artistry of modern performance. A shining example of this is the world premiere of the English translation of Love is the Greater Labyrinth, written by 17th-century Mexican playwright, poet, philosopher, and nun Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Quiroz was the driving force and director of this world-premiere production that was performed on the campus of Michigan State University during the Fall 2023 semester.

Love is the Greater Labyrinth was the final play of Inés de la Cruz and is one of only three surviving by this important literary figure who is considered to be the first great Latin American poet and who is even pictured on the 200-peso bill. Quiroz was surprised to learn that this national icon of Mexico wasn’t largely recognized in the United States. He wanted to do something about that and forged both cross-country and cross-college collaborations to bring her work to the MSU Auditorium’s Arena Theatre stage.

Quiroz’s desire to shine a spotlight on Inés de la Cruz’s words began by connecting with the UCLA Working Group on the Comedia in Translation and Performance and their Diversifying the Classics project, which translated the play from Spanish to English.

“Oscar’s endeavor to bring a world premiere production of a Spanish Golden Age translation to our community created national connections and an international educational experience for the department.”

Professor Rob Roznowski and Assistant Professor Alexis Black

The MSU production of the play was part of the MSU Department of Theatre’s Storefront Series, which provides dynamic roles to showcase and challenge acting students. Creative teams are challenged to work with limited resources and shorter rehearsal periods, with an emphasis on writing, acting, and directing. Quiroz also worked with professors from UCLA and MSU’s Department of Romance and Classical Studies to increase the visibility and influence of this project.

“This experience sparked a passion for exposing students to a curriculum that reflects the cultural and historical diversity of theater traditions, thus contributing to broaden their notion of global theater,” Quiroz said. “Several Latine colleagues shared that in all their theater education they have never been taught about any Mexican playwrights in their classical acting classes.”

Department of Theatre faculty Professor Rob Roznowski and Assistant Professor Alexis Black nominated Quiroz for the Varg-Sullivan Endowed Graduate Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts and had this to say about Quiroz and his work on the Love is the Greater Labyrinth production in their nomination letter:  “The impact of Oscar’s dynamic and inclusive international research and creativity intersected with student and community enrichment during his work for the Department of Theatre’s Storefront Initiative, a series that focuses on growth for our students as actors. Oscar’s endeavor to bring a world premiere production of a Spanish Golden Age translation to our community created national connections and an international educational experience for the department.”

Quiroz had the production professionally filmed and photographed for the UCLA Diversifying the Classics team, which will create opportunities for the project beyond the original scope.

“The Diversifying the Classics team will be able to use these materials to continue to hone their translation and bring this vibrant material to other national and international theatres to perform this play in the future,” Black and Roznowski wrote in their nomination letter. “Through Oscar’s passion for national and international impact, MSU will be an integral part of the growth of a piece of work that increases diversity and inclusion in the Classical theatrical cannon.”

After graduation, Quiroz will be moving to the metro Detroit area to continue his career as both a professor and artist. He has accepted a position at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, where he will be an Assistant Professor of Acting, starting in the Fall 2024 semester.