Rich Elias Martinez Director. Actor. Instructor.
Rich Elias Martinez is an LA-based director, actor and instructor. He has had the privilege of studying with some of the most respected minds in theatre including Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford, the Siti Company under Anne Bogart and J. Ed Arazia, Shakespeare & Co with Tina Packer, and was a Directors Lab West '11 participant.
As a director, his work has been seen in LA as well as many regional theaters across the country. Los Angeles credits include: Autobahn at Whitmore-Lindley, Massacre (Sing to Your Children) for Urban Theatre Movement, Down the Road at Actors Workout Theatre, Danny and the Deep Blue Sea for X Repertory Theatre, Georgie Porgie at UCLA, and English Only at the Los Angeles Theatre Center. He has worked as an assistant director to Jo Bonney (Fat Pig) and Gil Cates (A Picasso) at the Geffen Playhouse as well as Short Eyes and Solitude at the Los Angeles Theatre Center. Regionally Rich has worked as a Director/Actor/Designer/Playwright for: Pacific Stages, Austin Playhouse, Hyde Park Theatre, The Blue Theatre, Working Man's Clothes Theatre Co. and ArtSpark, to name a few.
As an instructor, Rich draws from his diverse training to tailor his technique to each actor’s unique talents and needs. He teaches students to work quickly and effectively by nailing down the core essence of a scene and creating a strong point-of-view for their character. Here in Los Angeles, he has taught for his own acting studio as well as LATC, X Repertory Theatre, Urban Theatre Movement and currently serves as a faculty member for UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television.Rich was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. He holds a BFA in Acting from Texas State University and an MFA in Directing from UCLA .Awards include:
George Burns and Grace Allen Award for Comedy Directing
Gilbert Cates Award for Directing
Florence Theil Herrcher Award in Theatre
Best New Play Award at the ArtSpark Theatre Festival in Austin