Rubén Amavizca-Murúa was born in the border town of Mexicali, Mexico, the son of a farm worker and a seamstress. He studied theater at the National Fine Arts Institute School of Theatre Arts in Mexico City, and the Theater Academy at Los Angeles City College. As an actor and a director, he has participated in over 400 productions and close to 6,000 performances in Mexico and the USA. He started working with Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA in 1988, and in 1993 became its Administrative and Artistic Director. In 1994, Rubén established the FRIDA KAHLO Theater in the Westlake District, one of the most economically challenged areas of Los Angeles. He transformed this site into one of the most prolific and active theaters in the city and a vibrant community cultural center. 

 

Ruben has also written over a dozen plays. In 1993, before Fridamania swept the U.S., Rubén wrote and directed the play Frida Kahlo, which became a huge critical and audience hit. Since then, the production has been staged many times by Grupo de Teatro SINERGIA, where the play continues to attract large audiences. Rubén also wrote and directed The Women of Juarez, based on the mass murders of women in the Mexican border town of Ciudad Juarez. The play won instant critical and audience acclaim, and sparked a movement in support of the victims of this feminicide. The Women of Juarez and Frida Kahlo were published in English by Teatro Bravo in 2008 and 2013. Amavizca’s plays have been produced in the U.S., Belgium, Latvia, Spain, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. Other writing credits include: Che, MacBato, The Night Of Cuauhtemoc, I Killed Pancho Villa!, Mexican History 101, Slaves, La Navidad de un Mojado, and Soldaderas.