Education and Career
Ruiz-Sapp earned her BA in Literature from Bard College in 1989 and is the co-founder and core member of Universes, a national ensemble theater company. Founded in The Bronx, New York, in 1995, Universes brings together a diverse group of multi-disciplined writers and performers of color who fuse theater, poetry, dance, jazz, hip hop, politics, blues, and Spanish boleros to create impactful and entertaining stage works. [13] The group, originally formed as a poetry collective performing slam poetry at clubs and cafés in Manhattan's Lower East Side, began with members Ruiz-Sapp, her brother, William Ruiz, Gamal Chasten, and Steven Sapp. Over time, Universes found its home at the New York Theater Workshop, where it developed into a powerful and unique ensemble. [5]
The group created the production titled Ameriville, a response to how America responded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. [5] It premiered at the Actors Theater at Louisville’s Humana Festival in 2009. [14] Universes aimed to present the United States as a united community, rather than a fractured society divided by divergent customs and beliefs. [5] Ameriville was one of the few opportunities granted to Latina playwrights at the time, with Ruiz-Sapp playing a pivotal role in representing women playwrights of color. [15]
In 2025, Ruiz-Sapp co-directed Tipi Tales from The Stoop, a project that explores family history and generational trauma. In collaboration with Murielle Borst-Tarrant, the production tells the story of a young girl growing up in the only Native family in a Mafia-run Brooklyn neighborhood, embarking on a quest to preserve cultural traditions. [16]
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