meet our artistic director

“The balance of power is ever-shifting in Daniel Irizarry’s thrillingly kaleidoscopic, boldly physical world”. The New York Times

 
”Rabelaisian director Daniel Irizarry, a capering theatrical creature with a goat’s appetite for heights”. The New Yorker

Daniel Irizarry is a Puerto Rican born International Experimental Theatre director, performer and educator based in NYC and Boston. His work embraces highly stylized and visceral acting, pataphysics, a profound celebration of GERMS, and communion with the audience through consent. He is the Artistic Director of One-Eighth Theater and Lecturer at MIT Music & Theatre Arts. Most recently directed and performed Prof. Watson: A Pataphysical Lecture at Down to Earth Festival and Prelude Festival in NYC initiated by the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center at the CUNY Graduate Center. Last summer (2025), thanks to MIT's Fay Chandler and The Dean's Grant, he directed and performed My Onliness at Sibiu International Theatre Festival in Romania. He was invited, in fall 2025, as guest artist/Professor to give an intensive Theatre LAB/Seminar at Vilniaus Kolejiga, Lithuania focusing in creating original etudes driven from Lorca's classic Blood Wedding. He is also one of the curators for the 2026 PhysFestNYC that will take place at Stellar Adler Center for the Arts in NYC.

Other notable credits: Directed and performed 'Class Dismissed' at La MaMa Ellen Stewart Theatre, NYC. Directed and devised “Plum Box—Strange—Ideal and more than…” 10 poems of South Korean artist Yi Sang, created at MIT Music and Theatre Arts in collaboration with Harvard and Berklee College, composed by Professor Woody Pak. Directed and conceptualized ‘Retratos’ with local Chilean and Argentinian actors at Temporales Internacionales de Teatro and Universidad de Los Lagos in Puerto Montt, Chile. Directed & performed in “Ultra Left Violence” written by Robert Lyons, as the final project for the historic closing of 30 years at the New Ohio Theatre. Directed and performed “The Maids” by acclaimed playwright Jose Rivera (New York Times Critics pick); “UBU” by Adam Symkowicz (Time Out NY Critics pick). Directed the world premiere in the US of “Busu” by Mishima at Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theatre Festival. Directed and performed “YOVO” presented in NYC, Poland, Cuba and South Korea. Directed and performed “My Onliness” by Robert Lyons at New Ohio Theatre in NYC & selected as one of the best performances Off-Broadway in 2022 by Theatermania. Directed the world premiere of Witkacy’s “The Madman and the Nun” in Ankara, Turkey which toured to Gardzienice International festival in Poland, produced at Pregones Theatre and Bohemian National Hall in NYC.

Over his career he has directed, performed and taught workshops in India, Germany, Japan, Lithuania, Italy, Romania, UK, Colombia, among others. As an educator he has most notably taught as Professor at LMTA (Vilnius, Lithuania), Visiting Assistant Professor at Bilkent University Performing Arts (Ankara, Turkey), Assistant Professor in the Acting Department at Seoul Institute of the Arts (Ansan, South Korea) and Guest Artist/Professor at Folkwang University (Essen, Germany). He holds an MFA in Acting from Columbia University and a BA in Drama at The Universidad de Puerto Rico.

Notable & Recent Productions: “Plum Box, Strange Ideal and More” a multidisciplinary collaboration between MIT, Harvard, and Berklee College with composition by Associate Professor Woody Pak (2024), “Ultra Left Violence” written by Robert Lyons at The New Ohio Theatre (2023), “Oratorio Panhispánico” an opera composed by Alejandro Zulete, at The Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph in Brooklyn, “My Onliness” by Robert Lyons at New Ohio Theatre in NYC (2022) “Busu” by Mishima at the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theatre Festival (2019), “YOVO” performed and produced at the New Ohio Theater in NYC, Poland, Cuba, and South Korea, Gogol’s “The Inspector General” at NCPA’s Experimental Theatre in Mumbai, India (2019), World Premier of Witkacy’s “The Madman and the Nun”  in Ankara, Turkey (2017) Gardzienice International Theatre Festival in Poland (2017) and Pregones Theatre in New York City (2018 & 2021), New York Times Critics Pick “The Maids” by acclaimed playwright Jose Rivera at Intar Theater (2016), Time Out NYC Critics Pick “UBU” by Adam Symkowicz at New Ohio Theater, Intar Theater, and IRT Theater (2013)

From 2017 to 2019 I was invited to the Archive Residency by IRT Theater and New Ohio Theatre. During this residency I developed two projects, Numbness and Yovo. From 2013-2016 One Eighth Theater was awarded an ongoing residency with one of the oldest Latino theater companies in New York City, Intar Theater. During this time I developed three productions (UBU, Teach Teacher Teachest, and The Maids) garnering several New York Times Critic’s Picks. In 2008 and 2010, I had two separate residencies with Mabou Mines

Other notable residencies include NACL (2023), La MaMa Cultural Hub and Seoul Institute of the Arts (2022), MIT Music & Theatre Arts (2021), Raul Julia Artist Residency-Pregones Theater (2018), Gardzienice International Theater Festival (2019 & 2017), Kadir Has University Istanbul (2017), Freie University in Berlin (2014), Baryshnikov Arts Center (2007), and Syowa Ongaku University in Tokyo (2006, 2007, and 2009).

As an educator, I have taught classes and workshops all around the world: India, Germany, Japan, Lithuania, Italy, Romania, UK, and Colombia, among others. I was a Visiting Assistant Professor at Bilkent University Performing Arts program in Ankara, Turkey (2015-2017)  and an Assistant Professor in the Acting Department at Seoul Institute of the Arts in South Korea (2022-2023)

My work has been supported by grants from the Foundation of Contemporary Arts (2020 and 2021), City Artist Corps (2021), and several European Union Grants (2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021). I have also received production support from the New York State Council on the Arts (2022) and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (2022). I received a 2023 Hola Award nomination for outstanding performance by a Lead Actor for My Onliness in New York City.

I received an MFA in Acting from Columbia University in 2004, and a BA in Drama from The Universidad de Puerto Rico in 2001. I’m proud to say that I returned to both institutions as a Guest Professor to teach in the same departments.

Full time Lecturer at MIT Music & Theatre Art