Rate My Professor Brian Warren

Dr. Brian J. Warren is a Professor of Theatre at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in the College of Fine Arts, Department of Theatre, with a focus in Arts and Culture through his leadership in Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA). He earned his Ed.D. from the University of Houston and joined the UTRGV theatre faculty in 2006. Warren founded the TYA program in 2002 and serves as its Artistic Director, dedicating efforts to delivering high-quality children's theatre productions, courses, and community outreach to families in the Rio Grande Valley. The program produces original and culturally significant plays, supports UTRGV's Latino Theatre Initiative with Spanish-language children's theatre, and offers initiatives like the Children's Theatre Workshop (founded 2003) and the summer camp STRIVE (South Texas Remarkably Inventive Vaquero Ensemble, founded 2010). Warren has directed an extensive array of TYA productions, including Seymour the Troll (2019-2020), The Witches (2018-2019), The Stinky Cheese Man (2017-2018), Carolina The Musical (2014-2015), Golden Cobwebs (2012-2013 and 2006-2007), The Dream Sailors (2008-2009), The Happy Scarecrow (2007-2008), Bocon! (2005-2006), The Little Troll Without a Soul (2004-2005), Chon, Champion of the World (2003-2004), and inaugural shows A Christmas Carrot, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood (2002-2003). He also directs mainstage productions such as Romeo and Juliet (2025), Frankenstein (2022), and Coriolanus.

Warren teaches courses like Children’s Theatre Theory and Practice, preparing students for casting, rehearsing, and performing children's plays. He co-authored the play 'Theater: What Mothers Do' with Marlene Galvan, a fun-filled story honoring mothers, available through UTRGV ScholarWorks. His contributions extend to leading study abroad experiences, including the 2018 'Irish Plays and Playwrights' course that immersed students in Irish history, culture, folklore, and theatre. Warren coordinates the TExES Theatre content program and serves on UTRGV’s Limited Submission Review Committee, influencing academic and research development at the institution. Through TYA, he promotes imaginative works that highlight human conditions, diverse cultures, behaviors, ideas, and values, engaging young audiences from infancy to elementary school.