Guest Artists

Guest Artist in 2012

André De Shields has distinguished himself as an unparalleled actor, director, choreographer and educator in a career spanning more than forty years.  A native of Baltimore, who then went to college at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Mr. De Shields is best known for his show stopping performances in the original Broadway productions of four legendary musicals: The Full Monty, for which he received Tony, Drama Desk and Astaire Award nominations, in addition to both the Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Awards; Play On! (Tony nomination), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Drama Desk nomination) and The Wiz (title role).   In plays from the early modern period, he has distinguished himself recently in the title role of King Lear (at both the Classical Theatre of Harlem and the Folger Shakespeare Library) and in the Red Bull Theater’s production of The Witch of Edmonton.  His most recent performances on Long Island were in the 2010 production of Damn Yankees at the John W. Engeman Theatre in Northport.  He has just returned from performing in Tennessee William’s Camino Real at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, about which the New York Times critic wrote:

As the Baron de Charlus, the decadent aristocrat…André

De Shields essentially walks off with the show…Mr. De

Shields is supremely funny as this lascivious charmer

with a caustic wit.

Guest Artist in 2013

Brandon J. Dirden has over 20 years of professional acting experience in both contemporary and classical theater.  He spent three years as a company member of Georgia Shakespeare Festival where he played roles ranging from Othello to Orsino.   On Broadway he has appeared in Clybourne Park, Enron and Prelude to a Kiss. Off-Broadway credits include the world premier of Detroit ’67 (The Public Theatre and Classical Theater of Harlem) Peter and the Starcatcher (NYTW); Bottom of the World (Atlantic); Edgewise (The Play Company/Page 73). Brandon is a proud volunteer at the 52nd Street Project. Regional theater credits include: Topdog/Underdog, Jitney (Two River Theater); Trouble in Mind (Arena Stage); Magnolia (Goodman); Fences (Huntington Theatre and South Coast Repertory); Topdog/Underdog (Playmakers Rep); Ceremonies in Dark Old Men (True Colors Theatre); Othello, Twelfth Night, Metamorphoses, Comedy of Errors, and others (Georgia Shakespeare Festival); A Death in the House…, A Christmas Carol, and The Breach (Alliance); Take Me Out (Theatre in the Square); Come On in My Kitchen (7 Stages); Miss Dessa (Ensemble Theatre); Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Alley); Harvey (Utah Shakespeare Festival); and Julius Caesar and As You Like It (North Carolina Shakespeare Festival). Recently, he was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actor for his turn as Boy Willie in Signature Theater’s revival of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson. Training: BA, Morehouse College and MFA, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Proud member of Actors’ Equity Association. www.brandondirden.com.

Guest artist in 2013

Dorothy Olsson has had training in both music and dance; she received her Masters of Music of Musicology from Manhattan School of Music and her Ph.D. in Performance Studies at New York University, with a dissertation on early 20th-century dance. She has presented numerous workshops, choreographies and performances of historical dance, and written books and articles about historical dance. Dr. Olsson was an Assistant Professor of Dance Education at New York University for ten years. She is the director of New York Historical Dance Company.

Guest artist in 2014

Ian Gould has appeared in dozens of Shakespeare productions across the country. He has just completed a national tour of Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead with The Acting Company. He has appeared at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, the Great Lakes Theater (Cleveland), Lake Tahoe and Idaho Shakespeare Festivals, Pearl Theatre Company (NY), Centerstage (Baltimore), New Harmony Theater  (Indiana), Luna Stage (NJ) and Metro Stage (VA). Film: The Jew of Malta, The Sandman. Training: The Shakespeare Theatre Company Academy for Classical Acting (MFA). Ian is a native of Pittsburgh.

Guest artist in 2015

Emily Davis is a Shakespeare Consultant to arts and humanities organizations, schools, universities and beyond. Her college courses have included Teaching Shakespeare through Performance for City College Educational Theatre Master’s Program, Shakespeare on Film at University of California, Davis and text workshops at Manhattanville College. Emily has taught Shakespeare for the NYC Department of Education, BAM, The Shakespeare Society, NYC Student Shakespeare Festival (CAT,) National Shakespeare Company, Classics On Tour, American Globe, Arts Connection, Peoples Theatre Project and more. She is a regular instructor for the English Speaking Union and Folger Shakespeare Library’s Shakespeare Set Free Intensives. She is the author of study guides for Private Romeo (film) and As We Like It (theatre) and the American liaison for the Global Hamlet. Emily is also a Feldenkrais Practitioner, as well as the founder and Artistic Director of Messenger Theatre Company. 

Guest artist in 2016

As a Canadian theatre practitioner, Ray Jacildo has been carving out a mark on the Canadian theatre scene. As a director and administrator, Ray is currently serving as the Chair of the Youth Advisory Committee and Board Member of Theatre Ontario, where he creates projects and initiatives to give youth educational and leadership opportunities across the province. As former Management Coordinator of Theatre 20, a new musical theatre company in Toronto, he worked on the company’s establishment, fundraisers, and premiere production with founding artists from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Shaw Festival and Broadway. His most recent directorial work has seen tours across Canada. Ray has also worked with the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and Toronto City Hall. As an actor, Ray has performed in over 35 classic and modern plays, musicals, and operas, and has spoken about his youth work in conferences across Canada and UK. In addition, he has a background in environmental activism and as Director for SWITCH, a youth organization working with the largest school board in Canada, Ray has spearheaded the installation of millions of dollars worth of renewable technologies across Toronto providing educational resources to over 200,000 youth. 

Guest artist in 2017

 John Horton Murray is a singer/stage director/and composer who has appeared onstage at the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Frankfurt Opera, and many other theatres.
He is also active as a teacher.  His compositions include works based on Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet.