Gary English (Artistic Director) is Head of the Department of Dramatic Arts and the Founding Artistic Director of Connecticut Repertory Theatre, the professional theatre in residence at the University of Connecticut. His CRT directing credits include Sweeney Todd, Candide, Wings, Our Country's Good, West Side Story, Jesus Christ Superstar, A Little Night Music, Carousel, Man of La Mancha (which received the Connecticut Critics Circle Award as the Outstanding Production of a Musical for the 1997-98 season), Iphigenia and Other Daughters and Company. As a designer, his work includes scenery and costumes for Off-Broadway, television and repertory theatres throughout the country, including Studio Arena, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, George Street Playhouse, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, StageWest, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Barter Theatre, Brunswick Music Theatre, American Stage Festival, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera and North Shore Music Theatre. Design credits include Arcadia, King Lear and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead at Salt Lake City's Pioneer Theatre Company, and My Fair Lady at the Berkshire Theatre Festival. Mr. English is a member of the National Theatre Conference, and serves as President of The University/Resident Theatre Association, the national organization of professional theatre training programs.
Frank Mack (Managing Director) A native of Kansas, Mr. Mack graduated from the University of Kansas in Lawrence in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in theatre arts then earned an MFA in directing from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg in 1988. Mr. Mack was awarded a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, which enabled him to work in community arts administration at Durham Arts Council, Inc. He then accepted a position at Arena Stage in Washington, DC as Project Manager where, in addition to general administrative duties, he worked on a three-year new play project with Anna Deavere Smith that resulted in the fall 1997 production premiere of House Arrest, First Edition. Mr. Mack also served as an institutional planning consultant for the Contemporary American Theatre Festival in Shepherdstown, WV where he helped envision and execute a successful cash stabilization fund drive, and he also served as Dramaturg for the 1997 season. Mr. Mack was then named Managing Director of the California Shakespeare Festival in Berkeley where he helped lead a financial turn-around based on a doubling of contributed income and a substantial increase in ticket sales. Mr. Mack then served as Managing Director of Geva Theatre in Rochester, New York, a LORT B theatre before he became Managing Director of the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival in Madison, NJ, where he worked for one year before coming to CRT. He lives in Mansfield Center with his wife, Sarah Delia, and their two children Jason (six), Rebecca (three) and their dog Chili.
Dale AJ Rose, Director or Performance, Associate Artistic Director. Dale AJ Rose comes to UConn from Tampa, Florida where he served as Director of the School of Theatre and Dance at the University of South Florida. Previously, Dale was the Director of Performance Training at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Under his leadership the program received recognition by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top 20 Graduate Theatre Programs in the country. In the 1980’s Dale was the Master Acting Teacher at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
Dale has taught professionally in New York City at the Warren Robertson Theatre Workshop, The George Morrison Studio space and The Actors Center.
Dale was Artistic Director of the Shakespeare Festival of Dallas where, among others, he directed Earle Hyman in King Lear and Morgan Freeman in Othello. Dale was Artistic Director of the Plaza Theatre where he worked with John Goodman, Mariel Hemmingway and Zakes Mokae. Again in Dallas, Dale was a co-founder of Stage #1. Dale began his professional directing career as founder and Artistic Director of the Alice People Theatre in Tampa. Known for its cutting edge productions, the company was the first to produce the works of playwright David Mamet outside of Chicago. Dale has directed all but seven of Shakespeare’s plays.
As an American Cultural Specialist for the U.S. Information Agency and later for the State Department, Dale taught in Jerusalem, on the West Bank, in Barcelona and Athens. He also worked with actors from the Palestinian Theatre League on Julius Caesar.
Dale feels fortunate to have been taught by some of the greats of the American Theatre including Bill Hickey, Larry Moss, Kristin Linklater, Uta Hagen, Stella Adler and members of the Working, Living and Open Theatres.
Dale was co-producer of the feature film ‘Animal Behavior’ starring Karen Allen and Armand Assante; which you can catch on late-late night cable TV. |
