Biography
Jack Cirillo is a professor in performance studies. Jack received his MFA from the prestigious, Professional Actor Training Program at the University of Washington in 1986, and a BS from the University of Idaho in 1983. As a professional actor, Jack has worked extensively on the New York City stages, as well as in many of our countries finest regional theatres. Some of these theatres include: The Tony award winning Roundabout Theatre Company, The Goodspeed Opera House, and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, as well as The Hudson Guild Theatre, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and both the Colorado and North Carolina Shakespeare Festivals. He has had the good fortune to work with such notable celebrities as Bill Cosby, Lynn Redgrave, Peter Gallagher, Dorothy Loudon, Polly Holliday and Val Kilmer. He has numerous television commercials and episodic television appearances to his credit and has even appeared with the Radio City “Rockettes” in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular both in Branson, Missouri and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Since joining the faculty at Marshall University in the spring of 1998, Jack has been involved in many departmental productions both as a director and as a performer. Most notable performances have been: “Prospero” in The Tempest, “Donny” in American Buffalo, “The Stage Manager” in Our Town, and “Heisenberg” in Copenhagen. As a director, Jack has cultivated an eclectic portfolio, with an acknowledged nod to the “classics”, among his directorial efforts include: The Glass Menagerie, Hair, The Seagull, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Terra Nova and To Kill a Mockingbird. For the last 25 years, Jack worked a great deal as a fight choreographer and has taught stage combat at numerous theatres and education institutions. He is the founding artistic director of New Works. New Works is a not for profit organization that provides a forum for the development and exploration of new and exciting theatrical storytelling. Jack is a proud member of both Actor’s Equity Association and The Screen Actor’s Guild.