Dane CT Leasure
Title: Senior Lecturer and Area Chair in Theatre Arts
Theatre Area Coordinator
Dept/Program: School of Dance, Theatre, and Arts Administration
Email: dcl13@uakron.edu
Biography
Dane CT Leasure is a Director and Fight Choreographer based in Akron, Ohio. Dane founded and serves as Rubber City Theatre's Executive Artistic Director, a SPT AEA theatre and the only Equity Theatre in Akron. For Rubber City Theatre, Dane has directed over 25 productions ranging from A Midsummer Night's Dream, to Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida, to new works such as the world premiers of Heartbreakers in Hell and Love In Reserve. Both of which were recognized by the 2021 Cleveland Critics Circle Awards. Dane's passion is new works and reimagining classics to inspire theatre goers. This work has led him to direct at local colleges and work on readings of new musicals and plays in New York and Virginia. He is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), a national theatrical labor union, and the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD). He serves on the membership committee for National Alliance of Musical Theatres (NAMT). In 2019 Dane was a nominee for the Akron Arts Alive Award for outstanding theatre artists.
Education
MFA /M.Litt. in Shakespeare and Performance from Mary Baldwin University; BA in Humanities [English, History, Theatre] from the University of Akron; Ph.D. Student [Theatre], Bowling Green State University
Courses
Experiencing Theatre, Playscript and Performance Analysis, and Special Topics Courses
Areas of Responsibility
Shakespeare, Musicals, New Work development, Stage Combat, and Directing