An exciting artistic home for producing new theatre; for research, experimentation, and the development and performance of new work
Michael J Gellman is Artistic Director of The Process Theatre. He teaches at Loyalist College as well as Master Workshops for Second City International and Artistic New Directions NYC. He is an alumnus of the Second City mainstage and was a resident director for Second City in Canada and the USA for 25 years. He was Artistic Director of the Second City Toronto where his shows were nominated for 7 Dora Mavor Moore Awards including twice for Outstanding Direction, nominated for Best Director for Chicago’s Joseph Jefferson Award, and won a Chalmers Award for Best Director. He is a senior faculty and founding member of the Second City Training Center where he was a Program Head and also Director of the NY training Center.
Michael was an adjunct faculty member at Columbia College Chicago teaching Acting For Directors in the Film Directing department and designed and taught Improvisation and Acting III for the Comedy Studies department. In addition to Second City and Columbia College he has taught and designed classes and workshops in directing, acting and improvisation since 1976 at such notable institutions as: Actors Centre London, The Audition Centre, Victory Gardens Training Centre, Act One Conservatory and Loyola Law School as well as master workshops for hundreds of Universities, festivals, theatre companies and improv groups around the world. He is credited with originating “Long Form” Improvisation and his book “Process: An Improvisers Journey” (Northwestern University Press) co-authored with Mary Scruggs is a summary of his workshops on improvisational training.
His former credits include: co-founder and company member of Rendition Theatre, Artistic Associate at Organic Theatre, founder and Artistic Director of Theatre Works and Windy City Workshop and Co-Artistic Director of Wavelength. Since 1969 Michael has worked as an actor, director, writer and stage manager. He is a member of WGAw, AEA, Aftra-SAG, CAEA and ACTRA.
Over the past 40 years Mr. Gellman has directed, taught, and/or acted with: Dan Akroyd, John Candy, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Chris Farley, Steve Carrell, Steven Colbert, Tina Fey, George Wendt, Del Close, Dan Castellaneta, Charna Halpern, Mick Napier, Armando Diaz, Jimmy Carrane, Mark Beltzman, David Pasquesi, Keegan-Michael Kay, Linda Cash, Pat McKenna, Joel Murray, David Razowsky, Susan Messing, Bruce Pirrie, Kathryn Greenwood, Ron James, Joe Bill and many others.
More about Michael visit. www.michaeljgellman.com
Mitchell Cox is Musical Director and enjoys the challenge of developing, contributing and choosing music within a very short window of time to help tie together pieces that develop from within the cast. Mitchell has worked as a professional pianist around the globe; with a swing band in Japan, as a University instructor and performer in the UK, and across Canada as a church musician, teacher, and Examiner with the Toronto Conservatory of Music. As well as accompanying and coaching instrumentalists and vocalists of all levels, Mitch has served with dance companies, as an opera repetiteur, as a rehearsal and audition pianist in the theatre, with orchestras, and, of course, for choirs of many sizes and styles. He is also the Northumberland choral director.
Deborah Smith is Managing Director. She has worked in all aspects of theatre including performing, directing, costume design, stage management, front of house and marketing. She founded The St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival and was Artistic Director for 5 years before moving to Chicago. In Chicago she performed in over 15 productions and adapted "Creditors" by Strindberg and "Echoes of the War" by J. M Barrie which received honourable mention on WBEZ. Deborah also holds a B.A in English Literature where she developed her love of writing and developing new work and an M.A from LAMDA. She is thrilled to be back in her homeland of Canada, after living in the USA and England for many years, and to be exploring and creating new theatre in such a beautiful place to live.
