Biography
Rob is an award-winning actor, author, director, educator, and playwright. He is a Professor at Michigan State University in the Department of Theatre. His publications include books– Roadblocks in Acting, Inner Monologue in Acting, The Introverted Actor: Practical Approaches and Collaboration in Theatre: A Practical Guide for Designers and Directors; plays– Arts or Crafts, Comfort Food, The Tail of Peter Rabbit, The Summer Circle, The Amazing America Road Trip; and articles/chapters mostly about the intersection of acting & psychology. He worked as the National Outreach and Education Coordinator for Actors’ Equity Association and has appeared extensively through the United States as an actor and director in New York and Los Angeles and regionally at Goodspeed Musicals, Long Wharf Theatre and the Pittsburgh Public Theatre. He was part of the original cast of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change and can be heard on the show’s recording. He has directed internationally in Colombia, Dubai, and Greece where he was a Fulbright Fellow. Rob served on the faculty of Marymount Manhattan College, the American Musical and Dramatic Academy, SUNY/ Stony Brook, and Stephens College where he received the “Distinguished Teaching Award.” At MSU he was awarded the “Mid-Michigan Alumni Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching”, “Michigan Professor of the Year Award” from the President’s Council State Universities of Michigan,” “The President’s Distinguished Teaching Award” and he is a William J. Beal Outstanding Faculty recipient.
Works
PUBLICATIONS
Books & CHAPTERS
“Behind the Scenes Interview”, Interviewed by editor Stephen Marino in Arthur Miller: A Memory of Two Mondays, Methuen Drama | 2023
“Creative Activism” Creating Activists?”, Chapter in Creative Activism: Research, Pedagogy and Practice volume in the Frontiers of Knowledge series. Cambridge Scholars| 2022
Examines the process of an original immersive theatre piece with socio-political agenda.
“Acting Without Imagery: Aphantasia in the Acting Classroom”, Chapter in Inclusivity and Equality in Performance Training: Teaching and Learning for Neuro and Physical Diversity Routledge| 2021
Co-author (with Alexis Black, Cameron Michael Chase, and Brian DeVries) Examines aphantasia (the lack of ability to summon mental pictures) and re-imagining actor training to augment reliance on inner imagery.
The Introverted Actor: Practical Approaches, Palgrave Macmillan| 2020
Co-Author (with Carolyn Conover & Dr. Heidi Kasevich) of book examining how introverted actors may thrive in a seemingly extroverted field.
“Reforming Theatre Education from Its Extrovert-Based Model”, Chapter in Creative Theory and Action in Drama and Theatre Education, ed. Suzanne Burgoyne, Springer | 2018
Examines the need to rethink current practices in theatrical classroom to include introverted learners in methodologies like improvisation and ensemble-building.
Roadblocks in Acting, Palgrave Macmillan | 2017
Book for actors and educators that provides a systematic approach to overcoming the self-imposed psychological roadblocks that impede an actor’s creative freedom when performing. Written under the guidance of four psychology experts, this book examines common issues that plague many actors. Also contains an examination of the ethical boundaries related to teaching acting.
Inner Monologue in Acting, Palgrave Macmillan| 2013
Textbook for actors, directors and educators that examines the question, “What should an actor be thinking onstage?” Combines psychological and practical perspectives for harnessing personal inner thoughts and transferring them to the thoughts of the character. Worked with psychology experts to codify a systematized approach to acting.
Collaboration in Theatre: A Practical Guide for Designers and Directors, Palgrave Macmillan| 2009
Co-Author (with Kirk Domer) of textbook chronicling the creative process for successful collaboration between theatrical designers and directors.
Articles & Essays
“Mental Health in the Acting Studio” Theatre Dance and Performance Training Journal Taylor and Francis– Journal ISSN: 1944-3919| 2024
“STEAM Education Encouraging Creative Interdisciplinary Thinking” The Conversation
Published Jan 12| 2024
“The Immersive Theatre Actor” Methods: A Journal of Acting Pedagogy, Volume 5 & 6| 2019-20
Peer-reviewed two-part 50,000-word article about qualities necessary for immersive theatre acting.
“Evil Dead The Musical: Revulsion and Convulsion in ‘The Splatter Zone’” Essay, The Many Lives of the Evil Dead, eds. Ron Riekki and Jeffrey Sartain, MacFarland Books | 2019
“Mere Actors in the Theatre of Consciousness” Methods: A Journal of Acting Pedagogy, Volume 4 | 2018
Peer-reviewed article combining psychological and acting theories.
“Creative Collaboration,” Choros International Dance Journal, Issue 5, Spring | 2016
Peer-reviewed article examining collaborative process devised during residency in Greece.
“Transforming Actor Education in the Digital Age,” Theatre Topics Online, Volume 25, Number 3 | 2015
Peer-reviewed article advocating the transformation of traditional actor education in the digital age.
“Virtual Design in Theatrical Contexts: Live Actors Inhabiting a Virtual Space,” Design Principles and
Practices: An International Journal, Vol. 3, CG Publishers | 2009
Peer-reviewed article.
“Inner Monologue—Creating Connections,” Players’ Journal, Vol. 2, 1 | 2007
Peer-reviewed article chronicling the successes of self-designed acting.
“What Makes it Great?” Muses | 2006
Article on Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George.
Creative Writing
Just Cause (documentary theatre piece about unions) | 2024
The STEAM Plays: Using the Arts to Talk about STEM| 2023
Triple Threat, Holt High School | 2021
6, Summer Circle Theatre | 2021
Comic Timing, Summer Circle Theatre | 2019
Love & Other Junk, Summer Circle Theatre | 2018
A new musical (score by Seth Burk) based on interviews with kids about “love.”
Thus With a Kiss I Die, MSU Department of Theatre | 2018
Conceived and directed fifty-person immersive theatre piece.
- Best New Play winner — Lansing City Pulse
The Amazing America Road Trip, Lazy Bee Publishers | 2018
A new play for young audiences for professional summer theatre.
President’s Day, Greenhouse Theatre Ensemble, New York, NY | 2017
Jury selected play (from 800 submissions) for ten-minute theatre festival.
Be. Longing. United Arab Emirates First International Theatre Festival.| 2017
New play about cultural identity premiered at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.
The Tail of Peter Rabbit, Big Dog Publishing | 2016
A new musical (score by Chelle Peterson) for young audiences for professional summer theatre.
- Best New Play — Lansing State Journal
Mount Olympus Junior High, Summer Circle Theatre | 2016
A new musical (score by Seth Burk) for young audiences for professional summer theatre. Subsequent production at Waverly Middle School, Lansing MI.
The Summer Circle, Brooklyn Publishers | 2015
Play for young audiences for professional summer theatre. Subsequently produced at MSU’s The Big Event and Mallard Creek Arts High School in Charlotte, NC.
- Winner Best Theatre for Young Audience—Wilde Awards
- Nominated for Best New Play—Wilde Awards
Comfort Food, Original Works Publishing | 2015
Play written to participate in the Big Ten Theatre Initiative’s mission to dramatize special collections of
member libraries. MSU’s vast American Historical Cookbook collection — including first American
cookbook from 1790 — sourced to explore how food shapes our culture. Caterers recreated the collection’s
historic recipes for audience consumption, and recipes were translated into modern measurements
and distributed.
60/50 Theatre Project, MSU Department of Theatre | 2014
Premiered in the Department of Theatre at MSU to write a “happening” exploring civil and human rights
at Michigan State University as part of a year-long examination of the 60th anniversary of Brown vs. Board
of Education and the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act.
- MSU Excellence in Diversity Award | 2015
- Regional Award for Best New Script | 2015
A Constant Disappointment, Abingdon Theatre Company, New York, NY | 2012
Short play presented as part of The Denial Plays: Abingdon Theatre Benefit Challenge. Jury selected.
Happy Holy Days | 2011
Full-length play performed:
- Michigan State University (world premiere)
- Dorothy Streslin Theatre, New York, NY (developmental workshop)
- Renegade Theatre Festival, Lansing, MI (staged reading)
Arts or Crafts, Full-length play:
- Norman Maine Plays Publisher | 2011
College of Arts & Letters News
- No Cookie-Cutter Performers: How MSU Shaped the Creative Careers of Two Theatre Alums
College of Arts & Letters
January 21, 2026When MSU Department of Theatre alums Sarah Goeke and Travis Staton-Marrero revisited campus, they brought more than memories, returning with hard-earned experience shaped by their time at Michigan State University and a desire to share it with the next generation of theatre […] Read Now →
- U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Funds English Language Exchange...
College of Arts & Letters
October 23, 2025This summer, more than 20 English educators from around the world came to Michigan State University’s campus to be immersed in the language and culture while also learning new creative approaches to teaching English in their home countries. MSU was awarded $116,000 from the […] Read Now →
- Department of Theatre Performing Two Plays — ‘The Seagull’ and ‘Stupid F**king Bird’ — Offering...
College of Arts & Letters
September 19, 2025Michigan State University's Department of Theatre continues its 2025-2026 Season, Secrets & Spotlights, with two plays performed in repertory that span more than a century of theatrical storytelling. Anton Chekhov's “The Seagull,” first performed in 1896, and Aaron […] Read Now →
- Theatre Alum Comes Full Circle with ‘We Foxes’ Performance in New York City
College of Arts & Letters
July 15, 2025For Isa Rodriguez, stepping onto the stage at the Baruch Performing Arts Center in New York City to perform in “We Foxes” was more than just another role. It was the realization of a dream sparked years earlier by watching a rehearsal of that same play at Michigan State […] Read Now →
- Theatre Students Bring Immersive Storytelling to Corey Marsh in Support of Ecological Research
College of Arts & Letters
May 8, 2025In a collaboration between arts and sciences at Michigan State University, the Department of Theatre presented six immersive outdoor theatrical performances of “The Grown-Ups,” set around a campfire at the Corey Marsh Ecological Research Center, a 350-acre property located […] Read Now →
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