Mr. Douglas M. Zschiegner

Biography

After a twenty-year professional career acting and directing around the country, Mr. Douglas M. Zschiegner has spent the last twenty years primarily focusing on training the next generation of theatre-makers in innovative productions, high-level skills and integrated academics. This is his 15th year at Niagara University.

He directed over thirty shows and ran Education and Outreach programs for eight years as Resident Director of Mill Mountain Theatre, an Equity company in Roanoke, VA. Doug has guest-directed and/or taught at Virginia Tech, Franklin & Marshall and Dickinson universities and at theatre companies including Walnut Street in Philadelphia, McCarter in Princeton, First Stage in Milwaukee, Indiana Rep in Indianapolis and GEVA in Rochester. In Buffalo, he’s a member of Road Less Traveled Production’s Resident Ensemble, where he’s directed premieres of Insidious, Very Fine Use of a Grenade, two Buffalo Stories events and many new play readings. As Associate Director at The Kavinoky Theatre he directed It’s A Wonderful Life, Secret Order and Rock ‘n’ Roll. Local acting credits include Race at RLTP, Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird at Studio Arena (their last production), Brutus in Julius Caesar with Shakespeare in Delaware Park, narration with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the film Marshall, plus playing roles in theatres across the country, including over three-dozen characters written by Shakespeare.

Focus of Teaching

Directed

• Company, The Threepenny Opera
• She Stoops to Conquer
• The Real Thing
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream
• Into the Woods
• Bat Boy: The Musical
• The Drowsy Chaperone
• She Loves Me
• The Laramie Project
• Decision Height

Besides teaching, acting, directing and contemporary theatre history here, he’s tried his hand at adapting classic texts with CyranA (which was recently published in an on-line journal), The Macbeth Insurgency and the Rwandan immigrant-focused, contemporary Pygmalion Now.

Current Research

Mr. Douglas M. Zschiegner spent his spring and summer attending many New York City theatre productions, giving him insight to teach the spring contemporary theatre history course. A great deal of time was spent researching and analyzing A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, his spring 2023 Gala Show.

Current Involvement

• Actors’ Equity Association – since 1992
• Association for Theatre in Higher Education
• ASSITEJ International Organization, Theatre for Youth
• International Shaw Society

Educational Background

• M.F.A. – Professional Theatre Training Program, University of Delaware
• National Shakespeare Conservatory, New York City
• B.F.A. – Theatre, Illinois Wesleyan University