Wright State Theatre’s Joe Deer to direct ‘Guys and Dolls’ during residency in Italy

Joe Deer, distinguished professor of musical theatre in Wright State’s School of Fine and Performing Arts, is participating in a residency at a musical theatre school in Italy.

Joe Deer, distinguished professor of musical theatre at Wright State University, will direct “Guys and Dolls” with one of Italy’s most acclaimed professional theatre training academies.

The production will feature graduating students from the Scuola del Teatro Musicale performing at Teatro Cocchia in Novara, outside Milan, Italy, on Sept. 9–10.

Deer will direct the production as part of a five-week residency at Scuola del Teatro Musicale.

His residency includes collaboration with an Italian team of designers, musical staff and a choreographer, followed by a week of master classes with students. The visit is part of a professional development leave from Wright State during the Fall Semester.

Deer was introduced to Scuola del Teatro Musicale when the musical theatre school approached him about translating his books into Italian for students and the Italian market.

“I have been so impressed with both the student talent and leadership at the academy,” Deer said. “Their students are being so well-prepared to begin professional careers. It’s my hope that some of our students from Wright State will be able to visit and study in Milan because of this residency.”

Deer has ongoing relationships with several international schools through his work with the Musical Theatre Educators’ Alliance, an organization of teachers from across the world for which he was the founding president.

His books, “Acting in Musical Theatre: a comprehensive course” and “Directing in Musical Theatre: an essential guide” have been translated into Portuguese, Korean, Italian and a forthcoming Spanish edition.

He has been a guest artist or visiting master teacher internationally and across the United States including at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, the Stage School of Hamburg in Germany, the Danish Academy of Musical Theatre, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Deer was the first head of Wright State’s Musical Theatre Program, chair of the Department of Theatre, Dance and Motion Pictures, director of The Musical Theatre Initiative from 2013 to 2023 and artistic director of the Wright State Theatre Program.

In addition, Deer is a resident artist with The Human Race Theatre Company and works closely with The Muse Machine as director of its annual winter musical and through other education initiatives.