Director of the School of Theatre Arts and Dance
Professor of Theatre Arts
Frasier 105
970.351.2323
david.grapes@unco.edu
An award-winning director, actor and playwright, David has provided administrative, financial, and artistic leadership for a wide variety of theatrical institutions including two professional regional theatres, 3D productions - a commercial bus and truck touring company, two nationally recognized university theatre departments, a variety of summer stock companies, and a number of large professional not-for-profit regional and civic theatres. Prior to his arrival at UNC, he served for six years as the Producing Artistic Director of Tennessee Repertory Theatre (LORT C). While in Nashville, he produced 36 productions including three world premieres, established an "off- Broadway season" of contemporary plays, expanded the Rep's education/outreach department, and was the recipient of eight "Tennie Awards" for Best Direction.
During his 30-year career in the theatre, David has produced over 800 major productions that span nearly every genre of dramatic literature. His work as a director (180+ productions) has been seen from coast to coast in such theatres as the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Tennessee Repertory Theatre, Asolo Theatre, Laguna Playhouse, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Theatre by the Sea, ArtPark, Madison Repertory Theatre, Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Barter Theatre, Flat Rock Playhouse, Blowing Rock Stage Company, Tuacahn Amphitheatre, Seven Angels Theatre, Little Theatre on the Square, Muhlenberg Summer Theatre, Western Michigan’s Cherry County Playhouse, American Stage, Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and Dollywood.
Professional acting credits include leading roles in Cyrano de Bergerac, Amadeus, The Miser, The School For Wives, The Merchant of Venice, A Christmas Carol, ART, The Cherry Orchard, Talley's Folly, The Importance of Being Ernest, A Man For All Seasons, and The Drawer Boy. Born and raised in Parkersburg, West Virginia, David is a member of Actors' Equity Association, the Society of Stage Directors & Choreographers, the Dramatist Guild of America, and a graduate of the MFA Acting/Directing Program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
He is the creator/co-author (with Todd Olson) of four musical revues; My Way - A Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra, Christmas My Way - A Sinatra Holiday Bash, Moon River - Johnny Mercer's American Songbook, and I Left My Heart - A Salute to the Music of Tony Bennett, which have been performed at over 400 theatres world wide. He is also creator/co-author (with Robert Neblett) of Simply Simone – The Music of Nina Simone and the play Dracula: The Case of the Silver Scream, a new film noir adaptation of Bram Stocker’s famous novel Dracula. During the summer of 2007, he premiered a new musical revue Babes in Hollywood – The Music of Garland and Rooney, which he created with UNC Professor of Musical Theatre Vance Fulkerson.
At UNC, David is a full tenured professor and teaches directing and playwriting, serves as the Director of the School of Theatre Arts and Dance and is also the Executive Producer for UNC's 75-year-old professional summer stock company - The Little Theatre of the Rockies. His UNC/Little Theatre of the Rockies directorial credits include: Candida, Rounding Third, Bleacher Bums, Dracula: The Case of the Silver Scream, The Tempest, Tuesday’s With Morrie, The Drawer Boy, Titanic – The Musical!, Bad Dates, God’s Man in Texas, Heartbreak House (guest artist Jim Mezon), Doubt (guest artist Anna Stone), Quilters, The Taffetas, Hay Fever and The Elephant Man (guest artist Bill Bowers). This fall he will direct his own adaptation of Twelfth Night: or Gun Fight at the Illyria Corral.
