David Gram

Courses: Directing I, Directing II, Advanced Directing Project, Dramaturgy, Dramaturgy/Assistant Directing Project, Acting: The Script, Company Class, Professional Practices for the Performer

Stage Director: Young Frankenstein (Fall '24), ¡Farsa/Farce! (Fall '23), Pippin (Winter '22), How I Became a Pirate ('21), Macbeth (Winter '20), The Who's Tommy (Winter '19), Hands on a Hardbody (Winter '18), The School for Scandal (Winter '18), A Chorus Line (Winter '17), 'Tis Pity She's a Whore (Fall '16) 

Affiliations: Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (Full Member); Association for Theatre in Higher Education; Shakespeare Association of America; Theatre Communications Group (Member); Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA)

David Gram (he/him/his) earned his MFA in Directing and a Graduate Certificate in Arts Administration from Boston University, and a BFA in Theatre (Acting emphasis) from Simon Fraser University. He has been teaching at Oakland University since 2016.

Originally from Toronto, Canada, David has been a professional theatre and opera director, actor, dramaturg and teacher for almost 30 years. He has directed and produced approximately 80 productions across the U.S. and Canada. Selected theatre directing credits include: A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, The Marriage Spectrum, Godspell, Rent, In the Heights, La Cage Aux Folles, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, The Good Person of Szechwan, Curtains, A Little Night Music, What the Butler Saw, Bug, A Man of No Importance, Waiting for Godot, Tartuffe, and the musical City of Angels.

Selected opera directing credits include: Massenet’s Cendrillon, Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors, Verdi's Macbeth, Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld, Puccini's La Boheme, and Mozart's The Magic Flute, and the New England Premiere of Jake Heggie’s opera Dead Man Walking, which was attended by both composer Jake Heggie, and Sister Helen Prejean.

For five seasons, David was the Associate Artistic Director/Apprentice Program Coordinator at Theatre Aspen. In addition, he has held the position of Artistic Director for three other non-profit arts organizations: Boston Opera Collaborative, Shifting Point Theatre (co-founder), and GhostLight Productions (co-founder).

In 2020, David and his wife Kristina founded Renaissance City Repertory Theatre, based in the Detroit-metro area. Dedicated to the production of contemporary and classical work from the international canon, RC Rep produced its first show in summer of 2022, Witty Fools and Foolish Wits: A Comedic Romp with Shakespeare's Clowns, Knaves, Lovers, and Jesters. In May of 2023, the company unveiled their new works festival "(R)evolutions: Crossing Borders", producing staged readings of Imposter! by Canadian playwright Jessica Moss, and Challenging Brown by American playwright, Cris Eli Blak. For more information about RC Rep, please visit: Renaissance City Repertory Theatre.

David appeared as 'Roy' in the Jewish Ensemble Theatre's production of The Odd Couple, and as 'Jonathon/Miranda' in the JET's award-winning production of Casa Valentina. For Detroit Mercy Theatre Company he portrayed Orson Welles and eight other characters in the radio play War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast. In 2017 he played 'Gremio' in Water Works Theatre Company's summer production of The Taming of the Shrew (directed by Lynnae Lehfeldt). Selected stage appearances in both the US and Canada include: The Tempest, Three Sisters, The Show-Off, A Question of Mercy (IRNE nominated for Best Play), Three in the Back, Two in the Head, and playing 40 different characters in Doug Wright's one-man play I Am My Own Wife. 

For six years, David held an adjunct performance faculty position with the Boston University School of Theatre, where he taught courses in Directing, Theatre Ensemble, Shakespeare, Comedy, and Musical Theatre. Additionally, he has directed and/or taught for the University of Maryland/Maryland Opera Studio, Montgomery College, Georgetown University, University of California Riverside, Johns Hopkins University, and the Boston Conservatory. A champion of new work, David has collaborated on many original plays, musicals, and operas.

David's research interests include: classical and contemporary farce; Canadian theatre; Shakespeare and his contemporaries; and the genres of mystery, horror, and espionage onstage. 

Publications: Gram, David. Contemporary Farce on the Global Stage: or, Serious Laughter. Routledge, 2024.

David is an avid reader, film buff, golfer, baseball enthusiast, and has a keen interest in forensic and behavioral science. He lives with his wife Kristina, and their adorable Australian Shepherd, Oslo.