Jesse Merz

Jesse Merz, Assistant Professor of Acting and Head of the BFA in Acting, is a professional actor, director, producer, artistic director, writer and educator. A proud member of Actors Equity since 1997, he has performed off-Broadway, in regional theatre, summer stock, feature films and in 120 cities in 34 states on national tours. He has directed more than 60 plays, musicals and media projects, including "Suburban Dreams" with Tony-winner Daisy Eagan in New York City. He has produced more than 200 shows and is currently producing the new musical "The Gospel According to Tammy Faye" directed by Broadway veteran Mindy Cooper and starring Tony-nominee Sally Mayes in New York City. He has worked or studied with numerous Oscar, Tony, Obie, Emmy, Golden Globe, and Pulitzer Prize winners/nominees, such as: David Mamet, William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman, Lauri Peters, Rinde Eckert, River Phoenix, Constantine Maroulis, and Gus Van Sant, among others.

He has acted or directed in New York City at:

Manhattan Theatre Club Studio, Musical Theatre Works, Sanford Meisner Theatre, Promenade Theatre, Atlantic Theater, NADA, Theatre 22, Snapple Theater Center, Intar Theatre, The Present Company, The Theatre-Studio, Inc, Raw Space Theatre, The Company Theatre, Playwrights Horizon;

Regional acting or directing includes:

Longview Stageworks, Portland Center Stage, Portland Repertory Theatre, CoHo Theater, Mondavi Center, Fox Theater (Atlanta), Lakewood Theatre Company, Broadway Rose Theatre, New Orleans Performing Arts Center, Bergen County Playhouse, Columbia Gorge Repertory Theatre, Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts, Columbia Arts Center, Young People's Theatre Project, Wycliffe Theatre Productions, Theatreworks/USA, Horner Performing Arts Center, Mt. Hood Repertory Theatre, and many others.

He has taught acting at University of California, Davis, Western Oregon University, and the Columbia Gorge School of Theatre, among other institutions. From 2000 - 2003, he was the Producing Artistic Director of Longview Stageworks. He has been the Artistic Director of the Columbia Gorge School of Theatre and the Columbia Gorge Repertory Theatre since 1996. In addition to AEA, he is also a member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), the Dramatists Guild, the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SSDC) and the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA).

He has begun work on his first book entitled "The Meisner Interviews," and so far has interviewed such Meisner-trained experts as Bill Esper, Lauri Peters, James Price, Dr. José Angel Santana and Suzanne Shepherd.

Proudest roles are that of husband to Laurel and daddy to Alana, Josephine and Charlotte.

MFA in Acting, University of California, Davis, 2008

MAT (drama), George Fox University, 2005

BFA in Acting, New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, 1996

The Meisner Extension, 1994 - 1996

Atlantic Theater Company Acting School, 1992 - 1994

The Sanford Meisner Technique of Acting

Head of the BFA in Acting