School of Music, Theatre
and Dance

Varner Hall, Room 207
371 Varner Drive
Rochester, MI 48309-4485
(location map)
Academic Office: (248) 370-2030
Box Office: (248) 370-3013
Fax: (248) 370-2041
[email protected]

David Gram

A professional headshot of David Gram.
Directing and Acting
[email protected] |  (248) 370-2964 
www.david-gram.com

Courses: Directing I, Directing II, Advanced Directing, Dramaturgy, Dramaturgy/Assistant Directing Project, Acting: The Script, Company Class, BFA Acting Showcase

Stage Director: 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); Shakespeare Association of America; Theatre Communications Group (Member); Actors' Equity Association (EMC Candidate); 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 from Simon Fraser University. He has been an Assistant Professor of Theatre (Directing and Acting) at Oakland University since 2017. From 2016-2017 he was a Visiting Assistant Professor in Directing and Acting.

Originally from Toronto, Canada, David has been a professional theatre and opera director, actor, dramaturg and teacher for over 25 years. He has directed and produced over 70 productions across the U.S. and Canada. Selected theatre directing credits include:  The Marriage Spectrum, GodspellRentThe Pirates of PenzanceIs He Dead?In the HeightsLa Cage Aux FollesTwelfth NightRomeo and JulietA Midsummer Night’s DreamMacbethThe Good Person of SzechwanCurtainsA Little Night MusicWhat the Butler SawBugA Man of No ImportanceWaiting for GodotTartuffe, and the musical  City of Angels

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. Selected stage appearances in both the US and Canada include : The Tempest,  Three SistersThe  Show-OffA Question of Mercy (IRNE nominated for Best Play), The Day RoomGarden, 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 the operatic stage David has directed Massenet’s  Cendrillon on two different occasions, Menotti’s  Amahl and the Night Visitors, Verdi's  Macbeth  and the New England Premiere of Jake Heggie’s opera  Dead Man Walking. Other opera credits include: Orpheus in the UnderworldLa Boheme, and The Magic Flute

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). 

David held an adjunct performance faculty position with the Boston University School of Theatre for six years, where he taught Directing, Theatre Ensemble, Shakespeare and various Acting for Non-Majors courses. In addition to BU, 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 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, their two cats Gatsby and Lulu and their Australian Shepherd, Oslo.