D. Wayne Mitchell
Encyclopedia
D. Wayne Mitchell is an American
actor, playwright and director.
He became the Educational Director of TBA Theatre Company in Anchorage
, Alaska
in 2003.
Mitchell was born in Toole, Utah, the third of four sons: Brad, Troy, and his twin P. Shane Mitchell
.
and a Masters of Arts from Wichita State University
.
While at WSU, he was the Director of Theatre and Dance department's Education Outreach program for which he was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student Award in 1994.
He has received two Patricia Neal
acting award while performing at the Last Frontier Theatre Conference
in Valdez
, Alaska
.
In 2000, he was chosen to represent the United States at the Olympic Arts Festival in Sydney, Australia.
He was the 2002 recipient of the Outstanding Arts Education award by the Anchorage Concert Association.
He was the recipient of the 2009 University of Alaska Anchorage
Alumni Association Community Service Award.
In 2008, Mitchell wrote and directed Legend of the Wolfman, an adaptation of the classic tale. Other produced works include Otogibanashi, The Invisible Man
, The Pyrates, and The Circus of the Damned.
Wayne has also written commissioned plays for the Last Frontier Theatre Conference
and the Alaska Overnighters 24-hour play lab, and the Don't Blink Short Play Festival.
including the ongoing reincarnations of TBA's cirque-nouveau magic show Illusions, originally conceived in 2004. Favored directing projects have included The Cottonpatch Gospel, The Seven Against Thebes, Antigone
, The Canterbury Tales
, and The Frogs
.
in The Death of Edgar Allan Poe (2010), Frog in A Year With Frog and Toad (2009), George in The Daemon of Darby Castle (2009), Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (2008), B7 in The Head That Wouldn't Die (2007), Estragon in Waiting for Godot
(2003), and originating the role of The Abbot in The Witch of Greythorn.
In addition, he has originated multiple roles in both straight and musical shows for the Wichita Children's Theatre outreach programs.
In 1996, he founded and served as the Artistic Director for the Bend Theatre for Young People, in Bend, Oregon. After returning to Alaska in 1999, Mitchell remains a Mentor for Alaska Pacific University
's graduate level theater education program. He is a frequent guest lecturer at Universities and Theater conferences on the subject of the New Vaudeville movement and physical comedy. Selected presentations have included the American College Theater Festival, Last Frontier Theatre Conference
, The Olympic Arts Festival and the Annual Thespian Conference.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor, playwright and director.
He became the Educational Director of TBA Theatre Company in Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
in 2003.
Mitchell was born in Toole, Utah, the third of four sons: Brad, Troy, and his twin P. Shane Mitchell
P. Shane Mitchell
P. Shane Mitchell is an American actor, playwright and director. He became the Artistic Director of TBA Theatre Company in Anchorage, Alaska in 2003.Mitchell was born in Toole, Utah, the youngest of four sons: Brad, Troy, and his twin D...
.
Awards and nominations
Mitchell holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Alaska AnchorageUniversity of Alaska Anchorage
The University of Alaska Anchorage is the largest school of the University of Alaska System, with about 16,500 students, about 14,000 of whom attend classes at Goose Lake, its main campus in Anchorage....
and a Masters of Arts from Wichita State University
Wichita State University
Wichita State University is a NCAA Division I public university in Wichita, Kansas with selective admissions. WSU is one of six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The current president is Dr. Donald Beggs....
.
While at WSU, he was the Director of Theatre and Dance department's Education Outreach program for which he was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student Award in 1994.
He has received two Patricia Neal
Patricia Neal
Patricia Neal was an American actress of stage and screen. She was best known for her film roles as World War II widow Helen Benson in The Day the Earth Stood Still , wealthy matron Emily Eustace Failenson in Breakfast at Tiffany's , middle-aged housekeeper Alma Brown in Hud , for which she won...
acting award while performing at the Last Frontier Theatre Conference
Last Frontier Theatre Conference
The Last Frontier Theatre Conference is an annual conference on American Theatre held in Valdez, Alaska that focuses on playwrighting. Continually held each year since 1993, the conference puts out a call for play submissions, requesting playwrights from around the country to send one-act plays and...
in Valdez
Valdez, Alaska
Valdez is a city in Valdez-Cordova Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 4,020. The city is one of the most important ports in Alaska. The port of Valdez was named in 1790 after the Spanish naval officer Antonio Valdés y...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
In 2000, he was chosen to represent the United States at the Olympic Arts Festival in Sydney, Australia.
He was the 2002 recipient of the Outstanding Arts Education award by the Anchorage Concert Association.
He was the recipient of the 2009 University of Alaska Anchorage
University of Alaska Anchorage
The University of Alaska Anchorage is the largest school of the University of Alaska System, with about 16,500 students, about 14,000 of whom attend classes at Goose Lake, its main campus in Anchorage....
Alumni Association Community Service Award.
Playwriting credits
Jolly Roger King of The Pirates was co-written with his twin brother Shane and Shane's wife Erin.In 2008, Mitchell wrote and directed Legend of the Wolfman, an adaptation of the classic tale. Other produced works include Otogibanashi, The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man is a science fiction novella by H.G. Wells published in 1897. Wells' novel was originally serialised in Pearson's Weekly in 1897, and published as a novel the same year...
, The Pyrates, and The Circus of the Damned.
Wayne has also written commissioned plays for the Last Frontier Theatre Conference
Last Frontier Theatre Conference
The Last Frontier Theatre Conference is an annual conference on American Theatre held in Valdez, Alaska that focuses on playwrighting. Continually held each year since 1993, the conference puts out a call for play submissions, requesting playwrights from around the country to send one-act plays and...
and the Alaska Overnighters 24-hour play lab, and the Don't Blink Short Play Festival.
Directing credits
Mitchell has directed numerous plays for Witchita Children's Theatre, Bend Theatre for Young people, Alaska Overnighters, and TBA Theatre,including the ongoing reincarnations of TBA's cirque-nouveau magic show Illusions, originally conceived in 2004. Favored directing projects have included The Cottonpatch Gospel, The Seven Against Thebes, Antigone
Antigone
In Greek mythology, Antigone is the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, Oedipus' mother. The name may be taken to mean "unbending", coming from "anti-" and "-gon / -gony" , but has also been suggested to mean "opposed to motherhood", "in place of a mother", or "anti-generative", based from the root...
, The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century. The tales are told as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at...
, and The Frogs
The Frogs
The Frogs is a comedy written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed at the Lenaia, one of the Festivals of Dionysus, in 405 BC, and received first place.-Plot:...
.
Performance Credits
Mitchell performs frequently with various theater companies in Anchorage, Alaska, and has received several awards for his on-stage performances. Selected performances include Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
in The Death of Edgar Allan Poe (2010), Frog in A Year With Frog and Toad (2009), George in The Daemon of Darby Castle (2009), Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (2008), B7 in The Head That Wouldn't Die (2007), Estragon in Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot
Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, in which two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, wait endlessly and in vain for someone named Godot to arrive. Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations since the play's...
(2003), and originating the role of The Abbot in The Witch of Greythorn.
In addition, he has originated multiple roles in both straight and musical shows for the Wichita Children's Theatre outreach programs.
Other credits
Following his graduate studies, Wayne worked as the tour manager for Wichita Children's Theatre, as well as directing WCT's teen production program "Center Stage."In 1996, he founded and served as the Artistic Director for the Bend Theatre for Young People, in Bend, Oregon. After returning to Alaska in 1999, Mitchell remains a Mentor for Alaska Pacific University
Alaska Pacific University
Alaska Pacific University is a small liberal arts college located in Anchorage, Alaska, that emphasizes experiential and active learning...
's graduate level theater education program. He is a frequent guest lecturer at Universities and Theater conferences on the subject of the New Vaudeville movement and physical comedy. Selected presentations have included the American College Theater Festival, Last Frontier Theatre Conference
Last Frontier Theatre Conference
The Last Frontier Theatre Conference is an annual conference on American Theatre held in Valdez, Alaska that focuses on playwrighting. Continually held each year since 1993, the conference puts out a call for play submissions, requesting playwrights from around the country to send one-act plays and...
, The Olympic Arts Festival and the Annual Thespian Conference.