Jesse Merz
Encyclopedia
Jesse Merz is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and professor. As an actor, he has appeared off-Broadway
, in regional theatre
, summer stock
, feature films, in radio and in 120 cities in 34 states nationwide. He has directed more than 50 theatrical productions, which have included directing Tony
winner Daisy Eagan
in the new musical Suburban Dreams. He is the artistic director
of the Columbia Gorge School of Theatre and former artistic director of Longview Stageworks He is a member of the Actors' Equity Association
, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
, the Dramatists Guild, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and the Voice and Speech Trainers Association. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts
degree in acting from the Tisch School of the Arts
at New York University
, where he studied at the Atlantic Theater Company
and the Meisner Extension. He later received a Master of Arts
degree in teaching with a drama endorsement from George Fox University
. He also received a Master of Fine Arts
degree in acting from University of California, Davis
. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor of Acting at Wayne State University
.
He is currently writing a book on the acting technique of Sanford Meisner
, entitled "The Meisner Interviews," for which he has already interviewed such Meisner experts as Lauri Peters
, Dr. José Angel Santana, James Price, Suzanne Shepherd, Bill Esper of the William Esper Studio
, with more interviews soon to follow. He also was a quoted in Dr. Jade Rosina McCutcheon's book, "Awakening the Performing Body."
Merz has been married to Laurel Merz since 2000 and is the father of Alana Fay (2003), Josephine Alice (2005) and Charlotte Janice (2008).
Merz is currently in pre-production on his first feature film with the working title Embraceable Me, which is he writing and producing. He is also producing a new musical, The Gospel According to Tammy Faye, in New York City about Tammy Faye Messner, directed by Mindy Cooper and starring Tony-nominee Sally Mayes
.
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
, in regional theatre
Regional theatre in the United States
Regional theaters, or resident theaters, in the United States are professional or semi-professional, theater companies that produce their own seasons. The term regional theatre most often refers to professional theatres outside of New York City...
, summer stock
Summer Stock
For the article about the theatre genre, see Summer stock theatre.Summer Stock is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical made in 1950. The film was directed by Charles Walters and stars Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken, Gloria DeHaven, Marjorie Main, and Phil Silvers...
, feature films, in radio and in 120 cities in 34 states nationwide. He has directed more than 50 theatrical productions, which have included directing Tony
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
winner Daisy Eagan
Daisy Eagan
Daisy Eagan is an American actress.In 1991 she won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for playing Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden...
in the new musical Suburban Dreams. He is the artistic director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
of the Columbia Gorge School of Theatre and former artistic director of Longview Stageworks He is a member of the Actors' Equity Association
Actors' Equity Association
The Actors' Equity Association , commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing the world of live theatrical performance, as opposed to film and television performance. However, performers appearing on live stage productions without a book or...
, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is a performers' union that represents a wide variety of talent, including actors in radio and television, as well as radio and television announcers and newspersons, singers and recording artists , promo and voice-over announcers and other...
, the Dramatists Guild, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and the Voice and Speech Trainers Association. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
degree in acting from the Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University ....
at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, where he studied at the Atlantic Theater Company
Atlantic Theater Company
Atlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway non-profit theater, whose mission is to produce great plays "simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble." The company was founded in 1985 by David Mamet, William H. Macy, and 30 of their acting students from New York University, inspired by the...
and the Meisner Extension. He later received a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree in teaching with a drama endorsement from George Fox University
George Fox University
George Fox University is a Christian university of the liberal arts and sciences, and professional studies located in Newberg, Oregon, United States. Founded as a school for Quakers in 1885, the private school has more than 3,400 students combined between its main campus in Newberg and its centers...
. He also received a Master of Fine Arts
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
degree in acting from University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor of Acting at Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
.
He is currently writing a book on the acting technique of Sanford Meisner
Sanford Meisner
Sanford Meisner , also known as Sandy, was an American actor and acting teacher who developed a form of Method acting that is now known as the Meisner technique....
, entitled "The Meisner Interviews," for which he has already interviewed such Meisner experts as Lauri Peters
Lauri Peters
Lauri Peters is an American actress, dancer, singer, drama teacher and author. Birth name - Patricia Peterson.Peters created the role of Liesl Von Trapp in the original 1959 Broadway production of The Sound of Music. She received a Tony Award nomination for Best Supporting or Featured Actress in...
, Dr. José Angel Santana, James Price, Suzanne Shepherd, Bill Esper of the William Esper Studio
William Esper Studio
The William Esper Studio is a school for the performing arts located in Manhattan, New York; the school was founded in 1965.-Background:When William "Bill" Esper was a young man, he saw Eli Wallach and Maureen Stapleton in a touring production of The Rose Tattoo ... "[I] was so struck by the...
, with more interviews soon to follow. He also was a quoted in Dr. Jade Rosina McCutcheon's book, "Awakening the Performing Body."
Merz has been married to Laurel Merz since 2000 and is the father of Alana Fay (2003), Josephine Alice (2005) and Charlotte Janice (2008).
Merz is currently in pre-production on his first feature film with the working title Embraceable Me, which is he writing and producing. He is also producing a new musical, The Gospel According to Tammy Faye, in New York City about Tammy Faye Messner, directed by Mindy Cooper and starring Tony-nominee Sally Mayes
Sally Mayes
-Biography:Born in Livingston, Texas, Mayes began her career as a rock and jazz singer in Houston. She made her Broadway debut in April 1989 as Winona Shook in Cy Coleman's Welcome to the Club. For her performance she won a Theatre World Award. This was followed by her appearance in the original...
.
Off-Broadway
- "The Phantom of the OperaThe Phantom of the OperaLe Fantôme de l'Opéra is a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serialisation in "Le Gaulois" from September 23, 1909 to January 8, 1910...
" (David Spencer Version) Promenade Theatre (1997) - "MachinalMachinalMachinal is a play written by American playwright and journalist Sophie Treadwell, inspired by the real life case of convicted and executed murderess Ruth Snyder...
" Atlantic Theater CompanyAtlantic Theater CompanyAtlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway non-profit theater, whose mission is to produce great plays "simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble." The company was founded in 1985 by David Mamet, William H. Macy, and 30 of their acting students from New York University, inspired by the...
(1994) - "Good Evening" Atlantic Theater CompanyAtlantic Theater CompanyAtlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway non-profit theater, whose mission is to produce great plays "simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble." The company was founded in 1985 by David Mamet, William H. Macy, and 30 of their acting students from New York University, inspired by the...
(1994) - "The Frog and Peach" Atlantic Theater CompanyAtlantic Theater CompanyAtlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway non-profit theater, whose mission is to produce great plays "simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble." The company was founded in 1985 by David Mamet, William H. Macy, and 30 of their acting students from New York University, inspired by the...
(1994) - "Two Gentlemen of Verona" Atlantic Theater CompanyAtlantic Theater CompanyAtlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway non-profit theater, whose mission is to produce great plays "simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble." The company was founded in 1985 by David Mamet, William H. Macy, and 30 of their acting students from New York University, inspired by the...
(1993)
Off-Off-Broadway
- "Jonestown" Snapple Theatre Center Studio (2009)
- "Wild Dogs" Manhattan Theatre ClubManhattan Theatre ClubManhattan Theatre Club is a theater company located in New York City. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has grown since its founding in 1970 from an Off-Off Broadway showcase into one of the country’s most acclaimed...
Studio (2007) - "Suburban Dreams" Producers Club Theatre II (1999)
- "Waiting in Oblivion" Intar Theatre (1999)
- "Fitting in on Saturn" Raw Space Theatre (1997)
- "Anton ChekhovAnton ChekhovAnton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
's Vaudevilles" Abe BurrowsAbe BurrowsAbe Burrows was a Tony and Pulitzer-winning American humorist, author, and director for radio and the stage.-Early years:...
Theatre (1996) - "SF" Theatre 22 & Todo con Nada (1996–1997)
- "Arcadia" The Present Company (1996)
- "1920s Tribute" Frederick Loewe Theatre (1995)
- "Betrayal" Playwrights HorizonsPlaywrights HorizonsPlaywrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work....
at NYU's Studio Theatre (1993)
National tours
- "Matyred: The Chet BittermanChet BittermanChet Bitterman was an American linguist and Christian missionary who was kidnapped and killed by revolutionaries of the 19th of April Movement in Colombia in 1981....
Story" Wycliffe Theatre Productions 35 City Tour (2000) - "The Phantom of the Opera" (David Spencer Version) Theatreworks USATheatreworks USATheatreworks USA is a professional, not-for-profit theatre for young and family audiences founded in 1961. The company is based out of New York City, but has touring productions that run through forty-nine states as well as parts of Canada...
50 City Tour (1997) - "From the Magic Pen: Aesop's FablesAesop's FablesAesop's Fables or the Aesopica are a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and story-teller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 560 BCE. The fables remain a popular choice for moral education of children today...
" Young People's Theatre Project 25 City Tour(1995) - "Going Up" CenterStage USA Touring Company 11 City International Tour (1991)
Regional theatre
- "Measure for MeasureMeasure for MeasureMeasure for Measure is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604. It was classified as comedy, but its mood defies those expectations. As a result and for a variety of reasons, some critics have labelled it as one of Shakespeare's problem plays...
" UC Davis Main Theatre (2008) - "Nights at the CircusNights at the CircusNights at the Circus is a novel by Angela Carter, first published in 1984 and that year's winner of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. The novel focuses on the life and exploits of Fevvers, a woman who is – or so she would have people believe – a Cockney virgin, hatched from an egg...
" Wyatt Pavilion Theatre (2008) - "UrinetownUrinetownUrinetown: The Musical is a satirical comedy musical, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis. It satirizes the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement, and municipal politics...
" UC Davis Main Theatre (2007) - "Myth, Propaganda and Disaster in Nazi Germany and Contemporary America" Mondavi CenterMondavi CenterThe Mondavi Center, or Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, is a performing arts venue located on the UC Davis campus in Davis, California...
Studio Theatre (2006) - "Ophelia in Garland" (reading) Portland Center StagePortland Center StagePortland Center Stage is a theater company based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Theater productions are presented at the Gerding Theater at the Armory in Portland's Pearl District. PCS was founded in 1988 as the northern sibling of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon...
(2006) - "FootlooseFootloose (musical)Footloose is a 1998 musical based on the 1984 film of the same name. The music is by Tom Snow , the lyrics by Dean Pitchford , and the book by Pitchford and Walter Bobbie.-Act 1:...
" Columbia Gorge Repertory Theatre (2005) - "Crazy for YouCrazy for YouCrazy for You is a musical with a book by Ken Ludwig, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin. Billed as "The New Gershwin Musical Comedy", it is largely based on the songwriting team’s 1930 musical, Girl Crazy, but interpolates songs from several other productions as well...
" Columbia Gorge Repertory Theatre (2003) - "The Summer Project" Columbia Gorge Repertory Theatre (2003)
- "Forever PlaidForever PlaidForever Plaid is an off-Broadway musical revue written by Stuart Ross in New York in 1990 and now performed internationally. The show is a revue of the close-harmony "guy groups" that reached the height of their popularity during the 1950s. Personifying the clean-cut genre are the Plaids...
" Longview Stageworks (2003) - "Bye Bye Birdie" Longview Stageworks (2002)
- "The Merry Wives of WindsorThe Merry Wives of WindsorThe Merry Wives of Windsor is a comedy by William Shakespeare, first published in 1602, though believed to have been written prior to 1597. It features the fat knight Sir John Falstaff, and is Shakespeare's only play to deal exclusively with contemporary Elizabethan era English middle class life...
" Columbia Gorge Repertory Theatre (2002) - "Troilus and CressidaTroilus and CressidaTroilus and Cressida is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1602. It was also described by Frederick S. Boas as one of Shakespeare's problem plays. The play ends on a very bleak note with the death of the noble Trojan Hector and destruction of the love between Troilus...
" Columbia Gorge Repertory Theatre (2001) - "The Glass MenagerieThe Glass MenagerieThe Glass Menagerie is a four-character memory play by Tennessee Williams. Williams worked on various drafts of the play prior to writing a version of it as a screenplay for MGM, to whom Williams was contracted...
" Longview Stageworks (2001) - "See How They Run" Longview Stageworks (1999)
- "Into the WoodsInto the WoodsInto the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway in 1987. Bernadette Peters' performance as the Witch and Joanna Gleason's portrayal of the Baker's Wife brought acclaim...
" Columbia Gorge Repertory Theatre (1999) - "Once on This IslandOnce On This IslandOnce on This Island is a one-act musical with a book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. Based on the novel My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy, set in the French Antilles in the Caribbean Sea...
" Columbia Gorge Repertory Theatre (1998) - "The Dancers" Columbia Gorge Repertory Theatre (1998)
- "Six Degrees of Separation" Portland Repertory Theatre (1995)
- "Baby" Lakewood Theatre Company (1994)
- "GreaseGrease (musical)Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
" Broadway Rose Theatre Company (1991) - "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamcoatJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamcoatJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly...
Broadway Rose Theatre Company (1991) - "Leader of the PackLeader of the Pack"Leader of the Pack" is a 1964 pop song recorded by girl group The Shangri-Las. It became number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 28, 1964.-Original Shangri-Las recording:...
" Sylvia's Dinner Theatre (1991) - "GodspellGodspellGodspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway...
" Lakewood Theatre Company (1990)
New York City
- "American Homefront" Manhattan Theatre ClubManhattan Theatre ClubManhattan Theatre Club is a theater company located in New York City. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has grown since its founding in 1970 from an Off-Off Broadway showcase into one of the country’s most acclaimed...
Studio (2007) - "Suburban Dreams" Musical Theatre Works & Producers Club Theatre II (1998–1999)
- "The Private Life of Sir Isaac Newton" Producers Club Theatre II & the Sanford MeisnerSanford MeisnerSanford Meisner , also known as Sandy, was an American actor and acting teacher who developed a form of Method acting that is now known as the Meisner technique....
Theatre (1999) - "Tennis Anyone" Intar Theatre & The Theatre-Studio, Inc. (1999)
- "The Dialogue Between Men & Women" Intar Theatre (1999)
Regional theatre
- "The Best of IntentionsThe Best of IntentionsThe Best of Intentions is an adventure module published in 1987 for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Plot summary:The Best of Intentions is a humorously written scenario for Immortals-level characters...
" (also co-writer) Columbia Gorge Repertory Theatre (2005) - "A Few Days Earlier" (also writer) Columbia Gorge Repertory Theatre (2004)
- "Les MisérablesLes Misérables (musical)Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
School Edition" Longview Stageworks (2003) - "The ForeignerThe Foreigner (play)The Foreigner is a play by Larry Shue.Set in a resort-style fishing lodge in rural Georgia, the comedy revolves around two of its guests, Englishman Charlie Baker and Staff Sergeant Froggy LeSueur. Charlie is so pathologically shy that he is unable to speak...
" Longview Stageworks (2002) - "Jake's WomenJake's WomenJake's Women is a play by Neil Simon. It centers on Jake, a writer with a struggling marriage. Jake talks to many of the women he knows, both in real life and in his imagination, as he works to save his marriage...
" Longview Stageworks (2002) - "A Christmas CarolA Christmas CarolA Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
" Longview Stageworks (2002) - "On Golden Pond" Longview Stageworks (2001)
- "SylviaSylvia (play)Sylvia is a play about a dog, the couple who adopts her,and the drama that results. It was written by A. R. Gurney and first produced in 1995....
" Longview Stageworks (2000) - "The Gin GameThe Gin GameThe Gin Game is a two-person, two-act play by D.L. Coburn that premiered at American Theater Arts in Hollywood in September 1976, directed by Kip Niven. It was Coburn's first play, and the theater's first production.-Plot:...
" Longview Stageworks (2000) - many more
Film acting credits
- "The Green Piece" (2008)
- "Peel" (2007)
- "The Legend of the Tree of Life" (2006)
- "Party of the Year" (2005)
- "A Day at the Beach" (1998)
- "Forest of Dreams" (1996)
- "City of Roses" (1996)
- "Running" (1995)
- "Raw MacBeth" (1994)
- "If At First You Don't Succeed" (1994)
- "Homeward Bound: The Incredible JourneyHomeward Bound: The Incredible JourneyHomeward Bound: The Incredible Journey is a 1993 American remake of the 1963 film The Incredible Journey, which was based on the best-selling novel The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford. Directed by Duwayne Dunham, it was released on February 3, 1993...
" (1993) - "Count Dracula" (1993)
- "Sonnet LXI" (1993)
- "Another Manhattan Sunset" (1993)
- "My Life's in Turnaround" (1993)
- "Frozen AssetsFrozen AssetsFrozen Assets is a novel by P.G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on July 14, 1964 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York under the title Biffen's Millions, and in the United Kingdom on August 14, 1964 by Herbert Jenkins, London....
" (1992) - "My Own Private IdahoMy Own Private IdahoMy Own Private Idaho is a 1991 independent drama film written and directed by Gus Van Sant, loosely based on Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and Henry V, and starring River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves...
" (1991) - "Deadly Game" (1991)
- "The Clock Ticks: It's a Matter of Time" (1990)