Making Art That Matters
It took quite a while to understand that I had a director's brain, becoming a music director on the way there. I had the honor and privilege of studying with master director Susan H. Schulman while working on my MFA in Directing for the Musical Stage at Penn State.
As a music director, I traveled the world with shows like West Side Story and Little Shop of Horrors. I also music directed for Norwegian Cruise Lines.
Teaching has always been part of my journey, starting with the company my wife Heidi and I created, Singing Onstage. I also taught, music directed, and directed for Penn State University. From there, I spent one year at Wichita State University, then as the Program Director of Musical Theatre at Nazareth University, and now as the Music Director of Musical Theatre at Baldwin Wallace University.
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Richard Biever has been creating theatre for most of his life. From starting at his hometown community theatre (Nappannee, Indiana) to several seasons of summer stock, to music directing national and international tours, to directing off-Broadway, regionally, and with his own theatre companies, Richard has been an actor, music director, composer, and director, sometimes wearing multiple hats. Richard starred in and music directed the national tour of Oil City Symphony, music directed the national and European tours of Little Shop of Horrors, and the European tour of West Side Story. He served as resident music director for Circa ‘21 Dinner Theatre in Rock Island, IL, and for the Downtown Cabaret in Bridgeport, CT, where he also directed Oil City Symphony. Directing credits include productions of Sunday in the Park with George, Chess, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Parade, Assassins, Camelot, My Fair Lady, and Matilda. He directed readings of new musicals, including Harmony, Kansas, The Fox Sisters, and A Christmas Carol, Part II.
In 2003, Richard and his wife Heidi started a successful musical theatre school in State College, PA called Singing Onstage Studios. Heidi is a master teacher and especially enjoys working with younger children. Heidi and Richard have three grown children- Margot, Madeline, and Olivia.
Rich taught for many years at Penn State University, including musical theatre performance and both graduate and undergraduate directing classes. He was at Wichita State University, for the 2022-23 school year. Richard served as Program Head of Musical Theatre at Nazareth University in Rochester, NY for two years. He most recently joined the esteemed faculty and program at Baldwin Wallace University as Music Director of Music Theatre.
Richard attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, received a Bachelor’s of Music Education from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and an MFA in Directing for the Musical Theatre from Penn State University, working primarily with Broadway director Susan H. Schulman.
"I love theatre that challenges artists and audiences, so I’m drawn to the work of Stephen Sondheim, William Finn, Jeanine Tesori, and Jason Robert Brown. On the other hand, I grew up listening to cast albums of Golden Age Broadway shows (courtesy of my mom) and still love them despite their challenges. I also love directing new works."
