Making Art That Matters
"But what I really want to do is direct!" Although I started in theatre as a performer, I often wondered, "Why are they doing it that way?" It took quite a while to understand that I had a director's brain, but I became a music director on the way there, and I still love to music direct. As a music director, I was able to travel around the world with shows like West Side Story and Little Shop of Horrors. I also music directed for Norwegian Cruise Lines. Directing is my favorite job in theatre because I love seeing all the departments come together and create something more significant than I could imagine. My company, FUSE Productions, produces three mainstage shows, four play readings, and a children's show annually. 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, and I now serve as Program Director of Musical Theatre at Nazareth 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) doing children’s shows, 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- Marshall, Madeline, and Olivia.
Rich taught for many years at Penn State University and then at Wichita State University, teaching directing, musical theatre performance, and musical theatre history. Richard currently serves as Program Head of Musical Theatre at Nazareth University in Rochester, NY. 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."
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