Jack Zerbe
- Professor
- Theatre
Additional Information
Biography
Jack Zerbe began working in the theatre more than 35 years ago. During that time he has served as a musical director, an actor and director, a teacher, and finally, an administrator of higher education. His stage work includes conducting the orchestra for productions of 1776, Ernest in Love, New Girl in Town, Applause, She Loves Me, Anything Goes, and Oklahoma. As an actor, he appeared primarily at Shakespeare festivals in Chicago, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, and Lake Tahoe. His work as a director has graced the stages of Indiana’s Brown County Playhouse, Chicago’s Free Shakespeare Company, and most notably Shakespeare Santa Cruz, where he also ran their intern program. While on the faculty at Guilford College, he directed more than 30 productions and taught a wide range of subjects including acting, directing, theatre history and literature, and cinema. He is a former director of study abroad and international education, and has traveled to over 25 countries world-wide. He currently serves as UNO's first director of the School of the Arts. Jack holds degrees from Oberlin College, Indiana University, and the University of California at Berkeley.Recent Activity (Selected Highlights)
- Producer, “Shakespeare on the Air: A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Mendelssohn, KVNO Radio.- Actor, Major, “Miracle of the Danube,” First Flight Theatre Company.
- Actor, General Plehve, “Second Overture,” First Flight Theatre Company.
- Actor, La Harpe, “The Feast of Ortolans,” First Flight Theatre Company.
- Actor, Kuhn, God on Trial[Postponed], Brigit Saint Brigit Theatre.
- Actor, Constant, Bernhardt/Hamlet, Brigit Saint Brigit Theatre.
- Actor, Clay/Old Clay, Monkey in the Shade, Great Plains Theatre Conference.
- Actor, Charles Guiteau, Assassins, Brigit Saint Brigit Theatre.
- Actor, Detective/Ferrand, Incident at Vichy, Brigit Saint Brigit Theatre.
- Actor, Captain Brackett, “South Pacific in Concert,” Music Theatre Wichita and Omaha Symphony.
- Actor, Prince Prospero, “The Masque of the Red Death,” Joslyn Castle.
- Director, Hath Taken Away (by Jacob Juntunen), Great Plains Theatre Conference.
- Director, Don’t Be Evil (by Bennett Fisher), Great Plains Theatre Conference.
- Director and Adaptation Author, Animal Farm, UNO Theatre.
- Omaha Entertainment Award Nomination: Best Dramatic Play & Best Premiere of a New, Original, Local Script.
- Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival National Award: Distinguished Achievement by Performance and Production Ensemble.