The College of Arts, Media and Design (CAMD) is pleased to announce that Antonio Ocampo-Guzman, Associate Professor, has been appointed Chair of CAMD’s Department of Theatre, effective July 1, 2020. For the past year, Professor Ocampo-Guzman has been serving as the Interim Chair; he is especially well-poised to transition into the permanent position.

“This year has been one of awakening for me: my time as Interim Chair has been more joyful and more rewarding than I ever imagined,” Professor Ocampo-Guzman said. “I am certain that we have the potential to become a thriving unit within CAMD and within the university. I want to lead us there by shifting our framework and becoming a hub for creative practice research.”

Professor Ocampo-Guzman has been at Northeastern University since 2007, receiving tenure in 2013. Over the course of his time at Northeastern and the College of Arts, Media and Design, he has been a strong and reliable force in the Department of Theatre. He consistently brings his impressive skillset as a trained actor and experienced director to his work in the classroom, teaching all levels of acting, voice, and improvisation. He has directed several student productions, most recently Friedrich Schiller’s Mary Stuart, in a new translation by Peter Oswald.

This, like most of the Northeastern productions, was a collaboration between CAMD faculty, guest artists, and the students. Professor Ocampo-Guzman also spearheaded a course entitled “The Eloquent Presenter,” designed to help students across disciplines enhance the effectiveness with which they present themselves in front of an audience. This course, which was featured in a Wall Street Journal article last spring, has become a requirement for all Computer Science students at Northeastern, representing a university-wide initiative to encourage creative thinking.

“As theatre artists/scholars, we have much to offer in the age of ‘humanics’ because of the nature of what we do,” Professor Ocampo-Guzman added. “Theatre is a place where we rehearse possibilities and solve problems creatively and collaboratively. We develop significant knowledge by making and studying theatre; by finding effective ways to make that knowledge explicit, we will be able to establish significant partnerships with other disciplines within the university and to participate prominently in interdisciplinary curricula, programs and research. By teaching our students the foundation of art as ethical responsibility, we may offer them a more promising future, with deeply developed human literacies and with tools to be employable upon graduation in demanding and exciting fields. My hope is that this new framework will lead us to become a thriving participant in the life of this college and this university.”

Beyond his work with students, Professor Ocampo-Guzman plays an active role in the larger theatre community. Several of his articles and essays about his experiences as a bilingual theatre artist have been published in prestigious venues such as American Theatre Magazine, Voice & Speech Review, Stanford Shakespeare Encyclopedia, Paso de Gato (Mexico) Back Stage East, and Dramatics Magazine, among others. His book, La Liberación de la Voz Natural: el Método Linklater, was published by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the largest university in Latin America, in 2010 with reprintings in 2013 and 2015. He continues to strengthen his creative practice and contribute positively to the field, directing productions for companies such as Boston Midsummer Opera and New Repertory Theatre. He is a consultant and master teacher the Centro de Estudios para el uso de la Voz CEUVOZ in Mexico, and a founding member of the Kristin Linklater Voice Center in Scotland. He also serves on the board of directors of the Voice & Speech Trainers Association VASTA. The impact of his contributions to the field can be felt at university, local, national, and international levels.

Please join the college in welcoming Professor Ocampo-Guzman to his new role as Chair of the Department of Theatre.