RON OJ PARSON (Director) is the Cofounder and Former Artistic Director of The Onyx Theatre Ensemble of Chicago. He hails from Buffalo, New York and is the Graduate of The University of Michigan’s Professional Theatre Program. Since relocating to Chicago in 1994, Ron has directed shows at The Goodman (Let Me Live by Oyamo), Steppenwolf (Wedding Band by Alice Childress, co-production with Congo Square, and Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train by Stephen Guirgis), Victory Gardens (Hambone by Javon Johnson), Congo Square, (The Piano Lesson by August Wilson and co-directed and acted in Ali by Jeffrey Ewing), and Urban Theatre Company (Short Eyes, Miguel Pinero). Ron has also worked extensively with Black Ensemble Theatre and Eta Creative Arts Foundation, most recently directing Robert Johnson: Trick the Devil by Bill Harris. For Onyx Ron directed East Texas Hot Links by Eugene Lee, Sty of the Blind Pig, by Philip Hayes Dean, and Flyin’West, by Pearl Cleage to name a few. Regionally Ron has directed at the Portland Stage Company, (Fences) Virginia Stage Company (Yellowman by Dael Orlandersmith), Studio Arena Theatre, (A Raisin In The Sun by Lorrain Hansberry) , Village Theatre in Issaqua Washington (One Red Flower by Paris Barclay) and Madison Repertory Theatre (Topdog/Underdog by Suzan Lori-Parks). Also an accomplished actor, Ron has worked at various theatres in and out of the U.S. Some TV and Film credits include E.R., Early Edition, Turks, Primal Fear, Ali, Barbershop 2, and Drop Squad. Ron is honored to be making his Court Theatre directorial debut with Fences, a great play written by not only a great playwright but a great man. Peace.

CHARLES NEWELL (Court Artistic Director) has been Artistic Director of Court Theatre since 1994, where he has directed over 25 productions. He made his Chicago directorial debut in 1993 with The Triumph of Love, which won the Jefferson Award for Best Production. Directorial credits at Court include Man of La Mancha, The Importance of Being Earnest, Travesties, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Cyrano, Guys and Dolls, James Joyce’s “The Dead,” Hamlet, Piano, The Invention of Love, The Little Foxes, The Cherry Orchard, and Nora. Mr. Newell has also directed at the Guthrie Theatre (Resident Director: The History Cycle, Cymbeline), Arena Stage, John Houseman’s The Acting Company (Staff Repertory Director), the California and Alabama Shakespeare Festivals, Juilliard, and New York University. He is the recipient of the 1992 TCG Alan Schneider Director Award and is a multiple Jeff Award recipient/ nominee. He sits on the Board of Directors of Theatre Communications Group and has served on several panels for the National Endowment for the Arts. Recently he made his directorial debut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago with Marc Blitzstein’s Regina, and directed Rigoletto at Opera Theatre of St. Louis. He will also direct Court’s production of The Glass Menagerie this Spring.