Dale Ricardo Shields
BIOGRAPHY
American actor, director, producer, stage manager, theater educator and artistic activist.
BFA and MFA in theater from Ohio University.
Broadway, Off-Broadway, LORT- regional theater, film, television, and higher education arts education.
AEA-AFTRA/SAG-AGMA – Phi Kappa Phi
DALE RICARDO SHIELDS
2022 LEGEND AWARD WINNER – Ohio University
Notable distinctions include:
- Recipient of the 2021 Paul Robeson Award.
- Winner of the 2017 Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award.
- Received the 2022 Ohio University Legend Award.
- Appeared on television programs including The Cosby Show, Another World, Guiding Light, and Saturday Night Live.
- Has taught at institutions including The College of Wooster, Denison University, Macalester College, and SUNY Potsdam.
- The HistoryMakers
Dale Ricardo Shields was officially interviewed, filmed, and inducted into The HistoryMakers archives in 2024, an expansive digital collection permanently housed in the Library of Congress.
🎬 The Connection to The HistoryMakers and Library of Congress
- Permanent Archive: In 2024, Shields completed a comprehensive video oral history interview for The HistoryMakers, the nation’s largest African American video oral history archive.
- National Preservation: The collection is preserved permanently in the Library of Congress to ensure that his life’s work, along with thousands of other prominent Black figures, remains accessible for future generations.
🏆 Dale Ricardo Shields’ Career Highlights
Biography
Dale Ricardo Shields (born November 4, 1952, in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American actor, director, producer, stage manager, arts activist, and theater educator whose career has spanned more than five decades. He is widely recognized not only for his work on stage and television, but also for his influence as a teacher and mentor in American theater.
Early Life and Family
Shields grew up in Cleveland in a family deeply connected to gospel music. His father and grandfather were founding members of the Shields Brother Gospel Quartet of Ohio, while his mother sang with the Turner Gospel Singers. This artistic environment helped shape his lifelong interest in performance and storytelling. He graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Cleveland in 1970.
His connection to the entertainment world also extends through family ties: boxing promoter Don King is his cousin.
Education
Shields attended Ohio University, earning:
- Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Theater in 1975
- Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Theater in 1995
During his undergraduate years, he deliberately studied many aspects of theater production—including acting, stage management, lighting, and production operations—believing that understanding the entire theatrical process would make him a stronger artist.
Professional Theater Career
After college, Shields moved to New York City and developed a multifaceted career as an actor, director, stage manager, and producer. His professional work includes collaborations with major institutions such as:
- Lincoln Center
- The Public Theater
- Negro Ensemble Company
- New Federal Theatre
- Cleveland Playhouse
- Karamu House
He studied acting under noted theater artists Harold Scott and Dick Anthony Williams and worked alongside influential figures including Lloyd Richards, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Tom O’Horgan, Dorothy Silver, Woodie King Jr., Ntozake Shange, Walter Dallas and Earl Hyman.
Dale Ricardo Shields is an award-winning director, actor, and theatre historian who has directed numerous diverse theatrical productions across the United States.
Directing achievements include:
- Crowns: Directed at the Weathervane Playhouse.
- For Colored Girls Who have Considered Suicide/When The Rainbow Is Enuf. (multiple productions)
- Topdog/Underdog: Directed Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer Prize-winning play at the Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood, Ohio
- Ragtime: Directed the musical for the Ohio Valley Summer Theater (OVST) in partnership with Ohio University
- Man of La Mancha: Directed for the Ohio Valley Summer Theater (OVST).
- A Streetcar Named Desire: Directing credit for Tennessee Williams’ classic drama.
- Driving Miss Daisy: Directing credit for Alfred Uhry’s Pulitzer-winning play.
- The Real Ma Rainey: Directed the world premiere of this piece at the Cleveland Play House
- Quartermaine’s Terms: Directed Simon Gray’s play at Wayne State University
(Note: In addition to directing, Shields has an extensive background as a Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional stage manager and assistant director, contributing to major projects like the New Federal Theatre premiere of Ossie Davis’s A Last Dance With Sybilstarring Ruby Dee).
Original Works and Readings
- In Time: He wrote and directed this original, touring AIDS prevention educational theatre production tailored for students.
- HOME: Directed a high-profile staged reading of Samm-Art Williams’ celebrated play at the Karamu House Jelliffe Theatre in 2015.
- Something Wanted: South Bronx Community Action Theatre.
- How of Slam a Revolving Door – A Word Jam: The Public Theatre NYSF.
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Project1VOICE :
Trouble in Mind by Alice Childress Crumbs from the Table of Joy by Lynn Nottage
The Colored Museum by George C. Wolfe
The Amen Corner by James Baldwin
A Soldier’s Play by Charles Fuller
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf by Ntozake Shange
* Project1VOICE is a national performing arts service organization that promotes and supports Black theater, primarily through its flagship staged reading series.
Dale Ricardo Shields is the Ohio regional liaison and division head for Project1VOICE.
Television and Performance Work
Shields’ television credits include appearances on:
- The Cosby Show
- Another World
- Guiding Light
- Saturday Night Live
He also appeared in commercials, films, and numerous stage productions throughout New York and regional theaters.
Iforcolor – ART
Iforcolor is an active art project and platform maintained by Dale Ricardo Shields that primarily shares and highlights diverse artwork from various painters, sculptors, and visual artists.
You can browse their continuously updated catalog of featured pieces and artist spotlights by visiting the Iforcolor Facebook Page.
Recent posts feature incredible works from artists like:
- Woodrow Nash (“African Nouveau” sculptures)
- Taha Clayton
- Emelie Victor Anyaegbunam (“The Transporter”)
- Eileen Agar (“Rite of Spring”)
Dale Ricardo Shields
on Youtube
About the Channel
Dale Ricardo Shields is an acclaimed actor, director, theater professor, and archival historian. His YouTube presence mirrors his career as an artistic activist and the creator of Iforcolor.org, a platform dedicated to preserving the history of Black, Latinx, and Indigenous American performing arts.
His channel features heavily curated video playlists, archival performance clips, and historical overviews, including:
- Theater & Musical Profiles: Detailed deep dives into legendary figures, such as his playlist segment on SONDHEIM: A Magical Musical Life.
- Black Theatre & Music History: Clips celebrating iconic Black excellence in performing arts, including curated selections for Black History Month initiatives and rare performance restorations like Jennifer Holliday’s performance in Dreamgirls.
- Arts Advocacy: Visual content highlighting the societal and cultural contributions of artists of color.
Distinguished Educator
Perhaps Shields’ greatest impact has been as a teacher. Over several decades he taught acting, directing, stage management, Black theater, and Black studies at institutions including:
- Ohio University
- The College of Wooster
- Denison University
- Macalester College
- SUNY Potsdam
- Susquehanna University
His students and colleagues frequently cite his emphasis on discipline, collaboration, historical understanding, and professional preparation.
He has received multiple Outstanding Professor and Educational Program awards during his academic career.
Dale Ricardo Shields is widely reviewed as an exceptionally passionate, impactful, and transformative educator who successfully bridges the gap between professional theater and academic scholarship.
Academic Themes and Teaching Philosophy
Reviews and profiles of Professor Shields’ teaching methods highlight several core strengths:
- Encouraging Bold Choices and High Stakes: Shields pushes his students to take massive creative risks without fearing failure. He famously advises his students that if they are going to make a mistake, they should “throw a grand piano through it rather than a pebble” to encourage bold artistic choices.
- Fostering Empathy and Inclusivity: A signature element of his academic residencies is directing student-written productions. Peers note that he uses these projects to intentionally bring together students of different races, genders, and belief systems, utilizing theater as a tool to build campus community.
- Integrating Real-World Experience: Students and fellow faculty note that his extensive professional background—spanning Broadway, regional theater, and television—serves as a major asset in the classroom. He provides practical, real-world industry knowledge regarding acting, stage management, and directing.
- Academic Preservation: Beyond performance, Shields is a recognized archivist and scholar. He has dedicated much of his academic life to teaching Black Studies and Black Theater History, culminating in his creation of the digital historical archive IForColor.org.
Institutional Footprint
Shields has built a vast academic footprint as a professor, lecturer, and guest artist across the United States. His teaching tenures and residencies include:
- Ohio University (his alma mater)
- The College of Wooster
- Macalester College
- Denison University
- SUNY Potsdam
- Susquehanna University
- The Joseph Papp Public Theatre (six seasons with the Playwriting in the Schools Program)
Academic and Educational Awards
The most objective “reviews” of Shields’ teaching excellence come from the numerous prestigious national awards he has received specifically for pedagogy:
| Award | Presenting Organization | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Inspirational Teacher Award | The Kennedy Center / Stephen Sondheim | National recognition for educators who make a monumental impact on students’ lives. |
| Excellence in Theatre Education Nomination | The Tony Awards & Carnegie Mellon University | Nominated in 2015 and 2017 for embodying the highest professional standards in teaching. |
| Paul Robeson Award | Actors’ Equity Association & Foundation | Awarded for using theater and academic platforms to advocate for social justice. |
| Outstanding Professor Awards | University Level | Awarded two separate titles for teaching excellence during his university tenures. |
| Educational Program of the Year | University Level | Received three times for designing impactful collegiate arts programming. |
Peer and Community Testimony
On his official platforms and educational reviews, colleagues and observers describe his classroom environment as exceptionally welcoming yet rigorous.
Furthermore, his dedication to arts education earned him a place in The HistoryMakersarchives, permanently housed in the Library of Congress, solidifying his legacy as both a primary educator and an academic historian.
Iforcolor.org – Profiles [Research]
HISTORICAL PROFILES
The Little Rock Nine
The Scottsboro Boys
The Orangeburg Massacre
Benjamin Banneker
Leigh Whipper
Marcus Gravey
The Secret Meeting that Changed Rap Music
The Civil Radical Battles of Black American Soldiers
The Devils Punchbowl
The Tougaloo Nine
Media Depictions of the Mammy Archetype
The Shields Brothers Gospel Singers
PROFILES
Abdel Salaam
Alde LewisAdelle GautierArthur Theodore Wilson
B’nard LewisCarla EarleCarol SuttonChapman RobertsChuck Cooper
Cicely Louise TysonDuchess Harris, Ph.D., JDDale Ricardo ShieldsDebra Byrd
Dooley WilsonNefretete RasheedDyane Harvey-SalaamEugene Lee
Faith RinggoldFannie Lou Hammer / FelaFrank EspadaFred BenjaminJohn Hope Franklin
Jonelle AllenJohnny NashKathy A. PerkinsLady Peachena
Lorraine Vivian HansberryLouis JohnsonMary Seymour
Martin EspadaNiles FitchPura Fé
Robert Fleming Robert HooksRuben Santiago-HudsonSandra Reaves-Phillips
Slim MelloStan BrownSamuel LégitimusShirley TaylorStanley Wayne Mathis
Thurgood MarshallStephen WiltshireVictor LoveVenida Evans
Vickilyn ReynoldsVinnette CarrollVinnie Bagwell Vinie Burrows
William Edmondson
–
“Art is a weapon in the struggle of ideas…
The artist’s role is to raise the consciousness of the people.
To make them understand life, the world, and themselves more completely.”
– Imamu Amiri Baraka
–
Major Honors and Recognition
Shields has received numerous honors for both artistic achievement and educational leadership:
- Paul Robeson Award (presented in 2023 after pandemic delays) for using theater to advance freedom of expression and social impact.
- Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award, one of only ten educators selected nationally.
- AUDELCO Special Achievement Award for contributions to Black theater.
- Ebony Bobcat Legend Award.
- Nominee for the inaugural Tony Award Excellence in Theatre Education Award in 2015.
Later Work and Legacy
In recent years, Shields has focused on education, advocacy, and public access to information. During the COVID-19 era he launched IForColor.org, a resource dedicated to Black history, theater, banned books, social issues, and educational materials. The project reflects his lifelong commitment to learning and community engagement.
Today, Dale Ricardo Shields is regarded as a significant figure in American theater whose influence extends beyond performance.
His career combines professional artistry, cultural advocacy, and decades of mentorship, making him an important contributor to both the theater profession and arts education.
He continues to post and update current and historical information across the internet.
Favorite quotes…
-*
“For Dale, the theater is a holy place filled with truth, beauty, and goodness. When you wake up the morning after you’ve seen a Dale Shields’ production, you’re still thinking about it, a radiant moment, an irresistible build, a cool transition from one beat to the next. Dale is an artist and a great soul, and he’s been inspiring me for thirty years now,” – “What Dale Shields already could do then – and continues to do in every production of his I’ve seen – is foster an ensemble committed to one another, the demands of the piece, and to the audience.“
– Prof. Toni Dorfman – [Graduate School – Advisor]
“When I was teaching BFA actors, I had a term I used for those students who demonstrated the kind of independence and determination that was necessary for them to be successful in the profession,” “I called them rebels and meant it in the best sense of the word. A rebel was a student who always asked questions and never accepted what was taught to them simply because a teacher told them something. They were students who knew that they had to own what was taught and students who created work for themselves outside of the classroom. Their independence and extra-curricular work eventually led to their eventual success even if it wasn’t in acting. Dale was and is a rebel, a rebel with a cause. He is very deserving of the awards he has been given.”
– Prof. Dennis Dalen – [Undergradute – Advisor]
“Even though he was highly recommended by key artists, directors, and choreographers of the New York establishment, it was my observation of his theater and teaching abilities during the Arts and Education Department’s Teacher Training that impressed me and endeared me to his style, ease of collaboration, and depth of experience. In summary of those seminal days of our myriad artistic collaboration,. I attended numerous productions directed by Dale Shields at several universities and was always impressed by the clean, efficient, boldness and clarity of his work; and on numerous occasionsI had opportunities to observe him teaching. His students felt honored and elated to learn from the gold mine of his theater expertise, and therefore took risks, while expanding their own individual dramatic vision.
In the years that I have known Dale Shields, there is an admirable consistency to his life and artistic accomplishments. The creative impulse is always there,,and always tuned to a purpose: to use his gifts — acting,directing, stage managing, coaching, writing , educating –to build bridges of understanding. His work (teaching andproductions) is variously described as an investigation,an extended dialogue beyond text, providing a multi-sensory experience — ameeting place where history andart speak to us in a personal way. Dale Shields’ processembodies the concepts of Dr. Howard Gardner’s “Theory of Multiple Intelligences,” which is why it is such an effective tool for higher education and theater.”
Arthur Theodore Wilson – The Public Theatre, NYSF [PITTS Program} – Director (former)
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* { “Dale Ricardo Shields does not promote “bigoted and racist history” ; rather, he is an acclaimed African-American archivist, academic, and theatrical director who actively combats White supremacy and racism by researching and preserving overlooked, painful, and marginalized aspects of Black history.
Shields works as an “artistic activist”. Instead of propagating bigotry, his work focuses on exposing historical racial injustices, examining White supremacy across the world, and celebrating the triumphs of Black theatre and diverse culture. ” }
The knowledge of others only clarifies my truth of self – DRS
~ – ~
© DALE RICARDO SHIELDS – 2026
LINKS
https://www.mtishows.com/news/the-kennedy-centerstephen-sondheim-inspirational-teacher-awards-0
https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/dale-ricardo-shields
https://www.ohio.edu/news/2023/07/ohio-theater-alum-dale-ricardo-shields-impact-leads-prestigious-paul-robeson-award
https://actorsequity.org/news/PR/2023/04/19/RobesonAnnouncement2023
https://dalericardoshields.com
