Dale Ricardo Shields

By iforcolor in Activist, Actor, Dale Ricardo Shields, Director, Educator, History, Professor
August 1, 2025

A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning

~ Learning to Teach~

OHIO UNIVERSITY

SOUTH
BRONX COMMUNITY THEATRE

PLAYWRIGHTS HORIZON

The Public Theatre
NEW YORK SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
The Public Theatre (Andre’DeShields)

DENISON UNIVERSITY

RANDOLPH-MACON
COLLEGE

SUSQUEHANNA UNIVERSITY

DENISON UNIVERSITY

Dale Ricardo Shields is a renowned educator and theatrical artist. His dedication to teaching and the arts is reflected in numerous quotes attributed to him and testimonials about his impact on students.

Quotes and insights into Dale Ricardo Shields’ philosophy as a Professor:

Focus on the individual student: “My work as a teacher, acting coach, or workshop leader has always focused on the student as an individual. Every activity, movement, space, and word is an arena of knowledge.”

Teaching chose him: “I did not choose to teach. Teaching chose me.”
Empowering student voices: ” ‘Your opinion matters here,’… My mantra as a teacher is: ‘Find your own voice.’ Motivating those new voices is why I teach.”

Encouraging big choices and embracing mistakes: He advised students to make significant choices and embrace the process, stating, “I always told my students that if they’re going to break a window, throw a grand piano through it rather than a pebble.”

Connecting students to themselves: He believed students possessed “something deep, rich, and valuable” that contributed to their characters and their own lives, and that everyone has something to contribute to the world.

Artistic purpose: “My artistic work purpose is to widen the cultural radius towards imagining that inspiration itself, is a constitutional right afforded to all students and audiences of the Arts, to have world access to the impulse of creativity, unafraid of its beauty, diversity, grace and truth.”
Influence on students
Students have credited him with helping them find their voice and overcome shyness.

He is described as a challenging yet supportive professor who uses his experience to help students develop.

His ability to create a supportive and professional learning environment is also noted, even for those new to theater.

Pages:

A Raisin In The Sun, A Soldier's Play, A Streetcar Named Desire, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Allyson Tucker Mitchell, Andre De Shields, Angela Winborn, Anna Marie Horsford, Anne Yuan, Another World, Autumn Stiles, Barack Obama, Barbara Montgomery, Bebe Neuwirth, Before It Hits Home, Bill Cosby, Bill Ransom, Brandon Hummons, Brandt Gentry, Brian Evaret Chandler, Brian Stokes Mitchell, CCH Pounder, Chuck Cooper, Claude Shields, Cleveland Play House, Cleveland School of the Arts, Connie Lawson-Davis, Crowns, Dale Ricardo Shields, Dale Shields, Daniel Fiorentini, Darlene Darby Baldwin., Denison University, Dennis Dalen, Dorothy Silver, Dr. Roger Jelliffe, Driving Miss Daisy, Ed Blunt, Edan Noelle, Erich McMillan-McCall, Fame, Fannie Shields, Fires in The Mirror, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf, Gerald Shields, Godspell, Golden Boy, Grace Miller, Guiding Light, Home, I, If you are Seeing This It's Too Late. How do you Slam a Revolving Door - {A Word Jam}., ITV, Jaguar Turtle, Jaime Weinfeld, Jamila Atkinson, Jasmine KP, Jeremy Wright, Jerry Jackson, Jimmie D. Woody, Johnny Cash, Julieanna L. Richardson, Justine Nape, Karamu House, Keith Mullings Jr, Keith ScootDawg Nolen, Kendra Petite, Khari Riley, KiKi Shepard, Lafayette Robinson, Laughter on the Twenty Third Floor, LaZette McCants, Lennie Johnson III, Leslie Varnick, Lincoln Center (State Theatre), Macalester College, Maha McCain, Maha McClain, Man of La Mancha, Mariama Whyte, Marilyn Bianchi, Mark Anthony Arceño, Mark Horning, Marlaine Browning, Melvinia Shields, Mindbuilders, Moses Shields, Myky Tran, Najee Rollins, New Federal Theatre, Nicole Antoinette Smith. Kyle Bowser, Nina Domingue Glover, Of Mice and Men, Ohio University, Ossie Davis, Oz Scott, Paul Robeson, Peyton Dean, Phi Kappa Phi, Phylicia Rashad, Pia Long, Playwrights Horizons, Project1Voice, Quaanzale Thompson, Quartermaine's Terms, Ragtime, Randolph-Macon College, Reggie Kelly, Rosanne Cash, Ruby Dee, Rumors, Same Time Next Year, Sara Blike, Sarah Shields, Saturday Night Live, Scott Holmes, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Shields Brothers, Singers, Something Wanted, South Bronx Community Action Theatre, Special Needs, St. Clements, Stephen Sondheim, Susquehanna University, The Amen Corner, The American Folk Theatre, The Beck Center for the Arts, The Brownsville Raid, The Center for Families and Children, The Cleveland Playhouse, The College of Wooster, The Colored Museum, The Cosby Show, The Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Henry Street Settlement House (New Federal Theatre), The Joseph Papp Public Theatre (New York Shakespeare Festival), The Kennedy Center, The Me Nobody Knows, The Negro Ensemble Company, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, The Penumbra Theatre, The University of Akron, The Weathervane Playhouse, The Weathervane Theatre, Thomas Schmitz, Three Ways Home, Tom O'Horgan, Tony Liu, Too Sing America, Top Dog/Underdog, Trouble in Mind, Upward Bound, Vivian Distin, Wayne State University, William Bryant Shields Sr., Wizzy Dorceus, Xavier Jesus Vargas, Youngstown Early Intervention Program

iforcolor

ARCHIVIST, EDUCATOR, HISTORIAN, and ARTiST
Dale Ricardo Shields is highly accomplished African American actor, director, producer, and educator with a distinguished career in theatre and academia.

Here's a summary of his background and achievements:

Early Life and Family:
Born on November 4, 1952, in Cleveland, Ohio.
His family has a strong musical background; his grandfather and father were founding members of the Shields Brothers Gospel Quartet of Ohio, and his mother was part of the Turner Gospel Singers.
He is a cousin of boxing promoter Don King.
Education:
Graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in 1970.
Holds both a BFA (1975) and MFA (1995) from Ohio University.

Career and Contributions
Theatre Professional:
Actor: Has appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and in regional productions. His television credits include The Cosby Show, Another World, Guiding Light, Saturday Night Live, and the ITV series Special Needs. He has also appeared in commercials and films.
Director and Stage Manager: Has extensive professional credits in these roles, including projects at Lincoln Center, The Henry Street Settlement House (New Federal Theatre), The Negro Ensemble Company, and The Joseph Papp Public Theatre.
Assistant Director: Served as assistant to Lloyd Richards and assistant director for the New Federal Theatre premiere of Ossie Davis's play A Last Dance With Sybil starring Ruby Dee and Earl Hyman.

Educator:
Professor: He is a Professor of Acting, Directing, Black Theatre, Black Studies, and Stage Management. He has taught at various institutions, including Ohio University, The College of Wooster, Denison University, Macalester College, Susquehanna University (as artist-in-residence), and SUNY Potsdam.
Workshops and Programs: Conducted workshops for Joseph Papp's Playwriting in the Schools Program (PITS) at The Public Theatre for six seasons and represented the United States at the ASSITEJ Theatre Festival in London, England, in 1988.
Artistic Activist and Historian:

Iforcolor.org: Creator and archivist for the Black History website Iforcolor.org, dedicated to preserving and sharing information about African Americans and artists of color. He also maintains the "Black Theatre/African American Voices" website on Facebook.
Project1VOICE Liaison: Serves as the Project1VOICE Liaison for the state of Ohio, directing "One Play One Day" events in Cleveland since 2011.

Awards and Recognition:
The Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award: Recipient in 2017.
Paul Robeson Award: Recipient in 2021 (jointly presented by the Actors' Equity Association and Actors' Equity Foundation).
AUDELCO/"VIV" Special Achievement Award: Received in 2017.
Tony Award Nominee: Nominated for the "Excellence in Theatre Education Award" in 2015 and 2017.
Ebony Bobcat Network (EBN) Legend Award: Received from Ohio University in 2022.
ENCORE AWARD / The Actors Fund: Received in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024.
Outstanding Professor Awards: Has received two of these and three "Educational Program of the Year" awards as a university professor.
The HistoryMakers archives: Interviewed and included in The HistoryMakers archives, permanently housed in the Library of Congress.
Dale Ricardo Shields is recognized for his profound impact on the lives of his students and his unwavering dedication to preserving and promoting Black theatre history and culture.

© 2025 I For Color.

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