the musical Ragtime, Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf, and the musical Man of La Mancha. He has directed both university and professional productions across his career.
- For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf: Shields directed a production of Ntozake Shange’s play in 2001 while at
Macalester College
. It notably featured Danai Gurira, known for her later roles in The Walking Dead and Black Panther, during her time as a student.
- Man of La Mancha: He directed this musical for the
Ohio Valley Summer Theater
(OVST), in partnership with
Ohio University, in 2016. He has a long history with the OVST organization, working with them during his undergraduate years.
- Ragtime: In 2012, Shields returned to
Ohio University
to direct this musical for the Ohio Valley Summer Theater.
- Fires in the Mirror: He directed this play at
Denison University
in 2006.
- A Raisin in the Sun: He directed this classic play while a Guest Artist and Visiting Workshop Director at the
Cleveland School of the Arts
.
- Topdog/Underdog: Shields directed a production of this play at
The Beck Center for the Arts
in 2005.
- The Real Ma Rainey: He directed the world premiere of this play at the
Cleveland Play House
in 1995.
- Home (2015)
- The Amen Corner (2015)
- A Soldier’s Play (2013)
- Trouble in Mind (2011)
Professional credits as a Director, Stage manager, and Actor (Broadway, Off-Broadway and Regional) New Federal Theatre, The Negro Ensemble Company, The Joseph Papp Public Theatre, Upward Bound, The Hilberry Repertory Theatre, George Street Playhouse, Playwrights Horizon, Manhattan Theatre Club, The Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Actors Studio, The Actors Theatre of Louisville, The York Players, The Cleveland School of the Arts.
ACTING:
(AEA-SAG-AFTRA-AGMA) studied at The Negro Ensemble Company and The Henry Street Settlement House with Hal Scott and Dick Anthony Williams. New York City revival of Any One Can Whistle, the Lincoln Center, Lily directed by Tom O’ Horgan at Lincoln Center. ITV television series Special Needs. The Bill Cosby Show, Another World, Guiding Light, Saturday Night Live, and Ann Margaret’s Salute to Radio City Music Hall with Ben Vereen. Saint Paul Civic Symphony at The Saint Paul Landmark Center in A Lincoln Portrait.
Actor
As an actor, he is a member of the Actors Equity Association, Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and the American Guild of Musical Artists performance unions.
He studied at The Negro Ensemble Company with Anderson Johnson and The Henry Street Settlement House with Hal Scott and Dick Anthony Williams.
He appeared as Martin in the New York City revival of Any One Can Whistle directed by Fran Soder at the York Theatre Company and the Lincoln Center world premiere of Lily based on Saul Bellow’s Henderson the Rain King directed by Tom O’ Horgan at Lincoln Center (State Theatre).
For Television, he was featured in The ITV television series Special Needs in the major role of Gregg with Esai Morales.
He was a member of the theatre ensemble of the Forces of Nature Dance Theatre with Abdel R. Salaam and Dianne Harvey.
He appeared on television on The Bill Cosby Show, Another World, Guiding Light, Saturday Night Live, and Ann Margaret’s Salute to Radio City Music Hall with Ben Vereen, Gregory Peck, and Beverly Sills.
He performed with the Saint Paul Civic Symphony at The Saint Paul Landmark Center as the Narrator in Aaron Copland’s A Lincoln Portrait.
He also appeared as a member of The Fun Bunch promotional team with the Cleveland Indians Baseball Team.
Additional credits include various commercials (McDonald’s, Burger King, and Bufferin), documentaries, and film.
SPECIAL NEEDS ITV Series
The Me Nobody Knows ~ KARAMU HOUSE (1972).
GODSPELL ~ with Kevin Sweeney, Gay Marshall, Ronald Brown, Fran Soeder (Director), Eric Stern (Music Director), Calvin Levels, and Darlene Darby Baldwin.
Hello Dolly
Fortune and Men’s Eyes — with Dale Shields, Cliff Radcliff, John S. Patterson, and Alan Safier (Ohio University) Athens, Ohio.
DOBAMA THEATRE – The Drug Cantata – Peyton Dean, Marilyn Bianchi, Leslie Varnick, Thomas Schmitz, Dale Shields, Scott Holmes, and Darlene Darby Baldwin. 1975
LILY
New York State Theatre
Lincoln Center
Directed by Tom O’Horgan
