BRANDON BECKER 

This page should probably be titled "About Me" as I am the only one currently represented as a playwright on this site and am the founder/main teacher of Notes Behind The Scenes, but none the less if you are curious as to who I am feel free to read on!  

Education

Originally from Fresno, California, Mr. Becker is a graduate of Roosevelt School of the Arts (high school),  and Virginia Commonwealth University where he graduated with an MFA in Theatre Pedagogy. In 2005, Mr. Becker began his tenure at Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for the Arts & Technology (ARGS) in Central Virginia, first as Chair of the Musical Theatre Department and then as Chair of the Theatre Arts Department in 2008.  While there he directed/choreographed shows such as Smokey Joe’s Café, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Babes in Arms, The Wiz, Cinderella, Little Women, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, No No Nanette in addition to countless revues and cabarets.

Before that, Mr. Becker was Adjunct Faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University where he established the Found Theatre Ensemble with the intent of producing plays in non-theatrical settings. Since then FTE has produced well received productions of It Only Took…, The Pool of Bethesda, Keely & Du, and the How To Succeed in Central Virginia Without Really Trying.  Additional directing credits include work for ARGS, Aspen Theatre in the Park, Stage Door Players, Out of the Woods Theatre Company, Short Pump Players, and In-Step Theatre.

Mr. Becker was a guest teacher with University of Northern Colorado’s Dance Education Masters of Arts program combining both of his passions teaching “Theatre Games for Creativity” to dance teachers from around the nation.

After spending almost a decade as one of two Directors of Theatre at Denver School of the Arts he and his family moved to Illinois where he was the Performing Arts Director at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School for three years and wrote several original plays and movies.  

He and his family now live in Saint Johns, FL where he continues his artistic endeavors around the Jacksonville/Saint Augustine areas.

Playwriting

Mr Becker's works have been produced at various schools/companies around the nation.   He has written everything from satirical musical revues (How To Succeed In Virginia Without Really Trying: Found Theatre Ensemble) to educational touring shows.  From 2014-2018 Mr Becker's one act plays earned annual accolades and superior ratings at the Colorado Thespian Convention.  During the two decades he has spent writing original shows with various theatre summer camps (Aspen Theatre in the Park, BRAVO! with SPARC, Summer Camps @ DSA) he estimates having written over 50 original pieces.  

During his tenure at Denver School of the Arts he helped shepherd seven original full length plays from their genesis through final production by working with the high school aged writers throughout the development process.

Performance Experience and Awards

As a performer, Mr. Becker was a frequent artist at Swift Creek Mill Theatre from 2005-2010 performing in thirteen + shows. Favorite roles include Matthew in Altar Boyz (2009 Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Nominee: Best Ensemble), Frankie in Forever Plaid/Plaid Tidings, and Bill Shorter in There Goes the Bride. Other credits include performances with Barksdale Theatre, HBO Comedy Festival, Promise Valley Playhouse, Aspen Theatre in the Park, Four Rivers Musical Theatre, and the world premiere of Bill C. Davis’ musical Austin’s Bridge at the Firehouse Theater Project.  Mr. Becker was also an Irene Ryan Nominee for his performance of Banquo in Shozo Sato’s Kabuki Macbeth.  Mr. Becker was also honored to write and direct Before Wonderland for the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe Festival which was critically well received.

Professional Experience

From 1996-2002, Mr. Becker freelanced as a professional dancer, choreographer, and instructor around the nation including seasons with the Richmond Ballet and as a founding member of the Aspen (now Aspen/Santa Fe) Ballet. His works have been commissioned by the Richmond Ballet, Ballet Tech Ohio, Ballet West Conservatory, and Rockingham Ballet Theatre, among many others. He has choreographed numerous shows for Swift Creek Mill Theatre, including Urinetown (2008 Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Award: Best Choreography) and his work has also been seen at Fort Lee Playhouse, Promise Valley Playhouse, Aspen Theatre in the Park, and Aspen Community Theatre. Mr. Becker’s show choirs have earned several Best Choreography awards and under his direction ARGS’ show choir garnered many superiors and first place finishes.

Mr. Becker was on the faculty of SPARC (School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community) for many years. He has taught dance for several studios including Chesterfield School of Ballet and Pilates Dance & More and master classes throughout the nation. Mr. Becker has presented papers with the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and the Southeastern Theatre Conference, including portions of his thesis “The 4C Method: A System for Staging Musical Theatre and Theatre Choreography.” Mr. Becker has been a member of The National Association for Music Education (MENC), Voice & Speech Trainers of America, and The Association for Theatre Movement Educators.

Denver School of the Arts Credits and Achievements

Mr. Becker's production of Three Sisters (2013/2014)  was ranked as superior and presented as one of eight shows at the International Thespian Convention in Lincoln, Nebraska.  He was also the DSA Improv troupe sponsor for the award winning Spontaneous Combustion (high school) and Giggles (middle school) teams.

His DSA directing credits include:

  • The Rivals
  • The Grapes of Wrath
  • The Pajama Game
  • Top Girls
  • Laughing Stock
  • Medea
  • Waiting in the Wings
  • Before Wonderland
  • Three Sisters
  • The American Clock
  • Macbeth3
  • The Clandestine Marriage
  • Oliver!
  • Flowers for Algernon
  • Six Characters in Search of An Author

His DSA choreography credits include:

  • The Pajama Game
  • Disney’s Beauty & The Beast
  • Hairspray
  • Oliver!

Mr. Becker directed the following shows that were ranked superior and presented at the International Thespian Convention:

  • Flight of the Lawnchair Man (2011)
  • Three Sisters (2014)

Mr. Becker directed the following One-Acts that were ranked superior at the Colorado State Thespian Convention:

  • Flight of the Lawnchair Man (2010)
  • Gasp (2011)
  • Titanic in Four Movements (2012)*
  • Variations on a Bag of Chips (2014)*
  • Let’s Go To The Movies (2015)*
  • A Stereotypical Teenage Romance* (2016)
  • dark* (2017)
  • All Sides* (2018)

*Original Pieces written for the Convention