"his work and dedication to his craft continue to be an inspiration to me."

james kuhl - Former Producing Artistic director, tipping point theatre

 

Brian is the Artistic Director of Tibbits Summer Theatre at the historic Tibbits Opera House in Coldwater, MI and also serves as the company manager for Tipping Point Theatre in Northville, MI. He is also a freelance actor and director. Brian is a graduate of Wayne State University where he earned his MFA in Acting while performing as a member of the Hilberry Repertory Theatre Company. He earned his BA in Theatre Performance from Western Michigan University. Brian also had the honor of studying with the Moscow Art Theatre School. He is a certified and associate teacher of the Michael Chekhov acting technique with the Great Lakes Michael Chekhov Consortium. Brian has taught at a number of universities including Wayne State University, Eastern Michigan University, Jackson College, and Ohio Northern University where he was an associate professor, producer, and director of the School of Visual and Performing Arts. 

Brian’s seventy plus professional acting credits run the gamut from the classics to contemporary musical theatre. He’s worked for a variety of companies in the Great Lakes region including Tipping Point Theatre, Performance Network Theatre, The Jewish Ensemble Theatre, The Encore Musical Theatre Company, The Marriot Lincolnshire Theatre, First Folio Shakespeare, Theatre Building Chicago, and Tibbits Opera House. Brian has received multiple Wilde Award nominations for his acting work including “Best Actor in a Musical” and  “Best Supporting Actor in a Musical” for his portrayals of Max Bialystock in The Producers and all nine members of the D’ysquith Family in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. In the 2023-2024 season he will appear in Williamston Theatre’s On the Market and Tipping Point Theatre’s The Squirrels.

Brian has directed a wide range of projects that include classic plays, contemporary musical theatre, and new works. His Detroit Public Theatre production of From Broadway to Obscurity was recorded for PBS in summer of 2020 as an initiative to bring theatre to a home audience during the Covid-19 pandemic. That production has garnered multiple awards including a Wilde Award for “Best One-Person Show” and a Michigan Association of Broadcaster’s Broadcast Excellence Award for the PBS version. In Fall 2024 Brian will be directing Lauren Gunderson’s Silent Sky for the University of Toledo and a touring production of A Midsummer Nights Dream for Eastern Michigan University.