John Rustan
I have been a member of the Dramatists Guild for many years. I am the co-author (with Frank Semerano) of four plays published by Samuel French. They are: The Attempted Murder of Peggy Sweetwater, The Tangled Snarl, Murder Me Once and Thataway Jack, and a new unpublished work entitled Hollywood Lullaby. Solo Plays include the published The Gosling and Stray Cats (At Rise: Magazine). New plays I have written include the short plays SpeedMating, Truth Be Told, Damaged Goods, and Big Testing. I recently co-authored with Lisa Carstens FaceRoom, produced at The Crazy Dukes Instant Play Festival in Portland, Or.
I am also the Dialect Coach of over sixty productions and over 300 individuals in various regional dialects and foreign accents, as well as accent reduction. My business is DialectsCoach.com located in the San Francisco Bay area, where I coach productions at various professional and educational venues, and teach individuals, both at my studio and via teleconference.
My acting credits include stage work and professional TV, film, and voice-over.
Besides the Dramatists Guild, my professional affiliations include SAG-AFTRA, VASTA, and Theatre Bay Area.
Education: PhD in theatre from the University of Oregon, MA Occidental College.
I have been a teacher of high school, college and university theatre, during which times I have directed over fifty plays.
I live in the SF bay area with my wife and son.
Artistic Director Achievement (ADA) Awards – The Tangled Snarl and Murder Me Once– Co-Author. Production at Fremont Centre Theatre (2004): Six awards including “Best Evening of One-Acts.”
American College Theatre Festival Meritorious Achievement Award – Vocal Work– The Learned Ladies, 1997
Glen Starlin Graduate Research Fellowship, University of Oregon, 1994
Graduate Teaching Fellowship, University of Oregon, 1995-96, 94-95, 93-94, Spring Term 1993
National Playwriting Contest Winner, Thataway Jack, The Colony Studio Theater New Play Festival, Los Angeles, 1987
National Playwriting Contest Winner, Tangled Snarl, New Playwrights One‑Act Play Contest, Wash. D.C., 1982