Dave Mancini

Graduate Student

Office Location

Theater Dance West, Room 2516

Bio

Dave Mancini is a first year doctoral student. He holds a Bachelors of Fine Art in Directing from Chapman University and a Masters of Fine Arts in Theatre with a Directing emphasis from the University of South Dakota.  As a student he received multiple awards for meritorious achievement in directing form the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

He has worked with the Old Globe, Pasadena Playhouse and Center Theatre Group as a director, assistant director and production assistant. Production credits include “The Sunshine Boys” with Danny DeVito and Judd Hirsh, “Art” with Roger Bart and Bradley Whitford, and “One Night With Janis Joplin” with Mary Bridget Davies which toured nationally and then made it’s Broadway debut garnering Ms. Davies a Tony Nomination. 

Dave has a background in play development working on new plays and musicals for the Pasadena Playhouse, TE San Pedro Repertory, Ensemble Studio Theatre and Theatre @ Boston Court. In addition to his work with repertory theatres he has toured his one-woman adaptation of “Venus and Adonis” to the United Solo Festival in New York as well as a run at the Independent Shakespeare Company in Los Angeles. His latest work was the West Coast Premier of Anthony Neilson’s “Normal” which ran at the Hollywood Fringe Festival and was nominated for best ensemble and best horror piece. It also earned a Broadway World nomination for best local theatre production in Los Angeles.

His main research interests center on immersive theatre and its multiplicity of iterations, especially in exploration of audience agency and actor-less narrative. David is an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society as well as Actors Equity.