The Shepherd School of Music
DEBRA DICKINSON
Artist Teacher of Opera Studies for Acting and Movement
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DEBRA DICKINSON was a professional singer/actress
in New York for fifteen years before starting her career as a director.
She performed with Richard Burton on Broadway in Camelot and as
Guenevere opposite Richard Harris in the subsequent national tour.
Favorite roles she has played include: Jellylorum in the German
language production of Cats at Theatre an der Wien in Vienna; Mimi
in Gay Divorce Off-Broadway; Susan in Company at the York Theater
in New York City; Adriana in The Boys from Syracuse at the Goodspeed
Opera; and Azuri in The Desert Song at Central City Opera and Chautauqua
Opera.
She began her directing career by serving as Assistant Director for Naughty Marietta
at New York City Opera, and later, she was the Associate Director of The Pajama
Game for Beverly Sills' New York City Opera at Lincoln Center. Other directing
credits include Albert Herring, Die Fledermaus, The Pirates of Penzance, The
Medium, and Amahl and the Night Visitors here at the Shepherd School; The Tender
Land at the Monteux Opera Festival in Maine; Die Fledermaus at Florida State
University; A Grand Night for Singing at the Pittsburgh Public Theater; and She
Loves Me and The World Goes Round at Stages, an Equity theater in Houston.
Ms. Dickinson received an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and
a graduate degree from Hunter College in New York City. She has taught master
classes in acting and movement for Houston Grand Opera and Houston Ebony Opera,
was the acting instructor for the Chautauqua Opera for four years, and was the
recipient of the Shelfer Chair in Music Theater at Florida State University.
She has been on the faculty of Rice University for six years, where she directs
scenes programs and teaches Opera Workshop, Acting for Singers, Movement, and
Directing. She also teaches workshops in auditioning for opera and musical theater,
ballet, waltz and gives private aria coachings.