Dr. Jo Michael Rezes
Dr. JO MICHAEL REZES, they/them is a theatremaker, scholar, actor (AEA), and educator in Greater Boston dedicated to the development of new works featuring fabulously grotesque aesthetics. Acting credits: Rocky Horror Show (Entropy Theatre); Nosferatu, The Vampyr (Sparkhaven Theatre); The Inheritance (SpeakEasy Stage Co. — US Regional Premiere; Elliot Norton Award, Outstanding Ensemble); Things I Know to Be True (Great Barrington Public Theater — Berkshire Theater Critics Award Nominee, Outstanding Supporting Actor). Directing: Trans [Plays] of Remembrance (HowlRound.TV); Cloud 9 (AD, The Nora — Elliot Norton Award, Outstanding Direction); The Interrobangers (Tufts University); The Rocky Horror Show (Central Square Theater), Let’s Misbehave (Pansy Rampant Productions). Jo instructs gender and performance courses across the country (Yale Dramatic Association, UMass Law, The Theater Offensive) and a TEDTalk, A Playful Exploration of Gender Performance, available online. Jo is developing a monograph called Fractals: Nonbinary Acting Methods and facilitates workshops on the subject. Rezes is dedicated to inclusive performance pedagogy beyond binary constructions and embraces queer aesthetics, sensation, and experience over final product. Having held teaching appointments at Boston College, Emerson College, and Harvard University, Rezes currently serves as the Associate Director of Education at The Theater Offensive—leading their nationally recognized True Colors programs for LGTBQIA+ youth. Rezes is proud Vassar College alum and holds a Ph.D. in Theatre & Performance Studies from Tufts University.