Rob Ruffin (Artist In Resident)
Robert Ruffin has been a theatre professional for over twenty
years, and has performed numerous roles in New York and regional theaters, including: Lee, Arthur Miller’s biographical character in the
New York revival of his The American Clock ; Washington Irving in the New York premier of Frank Higgin’s Washington Irving’s Sketchbook;
The Narrator/Czech Men in the New York revival of Larry Shue’s Wenceslas Square, which later toured Lithuania as part of an international
theatrical project; and Weirdo and White King in the New York Premiers of Etched in Amber and Zugzwang. His classical work includes: Tartuffe,
Henry IV, I, Hamlet , Othello , Romeo and Juliet, Love’s Labours Lost and with New York’s Riverside Shakespeare Company ; Richard II ,
Richard III , Mac beth , King John , Twelfth Night , Taming of the Shrew ,. His film work includes Fidgit, in the film version of
William Wycherly’s The Country Wife and Dmitri in William Pace’s independent swashbuckler Rivalry. Robert has also performed in a Royal
Command Performance for the English Monarchy. He has written five plays produced on the New York stage and is a Founding Member and former
Artistic Director of The Metropolitan Playhouse of New York. A specialist in Stage Combat, he has directed and taught fights throughout the
country and has received honors for his work from the Kennedy Center. He is formerly an Professor of Theatre at C.W. Post/Long Island
University and currently proprietor of Swords for Hire , a company that offers stage combat choreography, instruction and weapons rental.
He is also an original creator of Theater Without Borders (a joint American/Lithuanian performing arts project) and a producer of The
Gathering , (Off-Broadway starring Theodore Bikel; National Tour and Broadway run starring Hal Linden).
While in Virginia, Robert has directed the stage fighting in VA Opera’s production of Die Walkure and has written two plays, An Evening With The Great English Poets and The Great American Poets that he performs throughout Virginia under the endorsement of The Poetry Society of Virginia. His television appearances include leads in several The New Detectives episodes, and starring roles in Family Possessions (Discovery Channel movie of the week) and Interpol (for the National Geographic Channel). Robert recently starred in the Independent film Apocalypse (which will premiere in February 2005) and created Playwrights Premiere Theatre, a not-for-profit company dedicated to bringing new, professional works to the stage in Virginia. He is currently under contract by the Jamestown 2007 organization to write a children’s show that will tour the east coast beginning in 2006, appeared as Dr. Livesey in VA Stage’s production of Treasure Island and will play Robert Marley in its upcoming production of A Christmas Carol . Robert is a member of Actors Equity Association, the Communications Workers Guild of America, the Virginia Poetry Society and the Chesapeake Bay Writers Club.;