H. Russ Brown

H. Russ Brown, Assistant Professor of Acting, Voice, Movement & Stage Combat, began his career over 20 years ago as an actor and fight director in his native Texas. Making a move to Missouri, he then spent the next 15 years working in the theatre as an actor, director, set designer, vocal coach, fight director and playwright.

H. Russ is Advanced Actor Combatant and Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors.  He is also a Full Instructor with the national stage combat company, Revenge Arts (www.revengearts.com).  H. Russ has choreographed fights for over 50 productions and his fight work has been seen from New York to California and back again.

As a playwright, H. Russ Brown has written dozens of plays and has had many produced at both the community and professional level in theatre’s across the country. In 2002, he was awarded the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts New Visions/New Voices award for his musical adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s classic short story, The Selfish Giant. Most recently, he was awarded the 2005 KCACTF NST Fellowship for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Playwriting.

As a performer, his favorite roles have included Sweeney Todd, Jekyll/Hyde, Old Buks in Valley Song, Michael in I DO! I DO! and Hotspur in Henry IV, Part I.

H. Russ has taught/guest lectured at the University of Missouri-Columbia, Spoon River College, Illinois State University, North Carolina School for the Arts, Texas Tech University and Western Illinois University. He has a B.S. degree from Texas A&M University in College Station and holds an M.F.A. degree in Acting from Western Illinois University.

His greatest source of pride, however, is his beautiful wife, Elizabeth, and his amazing kids, Grant and Auben.

“Love is my Sword, Faith is my Armor & Humor is my Shield.”

rbrown@uwsp.edu