DENNIS OLIVEIRA
Director/Producer/Arts Administrator
Dennis Oliveira is a Brazilian-American director and producer of Theatre and Opera whose work has been praised as "intelligent,” “carefully thought-through," and "elegantly simple" by The Wagner Journal. His work foregrounds narrative clarity through dynamic, physically exacting staging and performances grounded in intimate truth.He has worked with and for several major theatrical entities including the Guthrie Theater, The Old Globe, New York Theatre Workshop, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey; and has assisted notable directors such as Joseph Haj, Barry Edelstein, and Patricia Racette.Dennis holds his MFA in Theatre Directing from Columbia University.
He is also an alumnus of the Florida State University MM Opera Directing Program, The Institute for American Musical Theatre in New York City, and Montclair State University's BFA Acting Program.Dennis is a member of AGMA, an associate member of SDC, and a co-founder of the Pick Six Collective.
Selected Directing
Measure for Measure
Columbia University, New York City, NY (MFA Thesis Production)
Photos by Yiyuan Li and Carol Rosegg
Featuring James Kay, Ethan Williams, Diana Maldonado, J.T. Thorne, Seth Retzlaff, Natasha Conti, Louis Bose, Cameron Schmitt, Isabel Sheehan, Desmond Jackson, Miles Segura, Shaena Kate, Joshua Ryan Vetter, Heather Alzapiedi, Alice McCracken KnightDirector - Dennis Oliveira; Producers - Anna Rui Dou and Alana Roberts
Scenic Design - Noah Hull; Costume Design - Bex Jones; Sound Design - Andrew Yoder; Lighting Design - Yiyuan Li;
Media and Projections Design - Chazz Padilla; Intimacy and Fight Director - Willow Funkhouser;
Dramaturg and Choreographer- Zihe Tian; Assistant Director - Trent Greenwell;
Production Stage Manager - Emily Nacrissa Griffith; Stage Managers - Hang Yin and James Davis;
Company Manager - Victoria Provost
Quarryman
Columbia University, New York City, NY
Photos by Delia Dumont
Featuring Julia Baker, Julia Friedman, Jesse Kabongo, Sara Moore,
Patrick O'Donnell, Cameron Schmitt, J.T. Thorne, Josh VetterPlaywright - Tim Lucey, Director - Dennis Oliveira, Producer - Amara Pappas
Scenic Design - Noah Hull; Lighting Design - Yiyuan Li; Costume Design - Bex Jones;
Fight Direction - Babacar Ba; Assistant Director - Trent Greenwell;
Production Stage Manager - Anica Acuña; Assistant Stage Manager - Meraly Morales-Tula
Oresteia
Columbia University, New York City, NY
Photos by Arly Rubens
Featuring Kristofer Wilson, Alex Key, Diana Maldonado, Raven Jeannette, Edwin Green, Desmond Jackson, Shaena Kate, Jessica Sconfienza, Heather Alzapiedi, Josh Vetter, J.T. Thorne, Seth RetzlaffDennis Oliveira - Adaptor/Director & Sound Desinger
Shaena Kate - Choreographer, Maggie Turoff - Lighting Designer,
Farideh Didehvar - Scenic Designer, Meredith Buckley - Costume Designer,
Zihe Tian - Dramaturg, Trent Greenwell - Assistant Director, Eliza Kelley - Stage Manager
Die Walküre
New Jersey Opera Theater, Rahway, NJ
Photos by Dennis Oliveira
Featuring Joseph Mayon, Elisabeth Shoup, Steven Fredericks, and Charles SchneiderHugh Keelan - Music Director, Dennis Oliveira - Stage Director & Lighting, Projection, and Scenic Designer
Joseph Mayon - Costume Designer, Hudson Dinh - Supertitles
The Wild Party
Old Library Theatre, Fair Lawn, NJ
Photos by Robin Bartlett
Featuring Autumn Hitt, Michael Barthel, Aubrey Lefkowitz, Justin Boyd, Nat Gennace, Kaylie Ann DeLauri, Alex Martins, Aaron Noriega, Josias Emanuel Cosme, Maria Ruppert, Armin Pascal, Kax Petkovich, Derek Brown, Sabrina O'Connor-Cabrera, Elisabeth Erdmann, Latisa Harriott, Mel Melendez, Ciara Roman, Olivia Ventura, Corey Hollinger, Adam MahonchakDennis Oliveira - Director & Lighting Design; Leo Leuci - Music Director; Melanie Mayne Richardson - Choreographer
Audrey Russelman - Production Stage Manager; Alanna Sachse - Assistant Stage Manager;
Sarah Lepre - Production Assistant
Selected Assistant Directing
Hedda Gabler (Dir. Barry Edelstein)
The Old Globe, San Diego, CA
Photos by Rich Soublet II
Barry Edelstein - Stage Director; Dennis Oliveira - Assistant Stage DirectorPlaywright - Henrik Ibsen; Adaptor/New version - Erin Cressida Wilson; Original music / Composer - Caroline Shaw;
Scenic designer - Mark Wendland; Costume designer - David I. Reynoso; Lighting designer - Heather Gilbert;
Sound designer - Jessica Paz; Choreographer - Chelsey Arce; Voice and text - Emmelyn Thayer;
Casting - Caparelliotis Casting; Production Stage Manager - Jess Slocum
Somewhere (Dir. Joseph Haj)
Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, MN
Photos by Dan Norman
Joseph Haj- Stage Director; Dennis Oliveira - Assistant Stage DirectorPlaywright - Matthew López; Choreographer - Maija García; Scenic Designer - Lex Liang; Costume Designer - Alejo Vietti;
Lighting Designer - Carolina Ortiz Herrera; Sound Designer/Composer - John Gromada; Resident Dramaturg - Carla Steen;
Resident Vocal Coach - Keely Wolter; Fight Director - Annie Enneking; Resident Casting Director - Jennifer Liestman;
Stage Manager - Tree O'Halloran; Assistant Stage Manager - Z Makila
Romeo and Juliet (Dir. Bonnie J. Monte)
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Madison, NJ
Photos by Avery Brunkus
Bonnie J. Monte - Stage Director; Dennis Oliveira - Assistant Stage DirectorSet Designer - Sarah Beth Hall; Lighting Designer - Andrew Hungerford; Fight Director - Rod Kinter;
Costume & Sound Designer - Bonnie J. Monte; Stage Management - Mary Garrigan, Jenna Gregson, and Mikki Monfalcone
The Metromaniacs (Dir. Brian B. Crowe)
The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Madison, NJ
Photos by Sarah Haley
Brian B. Crowe - Stage Director; Dennis Oliveira - Assistant Stage DirectorPlaywright / Adapter - David Ives; Director - Brian B. Crowe; Set Designer - Dick Block;
Costume Designer - Brian Russman; Lighting Designer - Tony Galaska; Production Stage Manager - Jackie Mariani
Mitridate (Dir. Peter Kozma)
Opera NEO, San Diego, CA
Photos by Gary Payne Photography
Stage Director and Conductor - Peter Kozma; Asociate Director - David Radamés Toro;
Assistant Directors - Dennis Oliveira and Samantha FoxLighting Designer - Elijah Thomas; Assistant Lighting Designer - Pablo D. Antón;
Costume Designer - Jennifer Brawn-Gittings; Sound Designer - Daniel Rumley;
Video Editor & Videographer - Katherine Starr; Assistant Conductor - Sofia Riggio;
Production Stage Manager - Callista Payne; Assistant Stage Manager - Alexis McDaniel