Theatre Under The Stars Names New Dean of Humphreys School of Musical Theatre

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) announces the appointment of acclaimed musical theatre educator, performer, music director and Broadway producer Dave Clemmons as Dean of the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre (HSMT).

Clemmons, a celebrated teacher and lecturer, is well-regarded as a prominent presenter at the nation's leading musical theatre training programs. In addition to conducting master classes in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Houston and Orlando, Clemmons is a founding and permanent member and musical supervisor of The Performing Arts Project, and lead college artistic consultant for The Performer's Warehouse in Atlanta. He served as the Artistic Director for University of Alabama at Birmingham's ArtPlay Intensive Performer Program, and spent 15 years as member of permanent faculty with Ann Reinking's Broadway Theatre Project. Clemmons has also held the role of visiting professor in musical theatre at Elon University (Elon, NC) and Rider University (Lawrenceville, NJ).

As feature music writer for online music forum WeepingElvis, Clemmons covers live concerts and festivals, as well as cutting-edge music which led to his lecture series Pop, Alt and Rock Go to Broadway presented at venues including the prestigious SXSW Music Festival, The Kennedy Center Theatre Festival and cutting-edge musical theatre programs at Carnegie-Mellon University, the University of Cincinnati - College Conservatory of Music, Texas State University and the Wright State University Musical Theatre Initiative. These lectures meld Clemmons' years as a pop music performer and Broadway stage veteran to help students and faculty understand the quickly blending worlds of Broadway and pop/rock music.

Clemmons began his career as a performer with multiple productions/tours of the world premiere of Jekyll and Hyde (co-presented by Houston's TUTS and Alley Theatre) and went on to star for two years as in the leading role of Jean Valjean in the national tour of Les Miserables. Additionally, he appeared on Broadway in Les Miserables as well as The Civil War (original company) and The Scarlet Pimpernel (original company and Chaeuvelin on the original concept recording).

He established Dave Clemmons Casting and began to cast a long line of Broadway shows, including the revival of Driving Miss Daisy, starring James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave; The Boy from Oz, starring Hugh Jackman; Frank Wildhorn's Wonderland; Brooklyn, starring Eden Espinoza; Ring of Fire; Dracula starring Kelli O'Hara; The Civil War; Cinderella, starring Eartha Kitt and Jamie Lynn Sigler. He cast national and international tours for Jekyll and Hyde, Fosse, Chicago, Movin' Out, CATS, Starlight Express, Fiddler on the Roof, starring Topol; The Sound of Music (China); 42nd Street (Moscow); and Notre Dame de Paris (Las Vegas) as well as numerous off-Broadway productions including Bat Boy, Big Love and Altar Boyz.

Working as a producing partner for StylesFour Entertainment, Clemmons resume includes Broadway productions of Once, which received a Tony Award for Best Musical; Driving Miss Daisy, starring James Earl Jones and Vanessa Redgrave; and The Pee-Wee Herman Show on Broadway. Additional Clemmons/StylesFour projects include the Tony Award-winning Spring Awakening; Talk Radio; the critically acclaimed New York production of Bat Boy; An Intimate Evening with Frank Wildhorn and Friends, starring Frank Wildhorn, Linda Eder and Douglas Sills; and 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother.

Dave has also worked as a music/vocal director or supervisor on the Broadway production of The Civil War; on national tours of Jekyll and Hyde and The Civil War; and on Little Shop of Horrors at The Alley Theatre in Houston. He was vocal director/arranger of The Civil War at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C.; and casting director/vocal director/arranger for The Presidential Gala performance of The Civil War at The National Theatre in Washington, D.C., which starred Trisha Yearwood, Clay Aiken, Larry Gatlin and Hal Holbrook.

"TUTS and HSMT are ecstatic to have Dave, who is so highly sought after and well-respected in the world of musical theatre, coming on board to lead the HSMT faculty and students," said Amy Pierce, TUTS Chairman of the Board. "Dave's wealth of experience and leadership certainly reinforce HSMTs reputation as the home for professional musical theatre training, not only in Houston, but across the country."

"I am thrilled to join TUTS' legendary Humphreys School of Musical Theatre," said Clemmons. "These young performers are the future of musical theatre and I am constantly awed by their talent and drive. I am looking forward to a very bright future as we help shape their paths to help them go out into the professional world and help to give further shape and development to the art form that is musical theatre."

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