Brian Gligor

Who am I?

...... (I'm Jean Valjean). On stage I've been trusted with technically challenging leading-man roles. I've studied and taught stylized movement, heightened text, voice & speech, singing, stage combat, improv, dance, and acting technique. Nothing makes me happier than working out precise blocking for a farce or tearing apart the complexities of a Shakespearian verse.

Off stage I am a Jersey Boy who gets the job done (and loves his Ma), and a Romanian-American who indulges in digging deep to the roots of a story. Gligorea.

Current Projects

A Christmas Carol Singalong TrunkShow

An immersive theatrical experience where the audience is already cast as the Londoners who live in Dicken's story, they just don't know it yet. Three actors bring this show together as the spirits who help Scrooge along his journey, narrated with original text from Dickens himself.

The National Theatre Festival

An annual celebration of theatre history with new works , a showcase for theatre companies and artists from around the country, and a platform to discuss the future of theatre arts.

I started teaching at The Gateway Playhouse which inspired me to get my MFA. Along the way I also studied with dozens of coaches, the SITI Company, The Groundlings, and Upright Citizens Brigade. I found the blissful union of teacher and practitioner that has defined my career as it is today. While performing I've taught graduate and undergraduate Acting, Suzuki, Viewpoints, Voice & Speech, Corporeal Mime, Stage Combat, and Theatre History at Wesleyan University and the University of Tennessee.

Some highlights...

I Am My Own Wife

In 2015 I produced and performed a successful run of Doug Wright's Pulitzer Prize winning play I Am My Own Wife with the Clarence Brown Theatre in Knoxville, Tennessee. It was the region's first production of this LGBTQ themed one-person play, and by partnering with local organizations we were able to raise over $25,000 to support local LGBTQ community organizations.

Collaboration with Jin Hi Kim

I applied text and movement to the intoxicating musical expressions of Guggenheim fellow Jin Hi Kim during the heightened conflicts with North Korea in 2017 & 2018. We performed together at cultural events hosted by Wesleyan University, Yale University, and at the opening celebration of the Asian Wing at the Detroit Institute of Arts with an ensemble of phenomenal East Asian musicians.

Directed RENT for Sex Week at the University of Tennessee

In 2015 the controversial student organization Sex Week at UTK assembled a week of events to discuss sex education without the support of the university. I was proud to direct an ensemble of graduates, undergraduates, and community members for a sold out run.

Learned to Breakdance

I can't imagine a show more challenging or rewarding.. When Altar Boyz is done right it is my favorite kind of theatre. Intimate, direct address with the audience, complex and committed characters, and a spectacle of song and dance technique.

Taught students with special needs in my THEA100 lecture

My Introduction to Theatre course at UTK culminated with a festival of student-created productions that highlighted different genres of theatre throughout history. Some of my students were part of UTK's Future Program, and we worked together to create a piece that showcased their talents.

Brian Gligor

Brian Gligor

Who am I?

Current Projects

A Christmas Carol Singalong TrunkShow

The National Theatre Festival

RENT was a big part of it

After that: rock musicals with regional theatres, all the soaps, and some wild off-broadway gigs

Acting & Teaching...

Artist in Residency

Some highlights...

I Am My Own Wife

Collaboration with Jin Hi Kim

Directed RENT for Sex Week at the University of Tennessee

Learned to Breakdance

Taught students with special needs in my THEA100 lecture