Site Updates
Site updated 5/11/09.
NEWSFLASH: Well, folks, it has been about a year since I updated this site. During the summer of 2009, I will be designing and building the set and lighting for Sandstone Summer Theatre's (Amherst, Ohio) production of Once Upon A Mattress and I am really looking forward to that. It was a thrill to do Little Shop of Horrors last year and I'm happy to be back for another shot this year. In the fall, I will continue to design and build sets for the Avon High School drama club. The Avon students have been a real blessing to me since 1999 and I am thrilled to continue giving of myself to them and to the drama club. Recently I published the poem "We Rode Poems" in Common Threads, the semi-annual collection from the Ohio Poetry Association and "Streetlight Sonata" on the website "Whispers from the Unseen" at http://www.unseenwhispers.com/ and have been invited to read 20 minutes of my original poetry at the Columbus Arts Festival on June 6, 2009 at 2:00 PM. In the summer of 2007 I enrolled in Ashland University's new MFA degree program in Creative Writing. I have been studying and writing poetry and will graduate this summer with a book-length collection titled Home And Other Unfamiliar Places ready to market to the publishing world. Well, that's just about it. Hope to see you in the audience for an upcoming show or poetry reading!
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J. R. Simons - Headshot for Vincent Lighting Systems Website
Photo Copyright 2005 by Vincent Lighting Systems. Used with permission. |
Email List
If you would like to receive email updates about any of the things I am involved in (Avon High School Drama, Jovialities Murder Mysteries, my freelance work as a director, designer or writer) send an email with UPDATES in the subject line and I'll put you on all the mailing lists.
J. R. Simons
Brief Bio
J. R. Simons has been the Technical Director for the Theatre Department at Ashland University since 2006 where he teaches Introduction to Technical Theatre and oversees all technical aspects of 4 productions in 2 theatre. In his spare time, J. R. serves as Treasurer/Interim President of the Lorain County Childrens Pioneer Theatre and owns and operates an acting company that performs murder mysteries, comedy weddings and Renaissance feastes called The Jovialities Entertainment Company, Ltd.
J. R. received his BFA and MA in Theatre from Kent State University where he specialized in acting, directing and theatre history, theory and criticism. J. R. will receive his MFA in Creative Writing from Ashland University in 2009. Prior to taking on his current position, J. R. worked as an inside sales representative and sales department manager for Vincent Lighting Systems, a photo retail store manager, a substitute high school teacher and the drama club director for both Elyria (Ohio) High School and Marion L. Steele (Amherst, Ohio) High School.
J. R. has directed for Elyria High School, Amherst Steele High School, Elyria Summer Theatre Association, Jovialities Entertainment, Huntington Playhouse, Sandstone Summer Theatre, Aurora Community Theatre and Lorain County Community College. His set and lighting designs have been seen at many of the above venues as well as at Avon High School where he has been scenographer/technical director since 1999.
J. R. has been married to his wonderful wife, Kim, since 1990. They met while J. R. was directing a production of Grease in 1987 and have been together ever since. They are the proud parents of three children: Kelsey, Will and Hayley and the proud owners of several pets: cat, Pepper, and dog, Sadie.
J. R. loves to play golf and would love nothing better than to hone his game to such a point that he can retire at age 50 and join the Senior PGA Tour. He has a few years yet to make this dream come true. In the meantime, J. R. expects to write, publish, produce and direct for quite a while longer.
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to this site since 8/19/03
