Jon Ferreira
Writer, Director, & Designer
Biography
Baltimore Headshot (2005)
Photographer: Charles Akeley
Writes of Passage: A Journey in Our Own Write (2001)
ACTNow! Theatre Ensemble
Poster Design: Jon Ferreira
Gemini Theatre Company, Pittsburgh, PA
The Early Years
I was born in Massachusetts, but moved to Maine when I was still a baby. It was in my hometown of Bangor, where I first became active in theatre around the age of six. By the time I had reached twelve, I was already very active in local community theatre and performing professionally in plays and commercials. Once I reached high school, I began competing on the high school Speech and Debate teams, where I was honored with several trophies and awards. While in high school, I also earned awards as an actor in the State of Maine One-Act Play Festivals. I eventually auditioned, and was accepted into a number of good college and university theatre programs, but enthusiastically chose Emerson College in Boston. Almost immediately, I began training in Voice and Shakespeare with the world-renowned vocal coach and acting teacher, Kristin Linklater, whose seminal text, 'Freeing Your Natural Voice' is the textbook for vocal training throughout the world. During my sophomore year, I had the exciting opportunity to study abroad in Emerson's Kasteel Well program. For several months, I lived in a 14th century medieval castle located in the Dutch province of Limburg, in the small village of Well, The Netherlands. While there, I had the chance to train with a European acting teacher, who taught a variety of styles, such as Jacques Lecoq, Commedia dell'Arte, and pantomime. During my time there, I traveled extensively throughout Europe. After four years of rigorous training, I graduated from Emerson with a BFA in Acting, cum laude, with a Minor in Literature.
Jon Ferreira (Front row, Center)
Emerson College @ Kasteel Well
Well, The Netherlands (1996)
The Los Angeles & Pittsburgh Years
Once my training was finished, I moved to Los Angeles, where I spent two years trying to break into the film business, while starting my own theatre company on the side. My time in Los Angeles was often discouraging, but ultimately taught me many invaluable lessons about the business side of acting, and about managing my own theatre company. Perhaps even more importantly, it taught me fundamental lessons about making theatre that was educational, profitable, and entertaining. Given my frustrating experience in LA, I decided to join the Peace Corps, but before I joined, I came to the conclusion that two years was just too long to go without doing any theatre at all. However, I still desperately wanted to give back to my community, so I compromised by enlisting in AmeriCorps National Service, and was assigned to an inner-city high school in Pittsburgh, PA. I proudly served a year tutoring and mentoring at-risk students. While there, I designed and implemented a vibrant after-school theatre program called ACTNow! (Actor's Committed to Tolerance) and directed my very first play. It was an original work, written and conceived by me and my students. The performance was riveting and I had never seen an audience respond so viscerally. It was in that moment that I first realized that I wanted to direct. Starting then, I began to pursue more and more directing jobs. The play's success also led to a permanent position as the school's Theatre Teacher and High School English Language Arts teacher. As a result, I went back to school for theatre education and certification. In 2003, I earned my second degree in Theatre Education, summa cum laude, from Point Park University, as well as Secondary Teaching Certifications in Theatre & Communications, 7-12.
The Baltimore Times
After graduation, I accepted another teaching job in Baltimore, Maryland, where I took over a vibrant theatre program, and taught mostly theatre classes, as well as one section of English. I was delighted to inherit a large and very well-supported theatre program in a school with a reputation for its high test scores and generous support of the arts. By the end of my first year, I was selected to help write and revise the Theatre Arts Curriculum for the State of Maryland Department of Education and the Baltimore County School Department. Another distinction came shortly thereafter, when I was chosen to be a Master Teacher, and taught specialized theatre classes to my colleagues at the Fine Arts Festival for Baltimore County teachers. While in Baltimore, I continued to act and direct at local professional theatre companies, while teaching high school during the day.
New York City & Boston
By the end of 2005, I decided to leave teaching so I could move back to the Northeast, and pursue my acting and directing career full-time. I spent the next year briefly living and working in New York City, but eventually found my way back to Boston. Not long after I arrived, I was hired as a Costumed Colonial Tour Guide for the historic Freedom Trail Foundation. For the next three years, I played the real-life historic figure, Dr. Joseph Warren. During that time, my acting career flourished, and I continuously acted at theatres throughout the city, as well as toured Shakespeare to schools throughout New England. For the first time in my life, I was was thrilled to be able to solely support myself with just my acting work alone. It also afforded me the opportunity to finally direct professionally.
Tour Guide "Dr. Joseph Warren" (2005 - 2008)
The Freedom Trail Foundation
Boston, MA
Graduate School & Chicago Years
After turning 30, I became increasingly aware that there was still something I needed to do, and the sooner I did it, the better. I always knew that I wanted to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree in theatre, and for most of my life, I just assumed it would be in Acting. By then, however, directing had become my true passion, and had eclipsed everything else. It was also the area I had the least amount of training and experience in. I applied to several directing programs all over the country, and decided to attend Illinois State University. Upon further research, I discovered that ISU had a rich theatrical tradition. Among other things, Illinois State has long been renowned for its strong and competitive undergraduate acting program. In fact, the founders of Chicago's famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company all came out of ISU: Laurie Metcalf, Gary Cole, Joan Allen, John Malkovich, Rondi Reed, Gary Sinise, Jeff Perry, Terry Kinney, etc. In subsequent years, ISU produced Glee's Jane Lynch, Will and Grace's Sean Hayes, and many others. This long tradition of excellence meant that the School of Theatre had one of the largest and most talented pool of actors in the country from which I could cast from.
The graduate directing program seemed to be on the verge of something great - it was maturing and growing, and had recently produced some very successful directors. Another appealing factor was that unlike many graduate directing programs, ISU directors were allowed - required - to direct a play every single semester on campus. The plays would begin modestly, but get progressively larger in budget and design as time went on. What's more, director's would have the opportunity to direct in at least three different spaces - a small black box, a fully equipped mid-size flexible thrust / round space, and a large-capacity standard proscenium performing arts center. Another enticing element of the program was that the renowned Illinois Shakespeare Festival operated out of the School of Theatre, and as a directing student, I had preference for coveted directing positions within the summer Festival. Ultimately, one of the most significant reasons why I chose ISU over other schools, was its close proximity to Chicago and that city's vast theatrical resources. The final and most important reason I chose to attend Illinois State University over other flashier and well-known programs, was the strength and character of the theatre faculty. I was struck by their capacity of knowledge, humility, kindness, and honesty. I felt an instant kinship.
During my first year of graduate school, I worked tirelessly to organize and raise the necessary funds to be able to bring Pullitzer-Prize-nominated playwright, author, and film director, Adam Rapp, to the ISU Campus. Over the course of three days, I personally hosted Mr. Rapp, who was gracious enough to participate in Master Classes, sat for an invited interview with me, recorded a radio broadcast, screened a film adaptation of his own play, Blackbird, and even managed to play a spirited game of basketball with several of us students from the School of Theatre.
My first summer in Normal, I was cast as an actor in the resident company of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. I had a wonderful summer acting and getting to know dozens of actors and crew members from all over the Midwest. The next summer, I chose not to return as an actor, but instead, came back as an Assistant Director to the Artistic Director on The Tempest. In fact, for my last two years at ISU, I had the great privilege of working as the Assistant to the Artistic Director of the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, and was chiefly responsible for scheduling and auditioning actors, setting up auditions and related events throughout the country, and establishing and maintaining correspondence between actors and the Festival.
After finishing all my coursework on campus, I moved to Chicago, to complete two professional directing internships. While there, I assistant directed a new play called Tree at the Award-Winning Victory Gardens Biograph Theatre, and later Assistant Directed an award-winning new play called The Outgoing Tide, starring Tony-Winners John Mahoney, Rondi Reed, and an original founding member of Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre Company, Thom Cox.
After three rigorous, challenging, but ultimately rewarding years, I proudly graduated with an MFA in Directing from Illinois State University (GPA: 4.0). Over the course of three years, I directed the following plays: It's Complicated, This Property is Condemned, Blackbird, A Perfect Wedding, Macbeth and Les Liaisons Dangereuses.
The Homecoming: Maine
After graduate school, I felt the gentle tug of New England urging me back. I had spent three stressful and chaotic years at ISU, and I felt the urge to return to a simpler way of life, and one surrounded by familiar friends and beautiful nature. I had known many friends that had left Maine and later returned, and those who never left at all. They all knew something I didn't know. At least until now. After nearly 20 years of living and working in other countries and across the United States (what I jokingly refer to as the Diaspora), I finally surrendered and went home again.
While there, I worked as an Instructor at Bangor Adult and Community Education, teaching classes in Acting, Improvisation, and Shakespeare. Furthermore, I served as an Associate Director at the country's most Northeastern professional theatre company -- Bangor's Penobscot Theatre Company. Penobscot Theatre is now housed in the historic Bangor Opera House (pictured below), that was in fact the very first stage I ever acted on - over 30 years ago! I had not worked at Penobscot since 1994, and it was exciting to have the chance to return. On my first production, I assisted the new Artistic Director on her first PTC production of Boeing, Boeing. Next, I directed a new play called Private Property as part of PTC's annual Northern Writes New Work Festival. In the fall of 2012, I had the proud pleasure of directing the first show of the 2012/ 2013 season: Always...Patsy Cline. The show was a tremendous critical and commercial success, and sold out the entire run. In the spring of 2013, I directed the new play A Position of Relative Importance in PTC's annual Northern Writes New Work Festival.
In early 2013, I was hired to direct a play for Hermon High School, that went on to win the Maine Drama Council's Regional Drama Festival, and was runner-up at States. The production was further honored with several individual awards for acting and design. That summer, I returned to the stage to act in The Tempest.
The Bangor Opera House (1920)
Home to the Penobscot Theatre Company, Bangor, ME
Photo: QT Luong / Terragalleria.com
In 2013, I also launched my own acting studio, called Mainestage Actors Studio & Talent (MAST). At MAST, we offered classes in acting, acting for the camera, improvisation, playwriting for teens, voice acting, Shakespeare, scene study, accents & dialects, and more. The studio produced dozens of acting students, and was successful for six years, only closing once I moved back to Boston.
Boston Calling
In 2018, I returned to Boston and secured a position as Interpretive Programs Developer at the Old State House Museum. The Old State House is the oldest building in Boston, and dates back to 1713. It was the seat of Royal power in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War. The museum has been around since 1881, but its relatively new mission was to become more inclusive and tell stories about African Americans, Native Americans, women, and other marginalized groups who often get excluded from the history books. In that capacity, I served as a director, who commissioned playwrights to write original historic plays that deal with the legacy of slavery and oppression in the Old State House's history. I directed and produced these plays, and hired and oversaw actors, designers, and stage managers. I created a budget and executed payroll every week. In 2020, the pandemic hit, and I left the Old State House to pursue other jobs.
Old State House
Boston, MA
Today...
Screenwriting & Directing Work
At the moment, I am writing a screenplay for a gothic horror film set in Maine, with a strong undercurrent of social justice and commentary, much like the film, "Get Out." In fact, I am writing the film on spec, and will be pitching the script to Jordan Peele and Stephen King to produce. I am also working on three other screenplays at the moment. The first one is an adaptation of "Macbeth" set in post-apocalyptic Scotland after Trump, climate change, and a global pandemic has ravaged the world. The second is a found footage horror film set in a real abandoned ghost town in Gloucester, MA called 'Dogtown.' This film is inspired by 'The Blair Witch Project,' Hitchcock's 'Psycho,' David Eggers' 'The Witch,' the mythos of HP Lovecraft, and the work of Stephen King. The third screenplay is a two-part biopic on Bobby Kennedy, with a focus on his early life at Milton Academy and Harvard University. It is tentatively titled 'The Making of Bobby.'
All three films are committed to social justice and bridging cultural divides and bringing salve and dialogue to communities in conflict. Our fractured and divided nation needs films like this now more than ever.
With each of these films, I am hoping to direct as well.
My dream is to submit these films to festivals, win some awards, get distributed by a major studio, and finally launch my career as a writer-director auteur. Once established, my dream is to live in Beacon Hill, Boston and work as a part-time professor at Emerson College, where I teach classes in acting, stage/ film directing, and screenwriting. I am supremely confident in my potential, talent, and ability, and will work until my final breath to make this dream a reality.
