Northern Illinois University
School of Theatre and Dance
College of Visual and Performing Arts

Alexander Gelman is a Russian-born and American-trained director, who received his training at Boston University. Mr. Gelman has worked as a director and translator of plays from Russian to English. His many productions include Eugene Onegin, L'Incoronazione di Poppea, Turn of the Screw, L'Italiana in Algeri, Camelot, Twelfth Night, Side by Side by Sondheim, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, Die Fledermaus, The Threepenny Opera, The Taming of the Shrew, Stage Struck, Barber of Seville, La Traviata, Carmen, School for Wives, Waiting for Godot, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Journey of the Fifth Horse, Tartuffe, Tango, The Lion in Winter, and The Burning Fiery Furnace.

He has worked at such theatres as American Repertory Theatre, Arena Stage Company, Canterbury Opera (Christchurch, New Zealand), Chicago Lyric Opera, Utah Opera, Ashlawn-Highland Music Festival, Chattanooga Opera Association, Hartford Stage Company, The Acting Company, New York Shakespeare Festival, Minneapolis Children's Theatre Company, Emmy Gifford Theatre, and The Juilliard School of Drama.

In addition to his duties as Presidential Engagement Professor, he also serves as the producing artistic director of the Organic Theater Company in Chicago. His many productions there have included $30,000 Bequest, Bartleby the Scrivener, The Secret Agent, Theophilus North, Rhinoceros, Emigrants, Caligula and many others.

Prior to joining NIU, he taught at University of Utah and University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he headed MFA directing programs. Mr. Gelman has also assisted such notable East European directors as Andrei Serban, Yuri Lyubimov, Lucian Pintilie, and Yuri Yeremin.