Rich Dionne

Promoted to Clinical Associate Professor
Patti & Rusty Rueff School of Design, Art, and Performance
rdionne@purdue.edu

Rich Dionne is the Department of Theatre’s production manager and faculty technical director, specializing in scenery automation and show control systems. He has a passion for both the art of theatre and the science and engineering of making theatre happen.

Dionne is founding Faculty Fellow of the Purdue Polytechnic Institute and has served as the technical director for numerous productions in the Department of Theatre. He is author of Project Planning for the Stage: Tools and Techniques for Managing Extraordinary Performances (Southern Illinois University Press, 2018) and is co-author of the upcoming eighth edition of Theatrical Design and Production: An Introduction to Scenic Design and Construction, Lighting, Sound, Costume, and Makeup with J. Michael Gillette.

Prior to coming to Purdue, Dionne was the production manager and resident sound designer at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, where he mounted numerous productions at various indoor and outdoor venues, including a nationally recognized educational touring company. He has also served as technical director for Berkshire Theatre Festival, Alpine Theatre Project, Weston Playhouse Theatre Company, and Dorset Theatre Festival, mounting critically acclaimed productions including The Whipping Man, Barefoot in the Park, Amadeus, Night of the Iguana, Avenue Q, The Illusion, and Death of a Salesman.