Residency Artist - Theatre

Frank J. Lucas

13327 Lake Shore Blvd.
Bratenahl, OH  44108
Phone: (216) 451-0770
Email: pranaslietuva@ameritech.net

In my residencies I try to guide the students through the entire process of live theatre. It is a very "hands on" experience for not only the students but for the teachers as well. Some of my most successful residencies have been ones in which, with my guidance, the students wrote, produced, and performed. By doing this, it gives everyone involved a sense of accomplishment and ownership. With that comes pride. It is very important to me to get not only the students and teachers involved but the parents and community as well. In many of my residencies the students have developed a project that has dealt with something of local interest, historical significance or curriculum based. In one such residency, the students told the story of battle that took place in the area. The students wrote the story and the parents built an entire fort for the performance of this outdoor drama. During the entire process, I try to share with the students all the things I've learned. I want them to understand the discipline of the art. I hope to impart to them that the creative process is not only for the arts but also for anything they do in their lives. I share with them my experiences-my successes and failures.

I continue to work on theatre projects across the country, because I feel it is important for me to continually grow as an artist. By doing this, I have always something fresh to bring to the residency experience. I continue to direct professional and community projects and have recently collaborated with a Pulitzer nominated playwright on a play this is ready to be work-shopped.

After attending Kent State University, I spent time in New York as an actor working in national tours and the soaps. I became a member of the OAC residency program in 1984. Since that time I have been a member of the former resident acting company of The Cleveland Play House and have performed with the Great Lakes Theatre Festival and Carousel Dinner Theatre. I have been a guest lecturer and director at Bowling Green State University and Otterbein College. I was Director of Performing Arts for Long Lake Camp for the Arts in New York State for eleven years. I have served as artistic director for the Bratenahl Playhouse and East Cleveland Theatre as well as the Bristol Valley Theatre in Naples, New York.