Rusty Tennant

Rusty Tennant

Artists Rep Credits

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Rusty Tennant

Rusty Tennant is the Artistic Director of Fuse Theatre Ensemble. They have an MFA in Directing and Performance from the University of New Orleans and a BA in Theatre (Dance Specialization) from Michigan State University.

Selected Regional Credits:
Directing: The Reason for the Season (Director, Artists Rep), Ten Chimneys (Asst. Director, [Dámaso Rodriguez, dir.] Artists Rep), A Streetcar Named Desire (Asst. Dir., Fight Choreographer [Jon Kretzu, dir] Artists Rep).

Acting: Carousel (Chorus, Gary English, dir. Connecticut Rep), House of Plunder (Gen. Claiborne, Ryan Rilette, dir. Southern Rep), Mother Courage (Swiss Cheese, Robert Benedetti, dir. Nevada Conservatory Theatre), Hamlet (Osricke, John Basil, dir. The American Globe).

Recent Portland productions:
Directing: Cabaret (OUTwright/Fuse, six 2019 Drammy Awards including: Outstanding Production of a Musical, Outstanding Ensemble, and Outstanding Director), Assassins, Blonde on a Bum Trip, The Pursuit of Happiness, Sordid Lives, Stupid Kids, Under the Influence (Director, OUTwright/Fuse), King Lear (Director, Post5), Rope (Director, Bag&Baggage), The Last Days, King Lear, Stupid Kids (Director, Post5), A View from the Bridge (C0-Director, Fuse), Sonnetscape (Director/Performer, Fuse), Suburban Tribe (Co-Director, Fuse), The Great White Trilogy, The Play About My Father, Our Town, Fear of Speaking, Tether: ADHD+BDSM, unde+ec+able (Director, Fuse).

Acting: The God Cluster (Howard), As You Like It (Touchstone/Jaques, Portland Actors Ensemble), Spinning into Butter (Mr. Meyers, Bag&Baggage), The Importance of Being Frank (Fuse), Richard III (Buckingham, Post5), HenryIV 1 (Falstaff, Post5), A Midsummer Night’s Somnambulism (Bottom, Fuse).

Set Design: Jesus Hopped the A-Train (Beirut Wedding), Assassins, The Great White Trilogy, Our Town, Blonde on a Bum Trip, A View from the Bridge, The Play About My Father, I am an Actress, (Fuse/OUTwright), The Last Days, King Lear (Post5)

Rusty serves as the Technical Director at Reed College and served as faculty, adjunct faculty and guest artist at multiple colleges and universities. They are also the Producing Artistic Director of The OUTwright Theatre Festival, a celebration of the LGBTQIA+ contribution to theatre that is held annually in Portland, OR. They have won Drammy awards in directing and design, a Storer Boone Award for directing, and an OOBR award for performing in The American Globe’s Hamlet.

A closet playwright, to date Rusty has penned 9 plays: Recta’s Christmas CareHOLE, Estra Jen and T-Boy, Dude Ranch, The Importance of Being Frank, unde+ec+able, Trash, The Night I Kissed Oscar Wilde, My Sp_ce, and Dead Name as well as adapting numerous Shakespeare texts.