Featuring L. Peter Callender

Coming Thursday May, 28th on Beyond the Boards, San Jose Stage Artistic Director - Randall King sits down with L. Peter Callender, Artistic Director of African-American Shakespeare since 2009, to discuss their collaborations, the importance of their work, and our new normal amongst the COVID-19 pandemic. As a distinguished actor and leader in our industry Mr. Callender brings a unique perspective and fresh insight to our conversations centered around the “New American Theatre”.

L. Peter Callender has worked with San Jose Stage on numerous shows, most recently starring as Pops in our 2018 production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Between Riverside and Crazy. Prior to that he served as the director for our 2016 production in association with the African-American Shakespeare Company of Jackie Sibblies Drury's Obie-Winning Play We Are Proud to Present. He has also appeared in our 2012 production of Race by David Mamet and the South Bay premiere of Oliver Mayer’s Blade to the Heat.

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About L. Peter CallendEr

L. PETER CALLENDER is a native of Trinidad, West Indies, and has worked professionally as an actor for over thirty years, more recently as a director and writer. He received his formal training in the theater at the Juilliard School in New York City; Webber/Douglas Academy in London, England; Mask Technique with Julie Taymor, and The Suzuki Technique with The Tadashi Suzuki Company in Toga-mura Japan. He has appeared on Broadway, off-Broadway, in regional theaters across the US, and has performed internationally in Japan, England and France. His New York Credits include: Tom/Jamaican Waiter in Prelude to a Kiss (Circle Rep. and at the Helen Hayes Theater on Broadway directed by Norman Rene); Off-Broadway; Roscoe in Black Eagles (directed by Ricardo Kahn at Manhattan Theater Club), Casbeque in The Caucasian Chalk Circle (directed by George C. Wolfe at the Public Theater); Caliban in The Tempest (directed by Julie Taymor at Classic Stage Company); Curio/Ensemble in Twelfth Night at the Delacorte Theater directed by Harold Guskin).

As an associate artist at the California Shakespeare Theater Mr. Callender has appeared in numerous productions. Some roles at CalShakes include: The title roles in Julius Caesar and Cymbeline, Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Capulet in Romeo and Juliet, Orsino in Twelfth Night, Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing, Polixenes in A Winter’s Tale, Navarre in Love’s Labor’s Lost, Bolingbroke in Richard II, Duke Solinus in Comedy of Errors, Laertes in Hamlet, Dukes Frederick and Senior in As You Like It, La Feu in All’s Well That ends Well, Dr. Chasuable in The Importance of Being Earnest, Vincent Crummels in Nickolas Nickleby, and Roebuck Ramsden in Man and Superman. He also teaches Acting Shakespeare Level One — for adults — each fall for CalShakes.

Other Bay Area credits: At Thick Description: Richard in Richard III, Vantyle Mayfield in Joe Louis Blues, and Mantaquilla Decima in Blade to the Heat (directed by Tony Kelly); At the Aurora Theater in Berkeley: Inquisitor in Saint Joan (directed by Barbara Oliver) and Sterling North in Permanent Collection (directed by Robin Stanton); At Berkeley Repertory Theater: Adulphus Cusins in Major Barbara, Pope Urban VIII in The Life of Galileo and The Herald in The Oresteia at (directed by Tony Taccone), and  Joe/SlangTalkMan in Spunk (directed by George C. Wolfe). American Conservatory Theater:  Steve in A Streetcar Named Desire (directed by Richard Seyd), Cleonte in Tartuffe and TJ in Insurrection: Holding History (directed by Charles Randolf-Wright) Agamemnon in Hecuba and Sebastian in The Tempest directed by Carey Perloff). At the  Lorraine Hansberry Theater: The title role in King Hedley II. Shakespeare Santa Cruz: Hortencio in The Taming of the Shrew (directed by Danny Sheie), and Krogstad in A Dolls House (directed by Michael Edwards). At The Magic Theater: The Dr.  in A Question of Mercy (directed by Benny Sato Ambush) and Gin George in Rust (directed by Raelle Myrick-Hodges). At TheaterFIRST: Jean Kyabe in World Music (directed by Dylan Russell).

Additional Regional Theaters: Milwaukee Rep (5 seasons), Portland Stage (Sizwe Banzi Is Dead, The Island), Baltimore Center Stage (Man and Superman, The Heliotrope Bouquet), Cincinnati Playhouse (Twelfth Night), Arena Stage (Playboy of the West Indies, Oak and Ivy), Pennsylvania Stage Company (A Lesson From Aloes), Walnut Street Theater (Dusky Sally), Pittsburgh Public Theater (The Hairy Ape). Dorset Theater Festival (Master Harold…and the Boys.)

On television: Nash Bridges, RocLIVE!, Kate and Allie, and George Carlin Show and many voice-overs and television commercials.  Movies: Sweet November, Nightmare Before Christmas, Dr. Doolittle, The Kiterunner, Blue Steel.

Directing credits: The Gilded Six Bits (WORD for WORD France Tour); A Raisin in the Sun and Fences (Solano College Harbor Theater, Fairfield, Ca.), Dinner at Eight, Glengarry Glen Ross (San Francisco School for the Arts).

AWARDS: Helen Hayes Award Nominations: Best Actor — Playboy of the West Indies, and Oak and Ivy; New York Audelco Award —Black Eagles; Audience Award: Best Actor — Master Harold…and the Boys, Bay Area Critics Award: Best Actor – (World Music), East Bay Express: Best Actor of the East Bay, Several Dean Goodman Awards: Outstanding Lead Actor: Twelfth Night, Cymbeline, Saint Joan, and others.

Website: www.lpetercallender.com