Craig Wells

Adjunct Professor
Theatre Arts

Photo of Craig Wells

Contact

Theatre Arts
E: Craig_wells@redlands.edu

Craig Wells was born in Newark, New Jersey, raised in Ohio, and attended Albion College in Michigan where he earned his B.A. in Speech Communications and Theatre. In his senior year, he was a production assistant on the Broadway hit, Sly Fox, starring George C. Scott and directed by Arthur Penn. He moved to NYC shortly after graduation and began pursuing a professional acting and singing career.

During his 20 years as a professional actor in NYC, Craig joined the Actors Equity Association in 1983 and in 1988 made his Broadway debut in the musical Chess (original cast recording) and a few years later joined the Broadway cast of Les Misérables. Prior to his first Broadway production, he was a regular performer in the off-Broadway hit revue, Forbidden Broadway, and can be heard on the original cast recording Forbidden Broadway Vol. 3. He also appeared off-Broadway in Closer Than Ever, Colette Collage, and Balancing Act (original cast recording). As an actor and singer, he performed at numerous regional theatres (Arena Stage, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Syracuse Stage, St. Louis MUNY) and he has been fortunate to travel around the world (China, Japan, France, Spain, Italy, Sicily, Bermuda, the Caribbean, and Hawaii), as well as spending over a year touring the United States in Les Misérables. Television credits include Reading Rainbow, All My Children, and Another World.

After moving to Vermont in 2006, Craig performed lead roles at Saint Michael’s Playhouse in The Drowsy Chaperone, Unnecessary Farce, and Rumors, and recently played “Pontius Pilate” in the UVM concert production of Jesus Christ Superstar at Royall Tyler Theatre, which he co-directed. He directed the UVM Department of Theatre and Dance’s production of A Grand Night for Singing, Stupid F#@king Bird, Hand to God, and Shakespeare in Love. At UVM, Craig taught the following classes: Introduction to Acting, Improvisation Workshop, Musical Theatre Performance, Acting III: Voice and Speech, and The Business of Show Business.

For several years, Craig worked in the marketing and advertising division of BUZZ, a monthly Los Angeles magazine. He then transitioned to the short film industry and became director of short film acquisitions for two companies based in Los Angeles and New York, meeting with student filmmakers, and acquiring short films at international and regional film festivals for distribution on cable TV, the Internet, and DVD.