Rich Dionne

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

Rich Dionne received his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Bucknell University and an additional master’s in fine arts from Purdue University. He mentors Multidisciplinary Engineering students concentrating in Theatre Engineering. He has a passion for both the art of theatre and the science and engineering of making theatre happen. Dionne has served as the technical director for numerous productions in the Department of Theatre. 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. Additionally, he has served as the 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.

Dionne is the co-director of Purdue’s Fusion Studio for Entertainment and Engineering. The Fusion Studio connects industry leaders with scholars and practitioners, provides space for development and exploration, and inspires pedagogical innovation at the nexus of engineering and live entertainment.

Dionne is the author of Project Planning for the Stage: Tools and Techniques for Managing Extraordinary Performances (Southern Illinois University Press) and is co-author with Michael Gillette of the eighth edition of Theatrical Design and Production (McGraw-Hill). He is the Commissioner of Technical Production of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology and an ETCP-Certified Theatre Rigger (#2928).