Brandon Dawson

 

Brandon Dawson joined the faculty of the Department of Theatre and Dance in 2022. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the Professional Actor Training Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. While in Las Vegas, Brandon worked extensively at the Nevada Conservatory Theatre as a resident actor and fight choreographer, working alongside individuals such as Melissa Maxwell, Nate Bynum, Phil Hubbard, Paul Barnes, and the late Clarence Gilyard. In addition to his stage performances, Brandon was also able to work extensively with the clowns of Cirque du Soleil in both workshops and performances. His comedic career in Las Vegas hit a new height when he was invited to perform stand-up comedy at The STRAT on the Las Vegas Strip.

His professional acting credits extend outside of Las Vegas and stretch across the country. He has performed professionally in Texas, most notably completing a state-wide tour of Driving Miss Daisy with the Neil Simon Festival, performing alongside Sheree Wilson and the late Clarence Gilyard of Walker, Texas Ranger and Matlock fame. For five years, he was a principal cast member of the largest outdoor musical in the country, TEXAS: The Outdoor Musical. Brandon has also performed and directed extensively with Shakespeare companies in Texas, Florida, and the Carolinas, spending two seasons working with Daniel Gordon (Chair of Theatre and Dance) at the Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival.

Brandon brings a focus for classical works to Winthrop, with special emphasis given to the works of William Shakespeare. He has a particular interest in the intersection of Shakespeare's tragedies and non-Western movement styles, specifically those of Tadashi Suzuki. Through the exploration of these works in class and performance, he hopes to provide the students with a rich, worldly context for these plays that are foundational to American theatre, as well as a new point of view on contemporary American works.