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EDUCATION

MFA, New York University

 

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Musical theatre, performance, directing, lyric writing, libretto writing, composition, digital arts, music theory, musical theatre history.

 

COURSES

THTR 1150 Introduction to Theatre
THTR 2681 Acting I
THTR 2682 Acting II
GAH 2272 Lyric Writing for Song and Stage
GAH 2288 Broadway Bound: Musical Theatre

BIOGRAPHY

Aaron is an Assistant Professor of Theatre/Directing. Having served on the faculty at SUNY Buffalo State and Quinnipiac University, Aaron has maintained an active career in the arts and entertainment industry—appearing in over a dozen national commercials, recording voiceover narrations for books and films, and appearing in TV shows on NBC and HBO. Off-Off-Broadway: The Prelude Festival: ...And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi and We Are Proud to Present...; New Dramatist: DJ & Jess and Sistah’s: A Love Story. Regional Theatre: Yale Repertory Theatre: Death of Salesman w/ Charles S. Dutton & Stephen McKinley Henderson, A Woman of No Importance, Richard II, w/ Jeffery Carlson; Illinois Shakespeare Festival: Taming of the Shrew, Titus Andronicus, A Midsummer Night's Dream; Elm Shakespeare Company: Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure, Macbeth w/ Alvin Epstein, and The Winter’s Tale—for which he won a Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Best Debut Performance; The Christians at Road Less Travelled Productions (Artie Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama) Dancing in the Dark (world-premiere) w/ Aja Naomi King; Kavinoky Theatre: City of Conversation; Buffalo Laboratory Theatre: Wonder of the World. Film/TV: The First Purge (Universal Pictures), American Hustle (Columbia Pictures; Golden Globe winner for Best Movie, 10 Academy Award nominations), and Why I Murdered My Roommate (pilot).

Aaron has performed narrations with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (Peter & The Wolf, Peter Pan, Carnival of the Animals, and T’was The Night Before Christmas) and can be seen as architect John E. Brent in the documentary Through These Gates, exhibited at the Burchfield Penny Art Center. Aaron has directed at the Paul Robeson Theatre (Detroit ’67, Blood at the Root), Against the Grain Theater Festival (Night with the Dream Keeper), Elm Shakespeare Company (Hamlet), and SUNY Buffalo State (Brothers Size, Motherf**ker with the Hat, Doctor In Spite of Himself, and Blood at the Root). Aaron was the voice of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre's 2016-2017 season's TV ads "Now more than ever!"

 

WEBSITE

 

 

EDUCATION

MFA, Yale School of Drama

 

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Acting, directing, performance theory, dramatic theory, television and film

 

COURSES

GAH 2246 Introduction to Acting
THTR 2320 Stage Movement
THTR 3180 Directing for the Stage 
THTR 3683 Acting III

 

PERFORMANCES AND DIRECTED WORKS

Moss, Aaron, perf. The First Purge. Dir. Gerard McMurray. Perf. Y’lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Jovian Wade. Universal Pictures, 2018.

The Christians. By Lucas Hnath, directed by Scott Behrend, performances by Aaron Moss (as Associate Pastor), Dave Hayes, and Lisa Vitrano, Road Less Travelled Productions, April 19-May 20, 2018, Buffalo, NY. Award: Artie Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama and Outstanding Production of a Play

Moss, Aaron, perf. The Greenfields Advertisement. Airing on CBS. WIVB, Buffalo, NY. 2018.

Moss, Aaron, perf. Heritage Moments Series: W.E.B. DuBois’ The Niagara Movement Manifesto. Dir. Jeff Klein. National Public Radio. Feb. 2018.  

Moss, Aaron, director. Blood at the Root. By Dominique Morisseau, performances by Kayla Bennett, Andy Noel, Azarias Soto, Kelsey Jeffs, Eliza Zanoli-Styles, and Mark Bogumil, Paul Robeson Theatre, October 13-29, 2017, Buffalo, NY.

Moss, Aaron, perf. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. CBS. New York, Dec. 2016.

Wonder of the World. By David Lindsay-Abaire, directed by Taylor Doherty, performances by Aaron Moss (as Captain Mike) and Anne Boucher, Buffalo Laboratory Theatre, 15 Sept.-2 Oct., 2016, Shea’s 710 Theatre, Buffalo, NY.

Moss, Aaron, perf. Buffalo Niagara Medical Center Advertisement. Prod. Pagent Films. Online, 2016.

Moss, Aaron, director. A Night with the Dream Keeper. By Austin Lamewona, performances by Roosevelt Tidwell, Drayson Colbert, and Kai B. Lewis, Against the Grain Theatre Festival, 18 August Buffalo, NY.

Moss, Aaron, perf. Through These Gates: Buffalo’s First African-American Architect, John E. Brent. Dir. Sandy White. Mustard Seed World Productions. DVD. 2016.

Peter & The Wolf. By Sergei Prokofiev, conducted by Stefan Sanders, performances by Aaron Moss and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, 17 April 2016. Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY.

Moss, Aaron, director. Detroit ’67. By Dominique Morisseau, performances by Gary-Kai Fletcher, Candice Whitfield, Annette Christian, and , Paul Robeson Theatre, 14-29 May, 2015, Buffalo, NY. (Awards: Katherine Cornel Award for Excellence by Lead Actor, Art Voice nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play.)

City of Conversation. By Anthony Giardina, directed by Robert Waterhouse, performances by Adrianno Gatto, Kristin Tripp Kelley, Debbie Pappas Sham, Steve Jackiel, and Aaron Moss (Donald Logan), Kavinoky Theatre, February-March, 2016, Buffalo, NY. (Art Voice Award nomination for best production)

Moss, Aaron, actor (Duke Orsino). Twelfth Night. By William Shakespeare, directed by James Andreassi, performances by Andrea Goldman, Paula Plum, and ?, Elm Shakespeare Company, 16 Aug.-5 Sept., 2015, New Haven, CT.

Carnival of the Animals. By Camille Saint-Saens, conducted by Stefan Sanders, performances by Aaron Moss and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, 3 May 2015. Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY.

Moss, Aaron, perf. Why I Murdered My Roommate (t.v. pilot). Dir. Michael Pauley. DVD. The New Hotness, 2015.

Peter Pan. By James Newton Howard, conducted by Stefan Sanders, performances by Aaron Moss and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, 3 May 2015. Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY.

T’was The Night Before Christmas. By Bob Phillips, conducted by Stefan Sanders, performances by Aaron Moss and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, 6 December 2014. Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY.

Moss, Aaron, perf. American Hustle. Dir. David O. Russell. Perf. Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DiNiro. Columbia Pictures, 2013. (Awards: Golden Globe winner for Best Film; 11 Academy Award Nominations)

Macbeth. By William Shakespeare, directed by Alan Burrows, performances by Aaron Moss (Thane of Ross), Mark Zeisler, Marianna Bassham, and James Andreassi, Elm Shakespeare Company, August-September, 2012, New Haven, CT.

Moment to Moment: Shakespeare’s Recitations. Perf. James Andreassi, Jeremy Funke, Kerry Tartar, Aaron Moss. DVD.  Yale Center for British Art, 2012.

Measure for Measure. By William Shakespeare, directed by James Andreassi, performances by Aaron Moss (Lucio), Eric Martin Brown, Mark Zeisler, and Sarah Grace Brown, Elm Shakespeare Company, August-September 2011, New Haven, CT.

We Are Proud to Present… By Jackie Drury-Sibblings, directed by Eric Ting, performances by Aaron Moss, and… Prelude Festival, 2011, CUNY, New York.

Jess & DJ: A Baby Mamma Dramedy. By Natali Naman, directed by Jessi Hill, performances by Aaron Moss and Celestine Rae, New Dramatists, April 2011, New York.

Le Costume (workshop). By Peter Brook, directed and produced by Peter Brook, Marie- Hélène Estienne and Tarell Alvin-McCraney, performances by Aaron Moss (Husband) and Keith Eric Chappelle, New York University, 2011, New York.  

The Winter’s Tale. By William Shakespeare, directed by James Andreassi, performances by Aaron Moss (Autolycus), Nadia Bowers, and Mark Zeisler, Elm Shakespeare Company, Aug-Sept 2010, New Haven, CT. (Connecticut Critics Circle Award—Best Debut Performance, Aaron Moss)


And Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi. By Marcus Gardley, directed by Tea Aleric, performances by Aja Naomi King, Stanley Wayn-Matthis, and Aaron Moss (Per Brae), Prelude Festival, CUNY, 2010, New York.

Sistahs: A Love Story. By Harrison David Rivers, directed by Tea Alergic, performances by Aja Naomi King and Aaron Moss, New Dramatists, 2010, New York.

Death of a Salesman. By Arthur Miller, directed by James Bundy, performances by Charles S. Dutton, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Ato Essandoh, Kimberly Scott, Aja Naomi King, Stanley Wayne Mathis, Billy Eugene Jones, Thomas Jefferson Byrd, and Aaron Moss, Yale Repertory Theatre, May 2009, New Haven, CT.

Taming of the Shrew. By William Shakespeare, directed by Catherine Weidner, performances by Aaron Moss (Hortensio), Daniel Harray, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, June-August, 2008, Bloomington, IL.

Midsummer Night’s Dream. By William Shakespeare, directed by Robert Quinlan, performances by Aaron Moss (Oberon/Theseus) and Magdalyn Donnelly, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, June-August, 2008, Bloomington, IL.

Titus Andronicus. By William Shakespeare, directed by Catherine Weidner, performances by Robert Ramirez, Robert Anderson, and Aaron Moss (Publius), Illinois Shakespeare Festival, June-August, 2008, Bloomington, IL.

A Woman of No Importance. By Oscar Wilde, directed by James Bundy, performances by Bryce Pinkham, Felicity Jones, and Aaron Moss (Mr. Kelvil), Yale Repertory Theatre, May 2008, New Haven, CT.

 

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Actor’s Equity Association  
Society of Stage Directors & Choreographers

BIOGRAPHY

Venustiano lived in Brooklyn, New York and was a freelance designer working the New York City theater-scape prior to joining the Theatre program at ������Ƶ in 2010. Professional theatre design credits in New York City included designing the costumes for the pre-Broadway Tour of Mario Fratti’s Encounter 500…Cristoforo Colombo and designing the scenery and costumes for Gifts from the Attic starring the legendary screen actor Mickey Rooney. Off-Broadway credits include Rainbow with Tony Award winning actress Debbie Shapiro-Gravitte, Annie Wobbler, which earned mention and praise in the New York Times review of the show, The Writing on the Wall, starring HBO Soprano’s co-star Michael Imperioli, The First Time, Guadeloupe, and Get Any Guy through Psychic Mind Control. Venustiano served as the resident scenic designer and technical director for St. Bart’s Playhouse, the longest-running community theatre in New York City and The Westbeth Theatre Center. He was also the Technical Director of the Theatre department at Brooklyn College. Venustiano was a founding member and producing artistic director for a non-profit theatre company in Upstate New York. He was also the resident scenic and costume designer, for twenty-four years, designing numerous musicals for the theatre company. He has also directed musicals for the company. While in upstate New York, Venustiano was an adjunct faculty member for the Theatre department at Siena College teaching the design and stagecraft courses. Regional theater works include designing scenery and costumes for Candlewood Playhouse in Connecticut and Shawnee Playhouse in Pennsylvania. At ������Ƶ, Venustiano designed the scenery for Seussical, Ajax, Into the Woods, Avenue Q, The Family Project, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He also designed the costumes for Seussical, The Underpants, Ajax, A Year with Frog and Toad, Intimate Apparel, Stones from God, Tartuffe, and The Tempest.