Education

• M.F.A., Acting, University of Texas at Austin
• B.A., Dramatic Arts, University of Wisconsin-Parkside

Background

After teaching theatre in the (now former) UW-College System for five years and adjuncting at WLC for one year, Simon was called to teach theatre full-time at WLC beginning in July of 2013. In 2021-2022, Simon was named head of the WLC Theatre Department as well as the Director of WLC Theatre Programming. Although he mainly teaches acting courses and directs one to two shows per year, Simon has also taught Theatre History, Vocation in Theatre 2, Stage Makeup Studio, Directing, Diversity in Contemporary American Theatre, and Survey of American Musical Theatre.

Beyond teaching, Simon continues to be a very active professional actor. Well known for his work in local and regional commercials, voiceovers, and independent and feature film work, Simon made his network TV debut in November of 2022 playing role of Dave in a guest-starring role in an episode of the NBC hit show Chicago Fire. In 2020, Simon received a "Best Actor" nomination at the 2020 International Christian Film and Music Festival for his role as August Star in "The Author, The Star, and the Keeper." That same year, Simon won “Best Actor in a Drama Short” at the Salty Earth Film Festival. His theatre work includes lead and supporting roles with the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, American Players Theatre, First Stage Children’s Theatre, Acacia Theatre, In Tandem Theatre, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Theatre X, and New American Theatre, You can find out more about Simon's professional work by visiting his professional website at simonjonprovan.com.

Special Interests and Research Topics

While I am a Stanislavski based actor, I continue to learn about and investigate other acting approaches, such as Viewpoints, Chekov, Viola Spolin, and Laban. I bring my knowledge of these techniques to the classroom, broadening each students experience while also encouraging students to learn even more approaches to acting.

Teaching

• Acting 1
• Acting 2
• Acting on Camera
• Performance Studio 1
• Performance Studio 2
• Auditioning
• Vocation in Theatre
• Stage Makeup Studio
• Theatre History

PLAYS AND MUSICALS DIRECTED at Wisconsin Lutheran College

• Eleven Stations of Shakespeare
• Barefoot in the Park
• You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
• A Time of Hope: Songs from Broadway
• Alone Together
• The Glass Menagerie
• She Loves Me
• Valentine's Day
• The Cherry Sisters Revisited
• Life, Death, and a Few Things in Between: An Evening of One Acts
• W;T
• A Doll’s House
• The Miser
• Lily Dale
• Sleepwalking
• In Spite of Thunder: The Macbeth Project
• Becky’s New Car

Memberships

• Actor's Equity Association (AEA/Equity)
• Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE)
• Christians in Theatre Arts (CITA)