Biography
Susan Dalian is currently Associate Artistic Director at PlayPenn New Play Development in Philadelphia where she co-produces and directs for the annual New Play Development Conference. She recently directed Stupid Fucking Bird at Cal State LA’s Theater and Dance Department as well as two staged readings with Lower Depth Theater’s Cycle of Poverty New Play Festival at A Noise Within: Bread & Circus by Marlow Wyatt and Mine by Sage Martin. In 2022 she directed Venus in Fur at The Pico Theater starring Malcolm Barrett and Cloie Wyatt Taylor. Her work as a director in new play development includes directing stage readings for theater companies such as Echo Theater Company, Inkwell Theatre Development Lab, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, IAMA, AMMO Theatre, LA Writer’s Center, MACH 33:Cal Tech w/Pasadena Playhouse and at USC’s New Works Festival where she directed a staged virtual reading of USC MFA playwright graduate Katrina D. RiChard’s play Breaking Barriers. She directed virtual performances of Troilus and Cressida, Henry VI Part 2 and Richard III for Shakespeare Santa Cruz’ Undiscovered Shakespeare Series in 2020 and 2021. Susan was Resident Director at Sierra Classic Theatre from 2014-2018 where she directed Macbeth, As You Like It, Outside Mullingar, The Merchant of Venice, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Importance of Being Earnest at Mammoth Lakes Repertory Theatre. She has been acting professionally for over 30 years in regional theater (South Coast Repertory Theater, Indiana Repertory Theater, Berkeley Repertory, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, CA Shakespeare Theater, and The Actors’ Gang, to name a few). She has also acted in lead and co-starring roles in film and television and is a voiceover artist working in animation, commercials, radio DJ and audiobooks (2021 Audie Award winner). Susan was an Associate Producer for Directors Lab West 2023 and is an alumnus of Directors Lab West 2019. She holds a BFA from Boston University and is a graduate of Baltimore School for the Arts.