Newman Plays

Bio

Dr. Newman is a professor of theatre at Utah Valley University and the director of the Noorda Theatre Center for Children and Youth.  He lives with his family in Sandy City, Utah.

Newman stands in for Laren in the UVU production of Princess Academy, which he adapted from Shannon Hale’s novel.

Dr. Newman became the first recipient of the Reba R. Robertson Award from the Children’s Theatre Foundation of America.  At UVU, Dr. Newman has directed The Secret Garden, Princess Academy, and Androcles and the Lion in the Noorda Theatre.  He has also served as the director of the Noorda Theatre Summer Camp and has produced or co-produced touring productions including A Village Fable, The Princess and the Goblin, Honk!, and Pedro’s Magic Shoes.  As a playwright, he has adapted scripts for Newbery medalists including Avi, Paul Fleischman, and Richard Peck.  Newman taught and directed at Highland High School for eighteen years, from 1991 to 2010 with a sabbatical to Texas in 1998-99.  He served as Artistic Director of the Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts during the 2009-2010 school year.   Newman earned his B.F.A.and M.Ed. from the University of Utah, his M.A. from the University of Texas, and his Ph.D. from New York University.  With Judy Matetzschk-Campbell, he co-authored Tell Your Story: The Plays and Playwriting of Sandra Fenichel Asher.  Dr. Newman chairs the Playwrights In Our Schools Project and served three years on the board of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education.