Henry Woronicz

Henry Woronicz

Visiting Assistant Professor, Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance

Acting

  • hworonic@indiana.edu
  • Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center -
  • Office Hours
    M-F
    By Appointment Only

Education

  • B.A., Communication Arts and Sciences, Bridgewater State College, 1976

About

Renowned actor Henry Woronicz returned to Bloomington in January 2014 as a visiting faculty member and guest artist with the Indiana University Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance. As part of his visiting faculty appointment, Henry played the title role in the IU Theatre production of King Lear, directed by Henry’s partner and IU emeriti associate professor Fontaine Syer.

Henry Woronicz is a nationally recognized actor, director, and producer and former head of the M.F.A. Acting Program at Illinois State University. He has worked with American Conservatory Theatre, Berkeley Rep, Arden Theatre Company, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Delaware Theatre Company, The Shakespeare Theatre, Center Stage, Indiana Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Berkley Repertory, Boston Shakespeare Company, Seattle Shakespeare Company, and numerous Shakespeare Festivals. Henry spent 11 seasons at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and served as its artistic director. In 1996, he directed a Chinese language production of School for Scandal in Hong Kong. Henry appeared in Julius Caesar on Broadway with Denzel Washington. At IU Theatre Henry appeared for Indiana Festival Theatre, where he played Nat Miller in Ah, Wilderness! and Egeon in The Comedy of Errors.

He spent seven years at Oregon Shakespeare Festival acting in many roles: as Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew and the title roles in many productions, including Peer Gynt, Cyrano de Bergerac, and Henry VIII. His early directing credits included Romeo and Juliet, Henry IV, part 2, Other People's Money, "Master Harold"...and the Boys, and Sea Marks. In 1991, he followed Jerry Turner as OSF's third artistic director. After assuming the role of artistic director, Woronicz continued to act and direct. During those years he directed Pravda, Hamlet, The Rehearsal, Cymbeline, and All's Well That Ends Well. He was artistic director from 1991 to 1995.

In 2005, Woronicz appeared on Broadway in Julius Caesar at the Belasco Theatre. In 2006, he directed Pericles, Prince of Tyre at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival and Coriolanus in 2007 at the Utah Shakespearean Festival. He played Leontes in The Winter's Tale at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, MA and has appeared in plays at the Indiana Repertory Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and the American Players Theatre. In 2009, he served in a consulting capacity as the executive producer of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, producing productions of Measure For Measure and Much Ado About Nothing at the Festival's amphitheater in Sand Harbor State Park, on the shores of Lake Tahoe. From 2009 to 2012, Mr. Woronicz was on the faculty of the School of Theatre and Dance at Illinois State University, where he served as the head of Graduate Acting.

He has acted in films and television shows from 1991 to the present. The films in which he has acted include Primary Colors, Living Out Loud, and Little Pieces. Television credits include parts in Seinfeld, Ally McBeal, Ed, Frasier, Moesha, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Cheers, Picket Fences, Third Watch, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, and Law & Order.