MARK HAIRSTON (Dramaturg) A native of Washington, DC, Mark Hairston is a director, performer and educator with a primary focus on American theater and theater of the African diaspora. He is particularly drawn to classical works, innovative literary adaptations, and theater for community development. His recent directing highlights include Julius Caesar, The Escape; or, A Leap for Freedom, King Lear, The Cherry Orchard, and The Henry Dumas Project. Along with directing, Mark Hairston has worked extensively as a professional actor with some of the nation’s leading theater companies. He is a graduate of the MFA Directing program at Columbia University School of the Arts, received his BFA in Acting from Rutgers University, and was classically trained at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. Mark Hairston is an Assistant Professor of Directing and Acting at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.