Janet Rodgers is Professor Emerita of Theatre, Virginia Commonwealth University where she taught for 25 years, was Head of Performance for seven years and created the first MFA with emphasis in Voice and Speech Pedagogy in the USA. Prior to coming to VCU, she taught at the Boston Conservatory of Music and was principal actress with The Boston Shakespeare Company and Boston’s Lyric Stage as well as performing Off Broadway at La Mama Theatre.

In 2004, she was a Fulbright Scholar to Romania where she taught at two universities while coaching actors at the Radu Stanca National Theatre in Sibiu. In Serbia she has worked extensively with the DAH Theatre of Belgrade.

Janet directed American and Romanian students in a production of Caryl Churchill’s play, Mad Forest, which was performed at the Sibiu International Theatre Festival in 2004. Recently she was recognized as ‘Distinguished Member’ for her many years of leadership in the international Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA) and also received the ‘Distinguished Teaching Award’ from VCU’s School of the Arts.

Ms. Rodgers’ writings include The Complete Voice and Speech Workout (Applause Books, NYC: 2002, Acting and Singing with Archetypes (co-author Frankie Armstrong) (Limelight Editions, NYC: 2009) and, most recently, Irena Gut: Only a Girl (available for performances only).

Ms. Rodgers holds a BA in Theatre Arts and Speech from Mount Holyoke College and an MFA in Theatre Arts from Brandeis University. She has done further study at The American Center for the Performing Arts, London’s National Theatre and Harvard University’s American Repertory Theatre.

Actor, director, teacher and writer, Ms. Rodgers’ career has always been devoted to the highest principles of the art of theatre and helping actors achieve their best performances.