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He directed “ The Marvelous Wonderettes : Dream On ,” the sole 2021 PSST ! musical as well as “ Mamma Mia ,” during the last full PSST ! season in 2019 . He directed the past Peach State productions of “ Million Dollar Quartet ” and “ Ring of Fire .” He performed in Jekyll Island productions .
Rion also performed as a student in VSU Theatre . He graduated VSU in 1993 with a bachelor of fine arts in theatre . He earned a master of fine arts in directing from the City University of New York ’ s Brooklyn College .
“ Rion boasts an extensive record of service as a director and educator at the Young Adult Institute in New York City ; Satellite High School in Satellite Beach , Fla .; Riverside Children ’ s Theatre in Vero Beach , Fla .; College of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City , N . C .; Satellite Academy of Fine Arts in Satellite Beach ; and The Henegar in Melbourne , Fla .,” according to VSU .
He was hired in 2021 as PSST ! artistic director and as a VSU associate professor of theatre .
As artistic director , he has set a challenging gauntlet for himself . Not only does he and Guthrie
plan to bring three full musical shows in rotating repertory to the Sawyer Theatre stage from June 3 through July 23 , Rion plans to direct two of the shows .
– Rodgers & Hammerstein ’ s “ Cinderella ” Rion directs this classic that originally premiered on Broadway in 1957 but features the updates from the Broadway revival from a few years ago , he said . Opens June 3 .
– Ain ’ t Misbehavin ’ This show features the music of Fats Waller performed by a cast of five performers . Opens June 17 .
– Sister Act Rion directs this live musical based on the popular Whoopi Goldberg comedy about a woman hiding out in a convent . Opens June 24 .
More information on season passes , tickets , visit www . valdosta . edu / psst for more details .
10 Valdosta Scene | June 2022