What's Up With Ron OJ

RON OJ PARSON (Director/Resident Artist) hails from Buffalo, New York and is a graduate of The University of Michigan’s professional theatre program. He is a resident artist at the Tony Award-winning Court Theatre, former co-founder and artistic director of Onyx Theatre.

Recent Directing credits The Lion in Winter, Arsenic and Old Lace, and Two Trains Running at Court Theatre, Toni Stone at Goodman, Trouble in Mind at TimeLine Theatre, Relentless with both TimeLine and Goodman, and The Reclamation of Madison Hemings at Indiana Repertory Theatre.

Other Chicagoland theatres Ron has worked with the Black Theatre Ensemble, Congo Square Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Writers Theatre, Victory Gardens, Teatro Vista, Chicago Dramatists, Urban Theatre Company, Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago Theatre Company, City Lit Theatre, Northlight Theatre, ETA Creative Arts, Alabama Shakespeare, Karamu House, and Ujima Company. 

Regional theatres Ron OJ has worked with include Virginia Stage Company, Portland Stage, Studio Theatre, Studio Arena Theatre, Roundabout Theatre, Mechanic Theatre, Center Stage Baltimore, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Milwaukee Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Ensemble Cincinnati, St. Louis Black Rep, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, Geva Theatre, Signature Theatre (New York), Alliance Theatre, South Coast Rep, and Pasadena Playhouse.

In Canada, Ron directed the world premiere of Palmer Park by Joanna McClelland Glass at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Ron is a proud member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, and SDC. Ron recently received a 3Arts 2021 Make a Wave Grant, the 2022 Zelda Finchandler Award, University of Chicago Diversity Award, many Jeff and Black Theatre Alliance Awards, the LA NAACP award (Jitney), is a Joyce Foundation grantee, and was named Chicagoan of the Year for Theater by the Chicago Tribune.