Teaching Artists

Denice Hicks (Artistic Director)  In 2005, Ms. Hicks returned to Nashville Shakespeare Festival as Artistic Director, a position she held from 1998-2002.  During that time she directed Twelfth Night, The Tempest, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Shakespeare in the Park and numerous touring shows and initiated the Apprentice Company training program for teens.  Ms. Hicks was a member of the original Artistic Company of the Tennessee Repertory Theatre, and in 1990 co-founded Nashville’s Darkhorse Theater.  Her work has been praised by the Tennessean, Nashville City Search and The City Paper, and has received “Best Actor” and “Best Director” awards from each of those publications.  A teaching artist for the Nashville Institute for the Arts, the Leonard Bernstein Center and TPAC Education since 1994, she continues to act and direct for regional professional companies such as, People’s Branch Theatre, Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theater, Tennessee Rep, Dollywood, and the Nashville Children’s Theatre.

Claire Syler (Education Director) received a B.A. in Theatre from the University of Missouri and a M.F.A. in Directing from the University of Memphis. As an educator, Ms. Syler is an adjunct professor in the Department of Theatre & Dance at Belmont University. Additionally, she is a teaching artist for the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and the Nashville Children’s Theatre.  An actress and director, Ms. Syler’s professional credits include the Nashville Shakespeare Festival, People’s Branch Theatre, Green Room Projects, Playhouse on the Square, Missouri Repertory Theatre, and the Huron Playhouse.  Most recently, she directed The Two Gentlemen of Verona as part of The Nashville Shakespeare Festival's 20th season of Shakespeare in the Park.

Jon Royal (Teaching Artist in Residence) is a local actor, director, and teacher who got his start with students in the summer of 1990 working for the YMCA of Middle Tennessee’s childcare department and has been instructing youth ever since.  He is the co founder of the Voices Arts Institute for Youth in Murfreesboro, and served as its Artistic Director from 2000-2002.  He is a teaching artist for numerous arts educational programs in Middle Tennessee including TPAC education’s Artsmart and Wolftrap programs, Nashville Children’s Theatre, Stageworks, and The Nashville Shakespeare Festival.  Jon has also taught master classes for youth and teens in Russia, Finland, and Latvia.  He has appeared as an actor in productions by Nashville Shakespeare Festival, Nashville Children’s Theatre, MTSU Theatre, People’s Branch Theatre, Mockingbird Theatre, Actor’s Bridge, and The Nashville Opera Association.

Marin Miller (Teaching Artist)   Local professional actress and teaching artist, Ms. Miller has taught workshops and led theatre camps in places as far away as Belmullet in County Mayo, Ireland to right here in Music City, working with such organizations as the Nashville Shakespeare Festival, Nashville's Metropolitan Parks and Recreation, Nashville Children's Theatre, Stageworks, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, and Mill Mountain Theatre, to name a few.  Her Shakespearean acting credits include Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Arkansas Shakespeare Festival), Lady Macbeth (Nashville Shakespeare Festival) and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet with the highly acclaimed Minnesota Orchestra and broadcast live on Minnesota Public Radio. Specializing in workshops geared towards the physical discovery and kinesthetic understanding of language and character, Marin Miller is graduate of The University of the South at Sewanee and a member of Actors' Equity Association.