Dean Linnard

Just in time for Halloween, I’m pleased as punch to share that I’m one of lucky actors bringing Shakespeare’s insane bloody masterpiece “Titus Andronicus” to life in a brand new Podcast adaptation! Our sparkling new version, adapted by the brilliant Amy Freed and directed by the incandescent Danny Scheie, is the newest Play On Podcasts release from Next Chapter Podcasts. A new episode drops every week! Hear me play the demented CHIRON, the doomed MARTIUS, and many other characters. For more info and to listen to “Titus Andronicus”, visit nextchapterpodcasts.com or listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

On October 19th I will be performing in the American / English language premiere of the brilliant new solo play “Little Beast” in NYC. Written by Tobia Rossi and translated from the Italian by Caterina Nonis, I will be the sole performer of the play’s New York debut.

A bittersweet queer tale about what happens when your partner turns into something different, “Little Beast” traces a gay romance as it evolves into beyond-human territories. It’s fabulous, hilarious, horrifying, and deeply human. I love it! I hope you can join us at the Tank on Monday, October 19th at 7:00pm. More info and tickets can be found here.

On October 5th, I will have the great honor to be performing an evening of songs and stories from the musical opera piece “Least of My Children”. This musical work was composed in the 1980s by my late father, the composer Loren Linnard, and his writing partner, the librettist Bob Briggs. The piece grapples with the AIDS crisis, hope, and queer love. After lying dormant for almost 40 years, I am on a quest to bring this nearly forgotten piece to the stage.

The showcase event will feature song selections from the opera and celebrate “Least of My Children”’s remarkable historical legacy. The performance will be on Monday, October 5th at 7:00pm at Oakland Theater Project in downtown Oakland, California. Tickets are pay-what-you-can but reservations are required. Please click here for tickets and more information.

I hope you can join us for this exciting musical journey. The event will also feature the magnificent Diana Lee on piano.

 

I’m ecstatic to share that I will soon be playing Edmund in “King Lear” for Oakland Theater Project. A joy to return for a third consecutive season at this wonderful company, where I’ve previously played Louis in “Angels in America” and Hamlet in “Hamlet”.

This production of “Lear”, under the brilliant direction of artistic director Michael Moran, features a cast of 30 (!) and starts performances on September 25th. Tickets and more info here.

Here’s what the reviews had to say about my take on Edmund:

“Edmund—the bad-boy bastard son of the loyal Duke of Gloucester … is played here, quite brilliantly, by gangly Dean Linnard, as a hilariously clownish figure rather than a truly evil one.” Jean Schiffman, Bay City News

“The genius of his performance is that Edmund is not simply the villain or the Clown. He is a charmer, a placater, a chess master, and a puppeteer. He is the conductor of machinations with great cunning, and we all buy his snake oil greedily as we bask in his smile and fake affection.” Kelly Rogers Flynt, BroadwayWorld

“The other big star here is Dean Linnard’s manic take on Edmund, the bastard who connives and cajoles at every moment in his quest to usurp his brother, or, barring that, to throw everything around him into a state of chaos. It’s hard to look away from Linnard … His eyes can burn with fury, but Linnard imbues the character with a sense of uncertainty, in that you can never tell what he’s going to do or say next.” Patrick Thomas, Talkin’ Broadway

“[Lear’s] counterpoint is Edmund the Clown, played with swaggering wickedness by Dean Linnard. Wearing his headphones and directing a rave, he’s a shit-stirrer of the highest order.” Steve Murray, BroadwayWorld

“As Gloucester’s bastard son Edmund, Dean Linnard dazzles as a hyper DJ who thrives on the chaos he creates … Edmund steals center stage, other men’s wives, and his noble brother’s birthright.” Jenyth Jo, Theatrius

I’m currently playing Rene Gallimard in David Henry Hwang’s play “M. Butterfly” at San Francisco Playhouse in California, opposite this exquisite Edric Young as Song. Our scrumptious production, directed by the brilliant Bridgette Loriaux, runs through March 14th. Tickets and more information here.

Here are some review quotes:

“Dean Linnard is singularly excellent in the role of an oft-awkward Rene … As a panorama of events — real and not — explode all around his mind’s eye and on the stage before us, Dean Linnard’s own eyes are a movie screen of Rene’s near-manic switches between one memory/fantasy and another — eyes that pop, dart, paralyze in place, melt to near puddles, or escape to somewhere far away.” Eddie Reynolds, Theatre Eddys

“The two leads are absolutely stellar. Dean Linnard puts on a brilliant performance as Rene, the awkward man who longs to be more macho and popular and winds up being “loved by a perfect woman.” Emily S. Mendel, Culture Vulture

“Dean Linnard, who is onstage for virtually the entire show, is beyond compelling in the role. When his eyes widen, it’s sometimes in awe of the beauty he sees around him, but at other times his intense gaze is indicative of fear, or of his character’s attempt to make sense of the foreign environment in which he finds himself.” Patrick Thomas, Talkin’ Broadway

 

I’m overwhelmed with gratitude looking back on my artistic adventures over the past year:

I got to fulfill a lifelong dream and play the title role in “Hamlet” in a bold and bodacious production at Oakland Theater Project directed by the great Michael Moran.

My acting work was profiled by the San Francisco Chronicle.

I won two San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards for my work in Harvey Fierstein’s “Torch Song” and Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America”.

I have also been involved in several workshops and readings of exciting new plays, including:

“The Broken Ear Trilogy” (written and composed by the Bengsons) directed by Anne Kaufman and Caitlin Sullivan as part of Berkeley Rep’s Ground Floor Summer Residency Lab.

“Anna” (by Matt Minnicino) directed by Nick Piacente at the Harold Clurman Laboratory Theater.

“Lavender Men” (by Roger Q. Mason) directed by Richard Mosqueda at Z Space. 

I am more honored than ever to be forging a career in the arts with these extraordinary collaborators and companies. Many more exciting happenings are coming up in 2026, y’all. Happy New Year!

I am currently playing Hamlet in “Hamlet” – an absolute dream come true. The Oakland Theater Project production, directed by the brilliant Michael Moran, features a cast of 23 (!) and runs through September 21st. Tickets and more information can be found here.

Some fun Hamlet links:

A video interview of me discussing the play

A video trailer for the production

A podcast interview I did about Hamlet and my artistic roots.

I was profiled by the San Francisco Chronicle in the lead-up to the production. We dish on family, growing up creative, and all things Hamlet.

Here’s what the critics had to say about my performance:

“Dean Linnard’s extraordinary performance as Hamlet portrays the raw explosion of mixed feelings through movement and facial expressions: … the lightning quick, frenzied movements, the psychotic break–the earnest angst to do the right thing. But what is that? Is he truly crazy? “To Be or Not to Be,” or both.” Patricia L Morin, Front Row Review

“As Hamlet, Dean Linnard uses his elastic face and vocal dexterity to take us to new heights. Linnard runs the scales, from shocking sounds that channel his dead father to the pitch of a doomed man who fears for the safety of his beloved. Linnard’s comic timing and physical genius reveal an actor in control of detail and technique. Linnard delivers Hamlet’s beloved soliloquies with precision and passion. Clarity, thy name is Linnard.” Jenyth Jo, Theatrius

“Dean Linnard boldly paints the struggles of the title character in mellifluous iambic pentameter … He pivots vocal registers like a one-man band. In death-haunted, centuries-old words, he finds comedy and contemporary inflections that reach a welcoming hand out to Shakespeare newbies … Linnard’s eyes are deeply set, evoking the skull Hamlet famously clutches, yet they blaze with life.” Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle

 

I was honored to recently receive two San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards for my work last year in California: I won the SFBATCC award for Principal Performance – Comedy for playing Arnold in “Torch Song” at Marin Theatre and I was among the winners of the SFBATCC award for Best Ensemble as part of the cast of “Angels in America” at Oakland Theater Project. An utter delight to be recognized for these two productions that meant so much to me. A very full heart today. Lots of gratitude to the SFBATCC!

“Angels in America” and “Torch Song” in one year?!?! I’m beyond humbled to have tackled two gay classics in 2024, playing Louis in Oakland Theater Project’s production of both parts of “Angels in America”, as well as playing Arnold in Marin Theatre’s “Torch Song”. These were true bucket list experiences.

But wait – there’s more! This past year I also traveled to Maine to act in Portland Stage’s production of “The Play That Goes Wrong”, and went to California to develop the opera “Least of My Children” through Berkeley Rep’s Ground Floor Summer Residency Lab.

Thank you to all of the above organizations for being my artistic homes in 2024. It was an honor and privilege to create and play with such extraordinary artists and friends. Happy New Year!

 

Prepare the way. The Great Work Begins. This is the big one, folks. I am currently playing Louis in “Angels in America” at Oakland Theater Project in California. Both “Part 1: Millennium Approaches” and “Part 2: Perestroika” are running in rep September 27th – October 27th. I’m over the moon excited about this one, y’all. Tickets and info can be found here, or click here for a video of me talking about “Angels” and its personal significance.

Here’s what the critics had to say about my performance:

“Linnard’s Louis could dig himself a tunnel of self-loathing to China, so deeply does he root his hands in his pockets; when he monologues about liberalism and the bourgeoisie and antisemitism and how race is politics, Linnard makes every “I mean” and “I think” into a riot of understatement.” Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle

“The powerhouse performances of J Jha as Prior and Dean Linnard as Louis grounds the play’s central theme … Linnard’s portrayal of Louis skillfully embodies the universal conflict between love and fear that drives individuals to abandon the person they love the most … Oakland Theatre Company’s Angels in America remains a timeless exploration of the human psyche in crisis, a must-see for anyone and everyone.” Patricia L. Morin, Front Row Review

“The gay couple of Prior (sympathetic J Jha) and Louis (pitch perfect Dean Linnard) draw us into their crumbling love … Prior lies in the grave-like pit, calling out for help. But Louis is too busy struggling with his Jewish “guilt” and his gay “shame” – both beautifully depicted by Linnard … This is a superb production of our greatest play. Don’t miss Oakland Theater Project’s magnificent achievement.” Barry David Horwitz, Theatrius

“OTP’s production is graced by outstanding performances: Dean Linnard as the tortured Jewish boyfriend … this play stands as a timeless ode to life in all its wonder. Don’t miss the chance to see this masterpiece.” Corey Finnegan, Theatrius